The Mars Volta : The Bedlam in Goliath
 

I wasn't digging this with my first listen. Probably because I had been listening to old At The Drive-In beforehand, and hearing Cedric's voice with this kind of production threw me off a bit. But listening through it again, it's a decent album. The first 4 songs don't really do it for me, but things started getting better around Goliath and Tourniquet Man.
I don't think I'll be listening to this too much though. I know its really stupid of me to say something like "make another album like de-loused!!!" But...

MAKE ANOTHER ALBUM LIKE DE-LOUSED!!!
please?

What do you guys think of the drumming? This is the first album with Pridgen if I'm not mistaken.

Drumming is awesome, and the album has some pretty memorable moments. I've always felt that TMV ruin perfectly good ideas by going over the top with everything. Plus Cedric's vocals really grate on me. I prefer Amputechture, and I've never seen why people think its TMV's worst album.

I find it excellent. The drumming is great as well. I love the new version of Rapid Fire Tollbooth (now goliath) from Omar's solo album, Se Dice Bisonte, No Bùfalo (which I broke my copy in half on accident... was the only copy i could find in a small town.. i have it on my ipod and pc but i really love having the actual CDs :( )

I'd have to say that the album doesn't beat Comatorium or Frances the Mute(one of the best albums to listen to start to finish, of any band.. at least in my opinion), but after my mild disapointment on some of the songs from Amputechture, i'm pleased.

I love amputechture.. Tetragrammaton is amazing, It just wasnt what i was expecting after hearing a brilliant concept album like Frances. I like all of their albums, its just if i had to pick a least favorite it would definately be amputechture

Over-the-top directionless garbage. This band seriously are more laughably lame than Muse when it comes to theatricality. And hell, even Muse win a battle with them merely for being better musicians.

Um...good one?

Instead of posting your usual uninteresting smartass comment that, unsurprisingly, nobody actually cares about, here's a novel concept: have a discussion instead! It's not that hard. Well...harder than making a useless comment, but I'm sure you've got it in you somewhere or other.

I thought this album was hella lame, considerably worse than De-Loused. For, among other reasons, what has already preceded.

Thomas makes me completely forget about Jon. He is such an amazing drummer. And if anyone needs proof..just listen to the fills in Wax.

It is true that nobody cares about some smarta$s comment you make on the internet. Everything in your manner is simply that of the angry pseudointellectual kid with an axe to grind. Put things in perspective: this is a music forum, for bloody hell's sake. If I make a comment about a band, respond to the comment with something intelligent. I don't care for your "rofl loz that's so imbecilic i cant even respond loz" (which is what it amounts to), and nobody else with half a brain does either. Act like you would in real life. And, the lounge? Hell, I'm not interested in any web popularity contest! I'm here to discuss music! Get it? Not to have idiotic arguments with angry kids. Show some dignity, and respect for the point that you're talking to real human beings.

Onto the Mars Volta: I really find little of interest on this record and find it, frankly, all over the place. I would argue that Frances the Mute is considerably more cohesive and creatively accomplished than this. I still will give it the courtesy of a few more listens, but at the present moment I don't see that my opinion will be shifting any time soon.

Which tracks did people find they liked the most, and the least?

Not really...Liar.

But now that you hopefully feel better, can we discuss the Mars Volta?

i can see how someone could call this garbage but then again the only album i REALLY like of theirs was de-loused... the rest have become background music or i find myself fastforwarding to my favorite parts and opting to not listen to all of the wankery...

Rating: 7.0 (Average)

It's been a little less than a year and a half since The Mars Volta released the sprawling Amputechture, and many Mars Volta fans still haven't digested that goliath (pun intended) of an album. Unfortunately, the band haven't shaken off the sludge of Amputechture, but they try to combine it with the energy from De-Loused. In some cases it works, in many other cases, it doesn't. When the energy comes in though, it still doesn't have the excitement and tension that their first two full lengths had, and sometimes not even the memorability that Amputechture had.

Opener "Aberinkula" is unlike any of the other album openers, starting immediately rather than the slow buildup and explosion the last three albums (and EP) held. Unfortunately, "Aberinkula"'s formula doesn't work; it's too in your face, and it doesn't help that the tension dies in the verses. It would have been a smart move to place a track like "Tourniquet Man" is the beginning rather than in the middle. "Ileyna" is in the vein of "L'Via L'Viaquez"; it even begins with a quiet section, yet doesn't rock quite as hard, which is again the downfall of the track. "Wax Simulacra" is one of the best songs on Bedlam, and features one of Cedric's best vocal performances. "Goliath" is one of the hookiest songs the Mars Volta have ever performed, and contains some of Omar's best work, along with a near-hardcore punk drum pattern.

"Tourniquet Man" is, while a good song, misplaced. It feels very out of place and would have been (as previously mentioned) better as an introduction, due to it's short length and "build up" quality. "Cavalettes" leads you on to think it will be an exciting track, but after the intro leads into a quite boring song, despite the faster tempo. It's too straight forward, and would have been better if a more exciting drum pattern was used in the verses. "Askepious" is a much more interesting track, but uses incredibly 8-bit sounding brass. "Ouroborous" is the best and most exciting song Bedlam, with a lightning riff and slithering vocals. It's becoming clear that the better Mars Volta songs are often more of the simpler ones (see: De-Loused in the Comatorium). "Soothsayer" is a calmer song, and sounds like a collaboration between De-Loused and Frances the Mute, which works better than De-Loused meets Amputechture. The main guitar hook really makes the song memorable. "Conjugal Burns" is another track that falls victim to bad sequencing. It sounds more like a middle/late album track rather than a closer.

The biggest problem with The Bedlam in Goliath is the track sequencing; a little re-arranging on the part of the band would have greatly improved the album. All in all, in a technical standpoint, the Mars Volta are still one of the most talented bands around. Their songwriting has taken a turn for the worse, they've lost the hooks that kept their longer songs interesting and rely instead on repetitious passages, but they are in top instrumental performance here. Yet, while Omar's guitar was the star on previous expeditions, the real standout here is new drummer Thomas Pridgen, who adds a real backbone to the spacey psychedelia.

Arrrrrgh this owns so hard.

Idk if thats true Wayfarer. He has mad QUITE A FEW amazing comments on this forum. I don't think we could say this is his dumbest.

yeah i was pretty amazed when i saw this on tv

His fills didn't impress me that much, his hi hat work impressed me much more. He has a fairly decent speed.

amazing album first time i heard it i was like its not that good but second listen i was impressed

" "

the way aberinkula segways into metatron is tight

i'm not really diggin this album.

it's just, i don't know, i just don't like it

Their new drummer is amazing, enough said!:band:

So are there guest guitarests. (Frusciante !!)

I am having a really hard time getting into this album and I love the rest of there work....and I love frusciante.......


what is wrong with me?

its just not as good

this album is super trippy

what of the lyrics in particular?

Especially if you get the extra songs.

Am i the only one who thinks the album gets boring after sometime?:confused:
I find myself skipping a lot and not able to sit through the entire thing now.

I found it to be great. The first time I listened to it I hated it, but after a few more I loved it.

Funny, it's the other way around for me...loved it at the start and now I'm just bored of it all of a sudden...too much happening at a time. I'll give it another try later.

this album was my first experience with the mars volta and my brother put it in once in the car at first i was thinking: "what the **** is this?" but after a few listens my opinon changed to "why isnt ther emore music like this?"

i really like it but listening to the mars volta does tire me out after a while

can you explain the story a little please? becaus ei really dont get it:confused:

I still have'nt heard this bloody album.

Lol, sorry if this topic is old, but I just have to say-

To dislike an album for certain reasons is all fine and dandy, but rating it low just because it doesn't "go anywhere?" and disregarding its instrumental and compositional merits? Give me a f'cking break: if everyone shared in that kind of mentality, nobody would bother listening to even half the kickass jazz that's been done over the last half century (and don't even get me started jazz-fusion and early krautrock).

Anyway, I personally loved Bedlam in Goliath when I bought it a few months back, and since that time I have to say the album has grown on me quite a bit, with Ouroboros and Soothsayer being particular highlights. For me now, at-least, this album is up there with De-Loused. :)

Ok, that drummer is fucking amazing, but I've just realized something. Cedric can't sing to save his life!:laughing: Fucking embarrassing...:rolleyes:

Yeah, I've always found his vocals to be awful in live videos.

This album has grown on me a lot, and I think right now I would put it above De-Loused. I think the most significant part was that I started to appreciate the vocals more.

loved it!!

Me too, but when I saw them live a couple of years ago his vocals were mint. I was impressed.