I have a hard time determining if De-loused or Bedlam is better.

I think TMV would be a good band if they stopped being pretentious prog twats, got rid of the vocalist, and focussed on their ambient moments.

So really what I'm saying is they still suck even though they have moments of calming ambience that I can appreciate.

The Mars Volta since De-Loused have progressively got worse with every album, which is a shame because De-Loused is stunning

Holy shit. Can you somehow explain or compare the two? I'm really trying to understand...

They're both different albums, that's for sure.

I think De-Loused was more conventional, and maybe more accessible, whereas Bedlam is more energetic, etc.

On Bedlam it seems like they were taking more risks.

Um, they were taking huge risks with Frances but still managed to produce 5 full blooded fantastic songs. And I agree, it's certainly more energetic, in the frenetic, chaotic, completely random kind of way. Not as bad as Amputechture, but really...I don't see how anyone can make a comparison in terms of quality with De-loused...:|

I didn't like Frances that much, in all honesty.

The Mars Volta are a fairly diverse band, so people are going to like different things about them.

TMV kind of gets the "Rush" treatment. For most people, it usually comes down to whether or not you can get past his voice.

I loved the vocals on De-loused. They're a bit melodramatic, but he pours so much energy and passion into them.
I would have thought the biggest barrier to their accessibility is how dense and frenetic their style can be.