Music Banter - The Mars Volta

Ok just finished going through their discography, I hadn't heard the last album and refreshed my memory about the other ones. Holy smokes, what a mixed bag. The quality really dropped dramatically towards the end there, reaching the low point in the frankly embarrassing Noctourniquet. Here are my ratings/thoughts:

De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) - 10/10 - one of my favorite albums, I'd say probably their most approachable, I guess a result of the Rick Rubin production, which the band later lamented since it was apparently "too palatable" and they were trying to make "the future of music".

Frances the Mute (2005) - 8/10 - more challenging to get through in its entirety since a lot of it is spacey noise and filler but still lots of quality stuff. Cygnus being perhaps my favorite TMV song ever.

Amputechture (2006) - 3/10 - Less experimental than Frances, but somehow totally forgettable. The only track that is of note to me is Viscera eyes.

The Bedlam in Goliath (2008) - 7/10 - 4 groovy tracks, standouts being Ilyena and Ouroborous, the rest is kind of throwaway.

Octahedron (2009) - 3/10 - Seemed quite slow and totally forgettable. Didn't find a single track memorable.

Noctourniquet (2012) - 1/10 - Just a general embarrassment. The vocals seem tired, and the music uninspired. The rhythm section seems almost non-existent, which is probably the most enjoyable part of their music for me.