A shift to pop-rock

The Mars Volta is a band hailing from El Paso, Texas. They are made up of the mainstay duo Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, as well as a plethora of other rotating musicians. After the release of their last album, Noctourniquet in 2012, it was unclear if we would see another project by the band again. Luckily, ten years later, the band decided to reunite and release their self-titled seventh studio album The Mars Volta.

The band shifted their iconic sound from a ‘progressive-rock’ to a more ‘pop-rock’ sound. The first track on their new project shows this new sound off. “Blacklight Shine” hits the ground running with a brightly colored and percussive intro. Bixler-Zavala’s vocals then enter, whiny and winding. The chorus is very melodic and almost mesmerizing, and then flows into a verse sung in Spanish. The instrumentation throughout the track is lush and energizing.

“Graveyard Love” is the second track on the album. Opting for more electronic-based instrumentation, it feels much more somber and less melodic than the first track. Instead, the duo focuses their efforts on their lyrics. The lyrics are ambiguous and cryptic, but feel dark and have great imagery. They sing of “plumes of smoke,” “x-ray wind,” and “graveyard love.”

“Vigil” is another big track on the album, where the band finds a good balance between the lyrical and musical qualities of the song. This track features a great melodic chorus, where the melody shifts out of the key, making it more interesting and less expected. Lyrics like “‘Don’t let your tongue slit your throat’ / That’s what they always said,” make the song feel grisly with its imagery.

Track nine is a slow ballad-like song called “Palm Full Of Crux.” It begins with beautiful and haunting woodwinds, with a layer of electronic manipulation that makes it feel eerie. The lyrics are full of despair, and tell a story of the pain and disbelief of losing someone. This track does a great job at showing how the band can create songs that tell a story, but also retain great musicality.

The last song on the record, “The Requisition,” is a very fitting ending. The lyricism is abstract and feels jarring at times, with lines like “Lock him in and watch the fog / Hand me pliers for the root of his claws,” it’s obvious that the band has kept their very unique songwriting style, despite changing the sound of their music. The vocal manipulation on the Spanish lyrics only adds to the craziness of the song.

It is safe to say that this album was worth the wait. The Mars Volta is one of the strongest records in their discography, and it makes sense that this is the album that has the honor of being the band’s self-titled record. It is thoroughly enjoyable to listen to, with exciting melodies and well-crafted tracks. The band does a great job of creating a cohesive record, and does a superb job of making creative and interesting sounds that are not overused in rock music.