The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium

When At the Drive-In broke up, two bands came out of it, Sparta and The Mars Volta. I have a couple albums by Sparta. They're pretty solid if unexceptional hardcore/punk rock. Despite their more mainstream sound, they're overshadowed by their unique and more eccentric counterparts. There's been a bit of a backlash against The Mars Volta's increasingly weird and meandering music, as evidenced in declining critical acclaim, but if nothing else, De-Loused is a hard-rocking, original creation. They are known for very long tracks that have nothing but strange noises for minutes at a time, but their first full-length keeps that to a minimum as they focus on real music. The lyrics are strange and seemingly strings of random words thrown together, but there apparently is meaning, the whole thing being an obscure concept album about a character based on a friend of the band members who committed suicide after a drug-induced coma.

"Son et Lumiere" is an atmospheric intro that segues nicely into "Inertiatic ESP", the only song I've really heard before. It's fast-paced and shows the epitome of what the high-pitched vocalist can do for a song. There's a chaotic sound that permeates most of the songs, and makes it seem more urgent and maybe better than its true, objective quality. "Drunkship of Lanterns" shows off their more latin-influenced side which is just as interesting as the more progressive stuff. "Eria Tarka" has one of the more infectious vocal parts. "Cicatriz ESP" is the longest track and is the biggest hint of what's to come with the band, having an extensive section of jamming and ambiance before coming back to finish the song. Flea's strong baseline pulls it forward to the explosive chorus. It's interesting how each song is sufficiently unique to be memorable while still always sharing the same interesting vision of what good rock sounds like. Of the eight real songs on the record, "Televators" is the least instantly entertaining, but is still a solid, slower song. "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" ends the album in one of the best ways I've ever heard, with an intense climax of starting and stopping guitars backing passionate vocals. It really makes you feel like you just finished listening to something great. It's a bit hard to define, but I think anyone with an inclination towards any of the aspects could like it.