(Note: The editor at Consequence of Sound didn't like this version, so I'm in the process of re-writing this review for their site.)
In 2005 I saw the most awesome show: System of a Down and The Mars Volta, who were supporting the just-released Frances the Mute. I was skeptical: loved the album but was unsure as to how it would translate live. Based on the number of kids wearing SOAD T-shirts and the mutterings from disgruntled fans who felt that sitting through the opening act was going to be boring, were skeptical too. Dressed in a skintight 3-piece suit, singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala hit the stage and started shimmying, ducking and jiving like James Brown and the crowd went nuts, and the rather complex and psychedelic music turned into an all-out funk show. Unfortunately for SOAD, who were touring in between Mesmerize and Hypnotize, clearly exhausted (and based on the tension onstage were clearly not getting along) were toast.
I am going to predict that for those to catch The Mars Volta support their latest, Octahedron, will also feel that they have suddenly been morphed back to Detroit or Memphis, circa 1970, holed up in a smoky all-black nightclub to watch a performance that you will never forget. Sure, the music is radically different, but the emotions will be the same.
First, I must admit that if you read the above and then listen to the opener, the folksy, acoustic ballad "Since We've Been Wrong," you are going to think that I'm an idiot - but stay with me. The track, in which (minus the almost two minutes intro of what sounds like the hum from a monitor? Help me out here) with Bixler-Zavala's surprisingly direct, crisp but quite vulnerable voice: "do you remember what you said to me / what caused has given you the right to stray," you will realize that this song, which similar to previous Mars Volta ballads, swells and bends with the mid-introduction of strings and orchestral accompaniment, is more about love lost and melancholy than a 'get up and funk' type of tune.
Out of the eight tracks, "Desperate Graves" is a definite standout, and I'm guessing that collaborator, Red Hot Chili Pepper's guitarist John Frusciante worked his magic on this one. The trademark signatures of quick tempo changes and a melange of various musical styles are present - the beginning reminded me of a Jeff Buckley-influenced song and then morphs into an almost pop feel with 80's style synths might jar you, but then it quickly evens out.
What makes Octahedron a must-listen is their return to the 'soul' and like funk, the music is going to make your body sway, from the Latin-influenced guitars and percussion and/or overwhelm you with emotion, from probably the best ballads they have ever created. While the tempos differ from track to track, such as the haunting ballad "With Twilight As My Guide" with its hair-raising - in a good way - harmonies, to the freak-rock of "Cotopaxi" there is something that has been returned that had been missing, most notably on last year's The Bedlam in Goliath, which was criticized for be a bit too experimental and sonically fragmented, Octahedron seems more focused, melodic and yeah, sexy.
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