If you continue through The Mars Volta discography, one of these days the phrase "exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed" is going to be stuck in your head for hours, if not days and you will look back to this comment with complete understanding
TMV has been on my list for a long time. Since even before your channel existed. I’ve liked everything I’ve heard, which is about 4 or 5 songs, just haven’t taken the dive into their discography yet. I’m glad they have come into my view again through your channel.
This album was definitely their heaviest in terms of sound and loudness and overall chops lol. The whole album pretty much has this much energy packed into it and I love it. Id really love to see your reaction to one of these albums all the way through (my personal fav is their first album). This album clearly took alot out of them as a band which you can clearly hear in the next album Octohedron which they have mellowed out that chaos into something very beautiful. All of their albums have a mood/theme attached and it just depends which type of person you are to pick the "best" one
My favorite mars volta album changes depending on where I am in my life. First it was frances the mute. (sometimes still is) Recently it's deloused For a brief moment it was Ampectecture but that one can be hard to appreciate due to the amount of dissonance (like almost free sometimes) and philosophical god lyrical themes (not that I don't love it I just sometimes feel it makes me feel very existential in a way that scares me so is hard to come back to) Bedlam In Goliath I feel is not as consistent as their other records. (Tho I appreciate it more in hindsight)
@@Jendnd-l7m The new one was pretty good. Was pretty chill but very nice. Octahedron is honestly kinda cool also but I haven't listened to it a lot. I like the romantic themes as most other mars volta albums don't have that. Haven't hear nocturniquet in a while. Might revisit it.
I personally agree a lot with your statement that TMV, more broadly At The Drive-in and it's adjacents like Sparta and Omar's projects over the time, definitely make songs for them and them only, and the audience just gravitates there eventually. I personally love highly genuine stuff and I guess making art for the sake of it and for the sake of you only is the most genuine a music artist can get. For you it doesn't sticks all the time and that's honestly the normal reaction in my opinion - but for me it's a blast all the time and I think the variety of the band alone is very commendable. While it is very hard to swallow the idea of going through an entire band's catalogue you don't like wanting to like something, TMV is one of those where this statement is just... True. There's something somewhere for you to like, it's all very chaotic and with an incredulous amount of genres clashing together in a cauldron of influences. I think tho you may like their first album more - Deloused at the Comatorium - since it leans on that explosive hardcore energy from At The Drive-in more extensively, it's kind of a turning point in that sound and the eclectic bombastic TMV you heard today and in Frances the Mute, but also Octahedron and Noctourniquet are also really interesting, they are so different it might be worth listening just to see how big of a turn it kind of was. Anyway! Great review and analysis, I specially really love that you put Divine Inner Tension as your best 2023 album, I agree with it wholeheartedly (tho it had a fierce competition for me).
Someone else brought it up, but this is a rework of the Omar solo track Rapid Fire Tollboth. Omar just locked that song in the basement and fed it hard drugs and caffeine until it turned into Goliath. Worth a listen if youre curious. Because the bluesy rock aspect comes through on there even more. This just injects a touch of over the top classic rock psychosis into it.
Ahhhh I’ve been waiting for you to get something from this album! My favorite of The Mars Volta and (not coincidentally) my favorite drumming album of all time. (Thomas Pridgen is just unstoppable for the entire runtime. I think a lot of fans prefer Jon Theodore’s more varied/dynamic drumming on the earlier albums, but Pridgen’s creativity is magnificent.) This was also the first one I’d heard from them, and it was years of just going between this and Noctourniquet before trying their more famous projects, so these two albums have always been my most beloved. I hope you get to check out Noctourniquet at some point too. (My pick for a reaction would be for “Empty Vessels Make the Loudest Sounds” fwiw)
This album is definitely more focused and less experimental than Amputecture or Frances the Mute, and it's kind of a bridge between their earlier more experimental works and their later more restrained albums. Not a single track over 10 minutes and the long, cacophonous, and meandering jam segments in their previous works are mostly absent. Most of the songs are really chaotic in the cohesive way you describe and it is an extremely exhausting thing to listen to as the album rarely lets up on the intensity. There's a really ominous, unsettling, and supernatural feel to it as well that I really enjoy. Thanks for reviewing my special selection btw.
Im really stoked you have revisited TMV. Since you’ve visted ATDI I knew there was some material youd enjoy from thus group if you circled back. Goliath is such a slept on song here on the reaction community. I think you’ll love Drunkship of Lanterns and Cotopaxi
This album is easily the most chaotic album they've ever done. It was supposedly written inspired by some stories they encountered while playing with an Ouija board. This led to the heavier tracks being extremely busy, like this one, and the softer tracks being more on the creepy side rather than calming. So across the 75-minute runtime, you don't really get a moment to breathe. However, if you stick with it and give it a few more spins, you will discover so many great hooks and songs unlike any other. It's not an easy listen, but very, very rewarding. As much as I personally like all the ambiance on Frances the Mute (the album with the guy in the car), this album is much more all killer, no filler.
They're still touring, I got to see all omars side projects except the one with ximena, then I finally got to see them as The Mars Volta last year. They are touring with Deftones now I believe.
The Bedlam in Goliath (the album) is probably by consensus the best post-Frances the Mute TMV album. It's definitely the album where they started to streamline their sound (by TMV standards at least): reigning in the lengthy psychedelic freakouts and spacy atmospherics and confining them into groovier, catchier forms and more accessible structures. It's still very identifiably TMV, but it was a breath of fresh air after the ungainly ambitions of Amputechture and psychedelic extremes of Frances of the Mute (the one with the driver on the cover). I still think Frances was their peak because it did push their unique elements to their extremes, but for more mainstream audiences I think The Bedlam in Goliath is probably their most accessible, and this track is a great introduction. FWIW, I do think all their later music is closer to this than their early work, so there's still a good chance you'd like it more than their first two albums.
I remember getting this album back when it was new and during my first listen I was thinking "they just won't show my ears mercy" and it made me grin. This is a really meaty, messy album. It's based on their experiences while playing around with a ouija board, and as you read, Goliath is the name of the entity (or entities) they allegedly came into contact with. They kinda created a mythology around the album with weird accidents and mishaps that they attributed to the entity. Not sure if it was just a gimmick or if they really believed it. I think this song is kind of a masterclass in tension/release, with the ending being an awesome energy outlet. I also really love it! In my book it has a sister song from the previous record Amputecture, "Viscera Eyes", a song with almost the exact same idea with an ongoing groove and then en energy-filled ending, although "Goliath" is crunchier. Definitely not the first time I've heard people mentioning classic rock (and prog) in reference to TMV. Led Zeppelin and Mahavishnu Orchestra are common comparisons. TMV are definitely blues rock at the core with some messiness on top. The riffs are almost always in pentatonic with the diminished 5th as a favored not for that extra bluesy goodness. Glad you enjoyed this! There are more fun tracks from this one for future analysis, like "Ilyena", "Wax Simulacra" and "Ouroborous". All of the tracks have awesome moments but those are perhaps the more direct ones.
this is their best album, every song flows so well into one another and the album has a staggering runtime of 1hr 20mins and the reason that is so crazy is because this entire album is basically the energy of that song in EVERY song (if not more energy)
Hey Bryan, glad that you at least somewhat liked this track :) My personal favorite of this album is "Agadez" so maybe there is a chance you might dig it as well. Don't have to make a video or anything, just saying in case you might like to check another track off this album in the future. That being said, great work as always!
Loved this reaction and breakdown man! I think you'd find more The Mars Volta songs that you enjoy than not if you ever decided to do a deep dive. If you decide to do more off this album I'll suggest 'Agadaz'. It's quite a bit slower and in my opinion really stands out in their discography. It has more of a lounge singer vibe.
Now you need to listen to the original that was on one of Omar's solo albums. Rapid Fire Tollbooth is the track title. It's a much more slowed down take on the track.
This is a great review! 👍 you should review more hella. Preferably (for my own sake) something off of their (hella) album," there's no 666 in outer space". Its like hella meets the mars volta meets primus and then is put in a blender controlled by devo. Wild stuff I just wish the mix was better.
Too many thoughts here. First, gotta say, watching your Mars Volta reactions for your facial reactions alone would be enough, I'm so entertained by how you process each part... and with TMV there usually are a lot lol Seeing this in my subscriptions made me go WE GOT HIM FOR ANOTHER ONE LADS HAHAA p e r s o n i n t h e d r i v e r s e a t Bedlam is a particular album, the same way any of their other albums give off different impressions compared to each other, this one is quite different too. Some parts are heavier, some parts are chaotic, but I think the way it goes a bit less on the "long epic chaotic prog rock" style that is probably more digestible, still with their signature chaotic aspect. I get what you mean with "they're good at making their music" - they're so distinct from most of anything else. Also, thanks for pointing out Hail The Sun, I like that post-hardcore style
If you want more of the same, Omar (band leader) at the time was releasing records under his name, that had all the session music that lead to this album (and almost any other TMV record). Try Cryptomnesia, Xenophanes and Old Money by Omar Rodriguez Lopez PS he just reissued his whole discography (50+ albums) on LP.
29:06 bryan "i don't got that kind of time in my life!" also bryan: "i will listen to all the albums of the artist and play all the games in a series in chronological order"
I'm all in on at least 1 TMV song every now and then. I'll let others throw up suggestions. I just want you to experience stuff like Cassandra Gemini etc 🤘I definitely appreciate your honesty.
Dude, I’m glad you said that. There is a musical itch that only the mars Volta is able to scratch. Sucks that musically, understandably, you can’t keep up that kind of energy and originality up throughout your career. Sad I won’t get more eventually, but it makes me appreciate what the mars Volta gave us a lot more. Really wish there was another band out there that could pick up their reigns.
The "(All the days of my life, ever since I've been born,) I never heard a man speak like this man before" refrain is from an African American folk song thats earliest recording dates back to the 1860s. The actual song is no doubt older, predating the US Civil War. You can hear that old recording on UA-cam. The Library of Congress has some more information about it. I've always found that part of the song interesting so I did a little digging.
This is the band I always think is named after Largo's ship in Thunderball but that's actually a Mr. Bungle album (Disco Volante) lol. Never really listened before but it's pretty good if not a bit outside the tone I'm usually looking for in a band. This song in particular really sounds like it would fit right in a Guy Ritchie movie smash cut montage. Like the whole time, I'm picturing a couple of London east ender heroin addicts running through alleys trying to ditch the cops.
The Bedlam in Goliath album has more lore than any other album I've ever come across. It would take a significantly long essay to break it down. But! I will say this, the album is cursed, you're so F'ed now. lol
This def remind me of the 1960's punk band THE MC5 from Detroit To be honest although I haven't always understood some songs from TMV I've def enjoyed them 🤘🧐😎✌️
Someone else mentioned it sort of, but they found an antique spirit board and used some of the things that “came through” the board as lyrical inspiration and song names. The entity identified itself as Goliath. A ton of cursed shit happened to members of the band during this album’s creation (including 2 studio fires I believe). I remember reading an interview from one of their longtime collaborators who quit the band after this project saying that they were putting evil into the world with the album’s release. I believe the guys ultimately buried the board somewhere secret or something like that. Fun music industry lore. This album had always scared me, even before learning about the spirit board stuff. 🤘
That collaborator was right. The "protection" they put on the album was for the band, not the listener, although I don't think Cedric and Omar understand the extent of what they played with. The curse is trapped inside the album and is deflected away from them and onto the listener.
Omar did an album with Damo Suzuki (he was the singer for Krautrock band Can in the 70's) called Please Heat this Eventually. I really enjoy it but it's a hard one to recommend (always reminded me of one of the bands playing at Jabba the Huts place in the old Star Wars.) After realizing where he was from I found a lot of older influence in TMV fused with that post-hardcore/punk feeling. One group that The Mars Volta remind me of in a way would be Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Would love to see you react to cavalettas or agadez. If you like this i think either of those would totally flip you on this band. My favorite volta album personally.
lol this is a mess of an album per the requestors comment, but it is a glorious mess that is fearless and highly technical yet very emotive. I've got to start working on getting the song Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt from their first album into your polls. Given your multiple analysis of various TMV songs, I think that may be the one that you vibe with the most.
This is probably my favorite review of TMV by him bc he seems to have finally gotten the big picture view of what the art of TMV is. It’s uninhibited balls out rock n roll but so frustratingly jazz/adhd in that it just refuses to stay in one mode it’s all twisted and indulgent and for every few minutes of bliss and glory there’s a minute of frustrating grating wtf. They are just motherfuckers. For him the good isn’t entirely worth the downside but for me the good is way way well worth the downsides bc for me it’s just mind blowingly great like those great moments you have on hallucinogens but I do also recognize the downside.
coming from a fan of prog rock, when I first heard Deloused, I could tell that it is progressive rock without falling into the trap of sounding like "prog" i.e.heavily influenced by early Genesis/Yes/Pink Floyd. I realized this is a modern band writing (what I think is) a kind of reflection of the state of rock at the time (with the hardcore/punk influences) but also taking in whatever else Cedric and Omar likes. They kind of lose me a bit after Bedlam, but there will never be another band like TMV.
And you didn't even expirience Omar solo work. I think the evolution of Omar influenced a lot TMV on the later part. Goliath was in fact a music that belonged to Omar solo work, it was called Rapid Fire Tollbooth ahah.
I think you’ll like the whole album if you dug this track. Also…I’d say about 90% of my favorite albums of all time were growers. Most of the time, if I love an album I right away, I easily get bored of it. My absolute favs are the ones that astound me… when I hear something completely new and I don’t quite get it, but i feel I need to keep listening in order for it to make sense. 100 times is an exaggeration I’d say, but it probably took me at least 10 listens through deloused on France’s before they became permanently etched in my brain. As a mega TMV fan, I appreciate your insight, even if I can tell you don’t really dig some of it, I can tell you have an appreciation for it and the willingness to listen ❤
Really should check out eriatarka. I really think you will enjoy that song by them quite a lot. It’s from their first Volta album and has more of the ATDI vibes mixed with Volta.
Ah, man, a lot of people prefer their more pensive and meditative epics like Francis The Mute but for my money this is their best album, the energy on this record is unmatched in comparison to the rest of their discography, haven't listened in a hot minute, thanks for reminding me how absolutely fucking electric this record is The lore of it is really interesting too, look into it, some real spooky shit went into the creation of this record
maybe some octahedron would work well. teflon, cotopaxi, desperate graves, even Since we've been wrong. It was their "acoustic" album before the newest one happened
Their debut (Deloused) may still be my favourite, just because where it came in my life. It was a bridge from relatively normal rock to more proggy stuff. I also prefer the drummer in this incarnation (Jon Theodore). The second album (Frances The Mute) could've had a little fat pared away but it's a very good modern take on prog. Third album (Amputechture) has some nice moments and probably maintains the concept as well as any of their other albums. The fourth (this one) is probably the album I have to be in the correct mood to listen to. It's a full-on assault apart from maybe one track. If you're not ready for it, it can come across as annoying. The other albums are ok. I'd go for Day of of Baphomets when you're next undertaking TMV. A bit of everything in there, including a couple of non-guitar solos.
@@CriticalReactions as the story goes, omar picked up a ouija-type talking board from a shop in jerusalem that the band would ritually use after shows while on tour with the red hot chili peppers. through this board, they contacted a spirit named goliath that formed from the amalgam of the love triangle mentioned in the genius annotation. of course, cedric and omar started using what they learned from the spirit for writing ideas for the album, but that’s when things started going awry. multiple injuries, tracks going missing at random, omar’s home studio flooding, cedric having to completely relearn how to walk, some pretty weird stuff. the strangest thing though was their studio engineer just up and quit one day, leaving behind a note that said, and i quote, “i’m not going to help you make this record. you’re trying to do something very bad with this record. you’re trying to make me crazy and you’re trying to make people crazy.” after that, omar broke the board and buried it at an undisclosed location. he then banned any mention of it in the studio until the album was finished. cedric also wrote various santeria rituals into the lyrics to protect listeners from any evil spirits that may still linger within the music.
You've listened to me before about a recommendation and I submit Sparta's "Vacant Skies" to satisfy your post-hardcore post-ATDI listening pleasure. I like that you take the time to listen to these songs and are not afraid to just honestly give your take. Seeing someone only like certain parts of this song is so foreign to me as a long time TMV fan. This is up there with the best of their work. But, I appreciate that you just gave us your honest opinion. Otherwise, this would just be a sort of masturbation or trigger porn. ua-cam.com/video/fKgnit4vnIQ/v-deo.html Here is the link to the Sparta song I chose.
devout fans telling you what the lyrics mean?!?! We're only here to help you let go of the need to know the meaning in the words. They are words, and they surely have meaning.... Moving on
TMV doesn't fit into any genre, which is why you dont like them, but its what makes them legendary. You have to let go of any preconceived notions about music. Let go of everything. Just listen.
If you continue through The Mars Volta discography, one of these days the phrase "exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed" is going to be stuck in your head for hours, if not days and you will look back to this comment with complete understanding
I love that song so much 😭😭
Best chorus
@@crystalskunk3658 I saw them live and they played this song. When that quiet drop in the chorus hit, I almost entered the 6th dimension 😩
@@Onlyspaceman that part is absolutely insane I'm jealous
Seen them twice...they played for 3 hours and 3.5 hours respectively..
TMV has been on my list for a long time. Since even before your channel existed. I’ve liked everything I’ve heard, which is about 4 or 5 songs, just haven’t taken the dive into their discography yet. I’m glad they have come into my view again through your channel.
This album was definitely their heaviest in terms of sound and loudness and overall chops lol. The whole album pretty much has this much energy packed into it and I love it. Id really love to see your reaction to one of these albums all the way through (my personal fav is their first album). This album clearly took alot out of them as a band which you can clearly hear in the next album Octohedron which they have mellowed out that chaos into something very beautiful. All of their albums have a mood/theme attached and it just depends which type of person you are to pick the "best" one
My favorite mars volta album changes depending on where I am in my life.
First it was frances the mute. (sometimes still is)
Recently it's deloused
For a brief moment it was Ampectecture but that one can be hard to appreciate due to the amount of dissonance (like almost free sometimes) and philosophical god lyrical themes (not that I don't love it I just sometimes feel it makes me feel very existential in a way that scares me so is hard to come back to)
Bedlam In Goliath I feel is not as consistent as their other records. (Tho I appreciate it more in hindsight)
Pridgen definitely comes through on this album
@@AliceIsAtlaswhat about noctourniquet, octahedron, self titled???? Every album slaps in its own way
@@Jendnd-l7m The new one was pretty good. Was pretty chill but very nice. Octahedron is honestly kinda cool also but I haven't listened to it a lot. I like the romantic themes as most other mars volta albums don't have that. Haven't hear nocturniquet in a while. Might revisit it.
You should do Day of the Baphomets! One of my favorite tracks of theirs.
Day of the baphomets is such an insane song
Bedlam is the best album
This is a fun track! If you ever decide to do an album review of The Mars Volta I hope you do their first one. :)
I personally agree a lot with your statement that TMV, more broadly At The Drive-in and it's adjacents like Sparta and Omar's projects over the time, definitely make songs for them and them only, and the audience just gravitates there eventually. I personally love highly genuine stuff and I guess making art for the sake of it and for the sake of you only is the most genuine a music artist can get.
For you it doesn't sticks all the time and that's honestly the normal reaction in my opinion - but for me it's a blast all the time and I think the variety of the band alone is very commendable. While it is very hard to swallow the idea of going through an entire band's catalogue you don't like wanting to like something, TMV is one of those where this statement is just... True. There's something somewhere for you to like, it's all very chaotic and with an incredulous amount of genres clashing together in a cauldron of influences. I think tho you may like their first album more - Deloused at the Comatorium - since it leans on that explosive hardcore energy from At The Drive-in more extensively, it's kind of a turning point in that sound and the eclectic bombastic TMV you heard today and in Frances the Mute, but also Octahedron and Noctourniquet are also really interesting, they are so different it might be worth listening just to see how big of a turn it kind of was.
Anyway! Great review and analysis, I specially really love that you put Divine Inner Tension as your best 2023 album, I agree with it wholeheartedly (tho it had a fierce competition for me).
Someone else brought it up, but this is a rework of the Omar solo track Rapid Fire Tollboth. Omar just locked that song in the basement and fed it hard drugs and caffeine until it turned into Goliath. Worth a listen if youre curious. Because the bluesy rock aspect comes through on there even more. This just injects a touch of over the top classic rock psychosis into it.
wow i thoguht christmas was over but here we are again listening to more omar and cedric projects 🙏🏻
Ahhhh I’ve been waiting for you to get something from this album! My favorite of The Mars Volta and (not coincidentally) my favorite drumming album of all time. (Thomas Pridgen is just unstoppable for the entire runtime. I think a lot of fans prefer Jon Theodore’s more varied/dynamic drumming on the earlier albums, but Pridgen’s creativity is magnificent.) This was also the first one I’d heard from them, and it was years of just going between this and Noctourniquet before trying their more famous projects, so these two albums have always been my most beloved. I hope you get to check out Noctourniquet at some point too. (My pick for a reaction would be for “Empty Vessels Make the Loudest Sounds” fwiw)
This whole album is pure energy. This is my go-to for cleaning music
This album is definitely more focused and less experimental than Amputecture or Frances the Mute, and it's kind of a bridge between their earlier more experimental works and their later more restrained albums. Not a single track over 10 minutes and the long, cacophonous, and meandering jam segments in their previous works are mostly absent. Most of the songs are really chaotic in the cohesive way you describe and it is an extremely exhausting thing to listen to as the album rarely lets up on the intensity. There's a really ominous, unsettling, and supernatural feel to it as well that I really enjoy. Thanks for reviewing my special selection btw.
Glad you enjoyed and were less annoyed by this one lol. It’s definitely got some badass sections. Thanks for doing it! 🤘
I'm a simple man; I see The Mars Volta, I click and watch.
Glad you finally dived into one of their best albums! pure chaos the whole time.
Im really stoked you have revisited TMV. Since you’ve visted ATDI I knew there was some material youd enjoy from thus group if you circled back. Goliath is such a slept on song here on the reaction community.
I think you’ll love Drunkship of Lanterns and Cotopaxi
This album is easily the most chaotic album they've ever done. It was supposedly written inspired by some stories they encountered while playing with an Ouija board. This led to the heavier tracks being extremely busy, like this one, and the softer tracks being more on the creepy side rather than calming. So across the 75-minute runtime, you don't really get a moment to breathe.
However, if you stick with it and give it a few more spins, you will discover so many great hooks and songs unlike any other. It's not an easy listen, but very, very rewarding. As much as I personally like all the ambiance on Frances the Mute (the album with the guy in the car), this album is much more all killer, no filler.
I think without the ambience on Frances, the album would feel rushed and frantic. Those lulls are perfect pallette cleansers for the next act.
Dude when TMV broke up i had a hole in my heart. Im glad they got back for at least one more album. I like the while discography
They're still touring, I got to see all omars side projects except the one with ximena, then I finally got to see them as The Mars Volta last year. They are touring with Deftones now I believe.
The Bedlam in Goliath (the album) is probably by consensus the best post-Frances the Mute TMV album. It's definitely the album where they started to streamline their sound (by TMV standards at least): reigning in the lengthy psychedelic freakouts and spacy atmospherics and confining them into groovier, catchier forms and more accessible structures. It's still very identifiably TMV, but it was a breath of fresh air after the ungainly ambitions of Amputechture and psychedelic extremes of Frances of the Mute (the one with the driver on the cover). I still think Frances was their peak because it did push their unique elements to their extremes, but for more mainstream audiences I think The Bedlam in Goliath is probably their most accessible, and this track is a great introduction. FWIW, I do think all their later music is closer to this than their early work, so there's still a good chance you'd like it more than their first two albums.
Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt
I remember getting this album back when it was new and during my first listen I was thinking "they just won't show my ears mercy" and it made me grin. This is a really meaty, messy album. It's based on their experiences while playing around with a ouija board, and as you read, Goliath is the name of the entity (or entities) they allegedly came into contact with. They kinda created a mythology around the album with weird accidents and mishaps that they attributed to the entity. Not sure if it was just a gimmick or if they really believed it.
I think this song is kind of a masterclass in tension/release, with the ending being an awesome energy outlet. I also really love it! In my book it has a sister song from the previous record Amputecture, "Viscera Eyes", a song with almost the exact same idea with an ongoing groove and then en energy-filled ending, although "Goliath" is crunchier.
Definitely not the first time I've heard people mentioning classic rock (and prog) in reference to TMV. Led Zeppelin and Mahavishnu Orchestra are common comparisons. TMV are definitely blues rock at the core with some messiness on top. The riffs are almost always in pentatonic with the diminished 5th as a favored not for that extra bluesy goodness.
Glad you enjoyed this! There are more fun tracks from this one for future analysis, like "Ilyena", "Wax Simulacra" and "Ouroborous". All of the tracks have awesome moments but those are perhaps the more direct ones.
this is their best album, every song flows so well into one another and the album has a staggering runtime of 1hr 20mins and the reason that is so crazy is because this entire album is basically the energy of that song in EVERY song (if not more energy)
I get a headache when I try to listen to this album all at once
@@lemonekez9558 i’m a lil crazy and i this is my most listened to album of theirs lol
Frances clear :p
Hey Bryan, glad that you at least somewhat liked this track :) My personal favorite of this album is "Agadez" so maybe there is a chance you might dig it as well. Don't have to make a video or anything, just saying in case you might like to check another track off this album in the future. That being said, great work as always!
Hands down my favorite record of theirs, with Frances the Mute being a close second.
Cedric writes all of the lyrics and Omar writes all of the music.
First! Also Thomas Pridgen is a monster on the drums.
What a beast!
Loved this reaction and breakdown man! I think you'd find more The Mars Volta songs that you enjoy than not if you ever decided to do a deep dive. If you decide to do more off this album I'll suggest 'Agadaz'. It's quite a bit slower and in my opinion really stands out in their discography. It has more of a lounge singer vibe.
Agadez is the best song on the album IMO
Now you need to listen to the original that was on one of Omar's solo albums. Rapid Fire Tollbooth is the track title. It's a much more slowed down take on the track.
Damn....King crimson had a baby!!👶🍼🤣💙🎵🎶🎶
This is a great review! 👍 you should review more hella. Preferably (for my own sake) something off of their (hella) album," there's no 666 in outer space". Its like hella meets the mars volta meets primus and then is put in a blender controlled by devo. Wild stuff I just wish the mix was better.
Too many thoughts here. First, gotta say, watching your Mars Volta reactions for your facial reactions alone would be enough, I'm so entertained by how you process each part... and with TMV there usually are a lot lol
Seeing this in my subscriptions made me go WE GOT HIM FOR ANOTHER ONE LADS HAHAA
p e r s o n i n t h e d r i v e r s e a t
Bedlam is a particular album, the same way any of their other albums give off different impressions compared to each other, this one is quite different too. Some parts are heavier, some parts are chaotic, but I think the way it goes a bit less on the "long epic chaotic prog rock" style that is probably more digestible, still with their signature chaotic aspect.
I get what you mean with "they're good at making their music" - they're so distinct from most of anything else.
Also, thanks for pointing out Hail The Sun, I like that post-hardcore style
If you want more of the same, Omar (band leader) at the time was releasing records under his name, that had all the session music that lead to this album (and almost any other TMV record).
Try Cryptomnesia, Xenophanes and Old Money by Omar Rodriguez Lopez
PS he just reissued his whole discography (50+ albums) on LP.
Xenophanes is probably one of my top 5 favorite albums
cryptomnesia has the drummer from death grips too. and juan alderete on bass and some other bassist i cant remember. weird/cool album.
And I am buying them all (well, just the ones who were never released 😅)
29:06 bryan "i don't got that kind of time in my life!"
also bryan: "i will listen to all the albums of the artist and play all the games in a series in chronological order"
I'm all in on at least 1 TMV song every now and then. I'll let others throw up suggestions. I just want you to experience stuff like Cassandra Gemini etc 🤘I definitely appreciate your honesty.
This album is so good, the song Ilyena is the one that got me hooked to TMV, you should check that one out, it has nasty grooves!
Dude, I’m glad you said that. There is a musical itch that only the mars Volta is able to scratch.
Sucks that musically, understandably, you can’t keep up that kind of energy and originality up throughout your career.
Sad I won’t get more eventually, but it makes me appreciate what the mars Volta gave us a lot more.
Really wish there was another band out there that could pick up their reigns.
The "(All the days of my life, ever since I've been born,) I never heard a man speak like this man before" refrain is from an African American folk song thats earliest recording dates back to the 1860s. The actual song is no doubt older, predating the US Civil War. You can hear that old recording on UA-cam. The Library of Congress has some more information about it. I've always found that part of the song interesting so I did a little digging.
You should check out "Televators," "The Widow," or "Eriatarka" by TMV, they're probably more up your alley and less chaotic
This is the band I always think is named after Largo's ship in Thunderball but that's actually a Mr. Bungle album (Disco Volante) lol.
Never really listened before but it's pretty good if not a bit outside the tone I'm usually looking for in a band. This song in particular really sounds like it would fit right in a Guy Ritchie movie smash cut montage. Like the whole time, I'm picturing a couple of London east ender heroin addicts running through alleys trying to ditch the cops.
The Bedlam in Goliath album has more lore than any other album I've ever come across. It would take a significantly long essay to break it down. But! I will say this, the album is cursed, you're so F'ed now. lol
I wonder what Brian would think about their most recent, self-titled album....VERY different than what you're used to hearing out of The Mars Volta
The lyrics are about the Jonestown massacre.
Day of the baphomets is a killer song
Ah, Bedlam in Goliath - my favorite Volta record :) I think it would be very fun watching you react to the whole album and your review of it.
You are very respectful. Love that about you.🎵🎶🎶Very mature.💙💙
Thomas Pridgen has bonkers drumming on this. Too bad he's no longer in the band. Such a talent
This def remind me of the 1960's punk band THE MC5 from Detroit To be honest although I haven't always understood some songs from TMV I've def enjoyed them 🤘🧐😎✌️
lol finally some TMV suited for your tastes, nice!
Someone else mentioned it sort of, but they found an antique spirit board and used some of the things that “came through” the board as lyrical inspiration and song names. The entity identified itself as Goliath. A ton of cursed shit happened to members of the band during this album’s creation (including 2 studio fires I believe). I remember reading an interview from one of their longtime collaborators who quit the band after this project saying that they were putting evil into the world with the album’s release. I believe the guys ultimately buried the board somewhere secret or something like that. Fun music industry lore. This album had always scared me, even before learning about the spirit board stuff. 🤘
That collaborator was right. The "protection" they put on the album was for the band, not the listener, although I don't think Cedric and Omar understand the extent of what they played with. The curse is trapped inside the album and is deflected away from them and onto the listener.
Omar did an album with Damo Suzuki (he was the singer for Krautrock band Can in the 70's) called Please Heat this Eventually. I really enjoy it but it's a hard one to recommend (always reminded me of one of the bands playing at Jabba the Huts place in the old Star Wars.) After realizing where he was from I found a lot of older influence in TMV fused with that post-hardcore/punk feeling. One group that The Mars Volta remind me of in a way would be Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Would love to see you react to cavalettas or agadez. If you like this i think either of those would totally flip you on this band. My favorite volta album personally.
I really like metatron if the drumming and riffing caught his eye. The progression of it is so funky but in a weird way i love it
Agadez (as of this moment) is my favorite from TBIG with Askepios being right on its heels
I am the intended audience for this 😊
10:13 essentially the reason why nuclear gandhi is a thing
lol this is a mess of an album per the requestors comment, but it is a glorious mess that is fearless and highly technical yet very emotive. I've got to start working on getting the song Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt from their first album into your polls. Given your multiple analysis of various TMV songs, I think that may be the one that you vibe with the most.
For me, this is Mars Volta at its peak. This is the highest they got energy-wise. Goliath did actually drain all of TMV's energy.
The Goliath riff sounds very similar to Stevie's Spanking by Frank Zappa.
This is probably my favorite review of TMV by him bc he seems to have finally gotten the big picture view of what the art of TMV is. It’s uninhibited balls out rock n roll but so frustratingly jazz/adhd in that it just refuses to stay in one mode it’s all twisted and indulgent and for every few minutes of bliss and glory there’s a minute of frustrating grating wtf. They are just motherfuckers. For him the good isn’t entirely worth the downside but for me the good is way way well worth the downsides bc for me it’s just mind blowingly great like those great moments you have on hallucinogens but I do also recognize the downside.
coming from a fan of prog rock, when I first heard Deloused, I could tell that it is progressive rock without falling into the trap of sounding like "prog" i.e.heavily influenced by early Genesis/Yes/Pink Floyd. I realized this is a modern band writing (what I think is) a kind of reflection of the state of rock at the time (with the hardcore/punk influences) but also taking in whatever else Cedric and Omar likes. They kind of lose me a bit after Bedlam, but there will never be another band like TMV.
And you didn't even expirience Omar solo work. I think the evolution of Omar influenced a lot TMV on the later part. Goliath was in fact a music that belonged to Omar solo work, it was called Rapid Fire Tollbooth ahah.
I think you’ll like the whole album if you dug this track.
Also…I’d say about 90% of my favorite albums of all time were growers. Most of the time, if I love an album I right away, I easily get bored of it. My absolute favs are the ones that astound me… when I hear something completely new and I don’t quite get it, but i feel I need to keep listening in order for it to make sense. 100 times is an exaggeration I’d say, but it probably took me at least 10 listens through deloused on France’s before they became permanently etched in my brain.
As a mega TMV fan, I appreciate your insight, even if I can tell you don’t really dig some of it, I can tell you have an appreciation for it and the willingness to listen ❤
Really should check out eriatarka. I really think you will enjoy that song by them quite a lot. It’s from their first Volta album and has more of the ATDI vibes mixed with Volta.
You should really give this album a full listen. Its actually really heavy.
Ah, man, a lot of people prefer their more pensive and meditative epics like Francis The Mute but for my money this is their best album, the energy on this record is unmatched in comparison to the rest of their discography, haven't listened in a hot minute, thanks for reminding me how absolutely fucking electric this record is
The lore of it is really interesting too, look into it, some real spooky shit went into the creation of this record
There most perfect songy song IMO is "Ilyena."
I checked out Hail The Sun.....Nice. I see they are going to play at The Bottleneck in Lawrence. That's right by ME!! Go Chiefs!!
This was their peak
maybe some octahedron would work well. teflon, cotopaxi, desperate graves, even Since we've been wrong. It was their "acoustic" album before the newest one happened
ever heard of villa lobos? any of the 12 etudes should be a good introduction hehehe
I always heard a bit of Led Zeppelin in their sound…
This album might be the one for you.
Most of this album is on a similar vibe. You'd probably enjoy it.
Their debut (Deloused) may still be my favourite, just because where it came in my life. It was a bridge from relatively normal rock to more proggy stuff. I also prefer the drummer in this incarnation (Jon Theodore).
The second album (Frances The Mute) could've had a little fat pared away but it's a very good modern take on prog.
Third album (Amputechture) has some nice moments and probably maintains the concept as well as any of their other albums.
The fourth (this one) is probably the album I have to be in the correct mood to listen to. It's a full-on assault apart from maybe one track. If you're not ready for it, it can come across as annoying.
The other albums are ok.
I'd go for Day of of Baphomets when you're next undertaking TMV. A bit of everything in there, including a couple of non-guitar solos.
Attempt #3 to get a reaction/analysis to Chronostasis by Release Hallucination. Would love to hear your take on it.
Calling Amputechture a mess of an album is sacrilege and you shall be gagged and you should hope that you can fake your pulse.
He really should raise his entrails as an offer😡😡
Blues on a sledge rocket. Yeah sign me up.
Yo, critical. Your next reaction to volta should be ilyena. The album is a mess, but, this song is a top 10 volta song imo. Check it out.
You might enjoy Metatron from the same album.
Thomas mothafuckin Pridgen
This whole album felt like Omar and Thomas were just LOCKED in together
This sounds like king crimson - 21st century schizoid man
does he know about the curse?
No?
@@CriticalReactions as the story goes, omar picked up a ouija-type talking board from a shop in jerusalem that the band would ritually use after shows while on tour with the red hot chili peppers. through this board, they contacted a spirit named goliath that formed from the amalgam of the love triangle mentioned in the genius annotation. of course, cedric and omar started using what they learned from the spirit for writing ideas for the album, but that’s when things started going awry.
multiple injuries, tracks going missing at random, omar’s home studio flooding, cedric having to completely relearn how to walk, some pretty weird stuff. the strangest thing though was their studio engineer just up and quit one day, leaving behind a note that said, and i quote, “i’m not going to help you make this record. you’re trying to do something very bad with this record. you’re trying to make me crazy and you’re trying to make people crazy.”
after that, omar broke the board and buried it at an undisclosed location. he then banned any mention of it in the studio until the album was finished. cedric also wrote various santeria rituals into the lyrics to protect listeners from any evil spirits that may still linger within the music.
Interesting and terrifying story behind this album
if you like this you should check out their song “day of the baphomets”! so good
You've listened to me before about a recommendation and I submit Sparta's "Vacant Skies" to satisfy your post-hardcore post-ATDI listening pleasure.
I like that you take the time to listen to these songs and are not afraid to just honestly give your take. Seeing someone only like certain parts of this song is so foreign to me as a long time TMV fan. This is up there with the best of their work.
But, I appreciate that you just gave us your honest opinion. Otherwise, this would just be a sort of masturbation or trigger porn.
ua-cam.com/video/fKgnit4vnIQ/v-deo.html
Here is the link to the Sparta song I chose.
devout fans telling you what the lyrics mean?!?! We're only here to help you let go of the need to know the meaning in the words. They are words, and they surely have meaning.... Moving on
This song is very very king crimson like
Did think this would be more in your vein. They've got quite a lot more that wouldn't be too abrasive for you (I think)
Ahhhhhh, The Mars Volta. The 21st century’s finest progressive act. Utterly insanity this band.
amputechture ain’t no mess
i’ve seen them live in amsterdam. ate shrooms before the concert. intense
Check out KAHAL. A solo artist highly influenced by TMV, working in the modern digital post-genre style.
King crimson
Combining Led Zeppelin, with Tools, and some Progressive metal and jazz you have it ;)
Nah... Frances the mute is by far the best concept album of all time.
Then react to eriatarka
TMV doesn't fit into any genre, which is why you dont like them, but its what makes them legendary.
You have to let go of any preconceived notions about music. Let go of everything. Just listen.
Goliath is Yuge!!
though nothing will top TMV's Noctourniquet. Bedlam's too noisy and Thomas is too much on the drumming. boring