Grapthar's Song of the Day: The Mars Volta - 'Cicatriz ESP'

Omar Rodriguez Lopez, I figured it might be fun to do a few posts about the other projects he's been a part of. The Mars Volta was formed by Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala after their departure from At The Drive-In in 2001. They attempted a sort of dub project before this, but then delved back into experimental rock with a vengeance. At The Drive-In, though unique, and towards the end, quite progressive, had limited the two, as they really wanted to go further down that path. The early Mars Volta music was VERY experimental, without any real connection to progressive rock except for the complexity, but their second full length album sort of went back in time a bit, taking ideas from classic and prog. rock, and combining them with their own style. The albums that followed were sort of a mix of modern and throwback, though always tinged with their signature elements.

aforementioned sophomore release, Frances the Mute, as there are some really incredible parts there, but the actual songs are LONG, some upwards of 30 minutes, and I thought just sharing part wouldn't really do it justice. So, we're going with a track from their debut full length, Deloused in the Comatorium, released in 2003. Considering the band had only existed for two years, the album is INCREDIBLY impressive, and utilizes some really interesting songwriting ideas. Lopez was really coming into his own style at this point, which featured a lot of really dissonant, yet somehow cohesive, parts, and angular, sort of spastic leads, and vocalist Cedric was beginning to move beyond the yelling/singing of ATDI, and finding that he had quite a bit more range available to use. The album also features Flea performing the bass parts, who toured with the group a little bit before they added Juan Alderete as a permanent member. The album is a concept album based on a short story by Zavala, telling the story of fictional character Cerpin Taxt, and his journey towards death after an overdose, though the lyrics are VERY strange, and often difficult to follow, though I think that's part of the charm.