Frances The Mute (new Mars Volta record)

heinz · 10th March 2005, 06:39 PM

What do y'all think of this new one from the Voltas? Pretty freakin intense, taking a few listens to comprehend this mix of algebra, rock, and low-fi. Drums are pretty punchy and guitars are totally cutting through all the layers, but overall the mix doesn't seem "bright"... I can imagine heads exploding mixing this sucker. A pretty cool follow-up to "Deloused" though, huh?

Musicfuelzgood · 10th March 2005, 06:57 PM

i absolutely love this CD. the playing on it is great, and the mix is awesome. its very random. its like "oh where did that trumpet come from?" very interesting. i also like the fact that there is never any silence on the CD from beginning to end. there's always something going on in the background. I've always been a big fan of Rich Costey. I love Dave Navarro's solo CD. I also love a lot of the Fiona Apple stuff. I really dig Deloused, but this one has more of a range of styles on it, and is good for the ears.!

84K · 10th March 2005, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musicfuelzgood

i absolutely love this CD. the playing on it is great, and the mix is awesome. its very random. its like "oh where did that trumpet come from?" very interesting. i also like the fact that there is never any silence on the CD from beginning to end. there's always something going on in the background. I've always been a big fan of Rich Costey. I love Dave Navarro's solo CD. I also love a lot of the Fiona Apple stuff. I really dig Deloused, but this one has more of a range of styles on it, and is good for the ears.!

Well put. I like this one more than "Deloused."

Chris Parsons · 10th March 2005, 08:40 PM

I'm glad someone started a thread about this. Frickin' great album. I love the vocal effects used throughout. Really thinking out of the box. It's soooo nice to hear something different.

Does anyone know anything about this album technically? I'd love to hear how they got such punchy drums and such well defined guitar tones. It's really great.

-Chris Parsons

SigmaDeltaAudio · 10th March 2005, 08:43 PM

I think i maybe alone here but I thought it was terrible.... I liked deloused, but this is way too prog for me. And it's too damn compressed!

brendondp · 10th March 2005, 09:10 PM

Have you guys heard the Dillinger Escape Plan's "Miss Machine"? If you like the 'Volta then I think you may find a friend in the Dillinger Escape Plan.

Cheers,

bdp

Agli · 10th March 2005, 09:15 PM

"And it's too damn compressed!"
So I'll stay away then. I thought the first album had brilliant music but it was so compressed that I have'nt been able to listen to the whole album in one go, my ears just get tired.

Anyway it's a great band.

rainsinvelvet · 10th March 2005, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agli

"And it's too damn compressed!"
So I'll stay away then. I thought the first album had brilliant music but it was so compressed that I have'nt been able to listen to the whole album in one go, my ears just get tired.

Anyway it's a great band.

SO! .. I wasn't alone

I thought it was WAY to compressed.

ERic

brendondp · 10th March 2005, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rainsinvelvet

SO! .. I wasn't alone

I thought it was WAY to compressed.

I'm curious... What's your main system for listening to music? I very rarely listen to music via my Mac, and so most (like, 95%) is done via my stereo system, which although modest allows me to enjoy a far greater range of stuff (mono, 1930's, overcompressed, poorly-mastered, UNmastered... whatever) and still enjoy the music.

I'm not suggesting that you guys have shitty systems, only that I rarely find an album I can't listen to (no matter the quality of the recording, mixing or mastering) cause the enjoyment of the music via my particular system supercedes that of the quality of the recording. This isn't to start a debate about the system being more important that the music - I left my audiophiliac-tendencies behind a while ago - but to suggest that due to the variance of recording, mixing and mastering quality, having a means of enjoying the recording in spite of its shortcomings has meant that I can listen to a far wider range of stuff and not feel like chucking the music out with the bathwater.

Blahblahblah...

Cheers,

bdp

alphajerk · 11th March 2005, 01:32 AM

cool, a reason to go buy another CD. i thought the first was one great too. it was hyper compressed but didnt bother me at all... guess i liked the hypercompression of it since i listened over and over. creative bunch they are.

2A Batterie · 11th March 2005, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by borau

Believe it or not..
In this country it went number 1 in the charts!!
Amazing

What country and what charts?!?? The Mars Volta are frickin' awesome, but I think they are too awesome for the mainstream to appreciate anywhere.

Winey · 11th March 2005, 02:40 AM

Way compressed.
Wouldn't like it even if it wasn't.
This was another band that got so much hype you'd think they were the beatles.
They're not.

SigmaDeltaAudio · 11th March 2005, 02:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brendondp

Have you guys heard the Dillinger Escape Plan's "Miss Machine"? If you like the 'Volta then I think you may find a friend in the Dillinger Escape Plan.

Cheers,

bdp

Now THAT is real beautiful stuff.

SigmaDeltaAudio · 11th March 2005, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alphajerk

cool, a reason to go buy another CD. i thought the first was one great too. it was hyper compressed but didnt bother me at all... guess i liked the hypercompression of it since i listened over and over. creative bunch they are.

The new one is a million times worse I think. I could dig the music a bit, it seems really prentious to me but still ok...

But the limiting and compression made me turn it off after 2 songs... ive still yet to be able to listen to the whole thing through without getting a headache.

Saucyjack · 11th March 2005, 04:55 AM

There are moments on Deloused that are interesting in hooky,prog way but that Cd is almost unbearable to listen to for more than a few songs...crunchy,earspike headache inducing stuff.
If the new is worse I'll definitely pass.
It's a shame because it seems like they have a few good ideas and have some individuality.

Renie · 11th March 2005, 07:33 AM

btw saucyjack where / what year did Eno say that?

cheers

mirpo · 11th March 2005, 07:47 AM

The Dillinger Escape Plan are ****ing amazing, pure genious, every aspect, if you haven't heard miss machine go get it now, im serious, and listen to it all, they include so many different styles in their music its insane.

I love DEP

NyquistFilter · 11th March 2005, 08:48 AM

I liked Deloused better because it had songs. It had catchy choruses and was slightly more structured. I feel like the new one sounds more like the band sounds live. Alot of noodling and songs that sprawl into endless jams and noise. I still love it though!

Saucyjack · 11th March 2005, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Renie

btw saucyjack where / what year did Eno say that?

cheers

I'm not sure I got the qoute from his Dairy"A year with swollen appendices"which came out in the late 80's/early 90's.

grahluk · 11th March 2005, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winey

Way compressed.
Wouldn't like it even if it wasn't.
This was another band that got so much hype you'd think they were the beatles.
They're not.

Nope they're not. They're their own thing which is quite a distinction these days. Then again I could see MV songs compare favorably with such as "Happiness is a warm gun", "I am the walrus", or "hey bulldog". Heresy? So what. If they ain't your cup of tea, cool. Maybe they're not reinventing the wheel but even if I didn't like them I would appreciate their approach instead of putting on a tired 2 dimensional rock cliche.

Chris VAEDA · 11th March 2005, 09:46 PM

I'm a huge fan of Frances the Mute.

It doesn't sound quite as clear as the first album, and some of the songs have four minutes of noise, blah blah blah, but at least they have the balls to put it out and not be another Trapt/Crossfade/Whatever band.

Having The Widow on heavy rotation on the radio is a great thing. It'll help kids figure out that there are still artists in the music industry. Even if they aren't the Beatles.

Chris VAEDA · 11th March 2005, 09:58 PM

I'm a huge fan of Frances the Mute.

It doesn't sound quite as clear as the first album, and some of the songs have four minutes of noise, blah blah blah, but at least they have the balls to put it out and not be another Trapt/Crossfade/Whatever band.

Having The Widow on heavy rotation on the radio is a great thing. It'll help kids figure out that there are still artists in the music industry. Even if they aren't the Beatles.

grahluk · 11th March 2005, 10:01 PM

So this is getting airplay? Wow. I'm surprised. It might be a step in the fight to combat ADD. Kids tuning into headphone rock? Cool.

steins · 11th March 2005, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by borau

Believe it or not..
In this country it went number 1 in the charts!!
Amazing

Don't know where you are from, but it made Number One in Norway!

Stein Tore

RoundBadge · 12th March 2005, 02:37 AM

That drummer just fukkin kills ...whats that Zep sounding tune I hear on the radio all the time??

Lectra · 12th March 2005, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

That drummer just fukkin kills ...whats that Zep sounding tune I hear on the radio all the time??

'The Widow'
drummer Jon Theodore

Renie · 12th March 2005, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saucyjack

I'm not sure I got the qoute from his Dairy"A year with swollen appendices"which came out in the late 80's/early 90's.

thanks

BattleAngel · 13th March 2005, 11:53 PM

I really liked the first track, but I have to say that I'm not particularly impressed with them yet. I'm glad that there's something "new" out there, but as a 21 year old kid who has been a Yes fan since age 12, it takes more than song length and bizzare arrangements to impress me. The singer's voice is fantastic, he's gotta be the best young lead singer out there right now, imho. But beyond that, I find a lot of their stuff to be way too "hip" for my liking.

On a somewhat related note, who has checked out Steve Vai's new album Real Illusions pt. 1? Now, I'm usually not a Steve Vai fan, but I think he's finally created a true masterpiece- his singing on the album is beautiful too. This one, imho, is the top of the new 'concept album' releases we've been getting over the last few years. Not only is his playing completely out of this universe, but the songwriting is beautiful and the production is meticulous.

alphajerk · 16th March 2005, 01:19 AM

well i bought this album today. i got to say im a LOT offended by them and almost put it back on principle. f u c k the FBI and their stupid piracy warnings! should we even be using the FBI to combat piracy at this point in our history? shouldnt they pretty much be consumed with much BIGGER issues? yeah, im talking about that stupid thing on the back of the CD, then not once, not twice... but THREE times circling the CD face itself, twice larger than the name of the band or album title and then a third time just to make sure.

i gotta wonder, is this REALLY a redbook CD? or is it one of those f u c k ed up copy protected things that will crash my computer should i try to put it in to listen to in my studio. i swear to god if it does i will sue the damn label and the band for not being labelled so.

this f u c k ing shit makes me mad as hell. i BOUGHT THE DAMN THING! and this from a supposed rock band. what sellouts to the "man" to let that shit on their CD in the first place. any respect i had for them is gone just from them letting this on their material.

its pissed me off so much that i cant seem to bring myself to even want to enjoy the cd now... i should of put it back.

but for the sound.... the most annoying thing on it is [again] the singer. he whined the last cd the whole way through begging me for them to become an instrumental band and so far this disc has done the same damn thing. he was much better singer on at the drive in which is what i was hoping for him to return to stylistically.

shoulda bought dillinger escape plan instead since a post above perked my interest.

my wife bought green day's american idiot today.... and much as its the same album they have always released, at least they are still singing about sticking it to the man.

SigmaDeltaAudio · 16th March 2005, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alphajerk

shoulda bought dillinger escape plan instead

yep :)

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10th March 2005, 06:39 PM	#1
heinz Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: seattle Posts: 1,011	Frances The Mute (new Mars Volta record) What do y'all think of this new one from the Voltas? Pretty freakin intense, taking a few listens to comprehend this mix of algebra, rock, and low-fi. Drums are pretty punchy and guitars are totally cutting through all the layers, but overall the mix doesn't seem "bright"... I can imagine heads exploding mixing this sucker. A pretty cool follow-up to "Deloused" though, huh?

10th March 2005, 08:43 PM	#5
SigmaDeltaAudio Gear maniac Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: St. Petersburg, FL Posts: 279	I think i maybe alone here but I thought it was terrible.... I liked deloused, but this is way too prog for me. And it's too damn compressed! __________________ -Robert Randolph

10th March 2005, 09:10 PM	#6
brendondp Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 604	Have you guys heard the Dillinger Escape Plan's "Miss Machine"? If you like the 'Volta then I think you may find a friend in the Dillinger Escape Plan. Cheers, bdp __________________ "No work of art has ever done social harm, though a great deal of harm has been done by those who have sought to protect society against works of art which they regarded as dangerous." Stanley Kubrick (1972) "When I listen to a band like Good Charlotte I think they are a bunch of pussies but then I remember that I’m at that age so I should just shut up and get out of the way." Henry Rollins "We are all sons of bitches now." Kenneth Bainbridge, Physicist, Manhattan Project (1945)

11th March 2005, 01:32 AM	#10
alphajerk There is only one Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: asheville NC Posts: 5,291	cool, a reason to go buy another CD. i thought the first was one great too. it was hyper compressed but didnt bother me at all... guess i liked the hypercompression of it since i listened over and over. creative bunch they are. __________________ "i must invent my own systems or else be enslaved by other men's'" william blake __________________________ send me a buzz @ barrett's mad laboratory 828.242.4366 email: barrett [at] alphajerk [dot] com

10th March 2005, 06:57 PM	#2
Musicfuelzgood Gear nut Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Hoboken, NJ Posts: 89	i absolutely love this CD. the playing on it is great, and the mix is awesome. its very random. its like "oh where did that trumpet come from?" very interesting. i also like the fact that there is never any silence on the CD from beginning to end. there's always something going on in the background. I've always been a big fan of Rich Costey. I love Dave Navarro's solo CD. I also love a lot of the Fiona Apple stuff. I really dig Deloused, but this one has more of a range of styles on it, and is good for the ears.!

10th March 2005, 08:40 PM	#4
Chris Parsons Lives for gear Join Date: May 2003 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 636	I'm glad someone started a thread about this. Frickin' great album. I love the vocal effects used throughout. Really thinking out of the box. It's soooo nice to hear something different. Does anyone know anything about this album technically? I'd love to hear how they got such punchy drums and such well defined guitar tones. It's really great. -Chris Parsons

10th March 2005, 09:15 PM	#7
Agli Gear maniac Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 258	"And it's too damn compressed!" So I'll stay away then. I thought the first album had brilliant music but it was so compressed that I have'nt been able to listen to the whole album in one go, my ears just get tired. Anyway it's a great band.

11th March 2005, 02:40 AM	#12
Winey Gear addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 469	Way compressed. Wouldn't like it even if it wasn't. This was another band that got so much hype you'd think they were the beatles. They're not.

11th March 2005, 04:55 AM	#15
Saucyjack Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Knoxville,Tn Posts: 569	There are moments on Deloused that are interesting in hooky,prog way but that Cd is almost unbearable to listen to for more than a few songs...crunchy,earspike headache inducing stuff. If the new is worse I'll definitely pass. It's a shame because it seems like they have a few good ideas and have some individuality. __________________ If you really want to make orginal results,work fast and cheap,because there's more of a chance that you'll get somewhere that nobody else did. Brian Eno

11th March 2005, 07:33 AM	#16
Renie Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 1,785	btw saucyjack where / what year did Eno say that? cheers __________________ www.christisloving.com

11th March 2005, 07:47 AM	#17
mirpo Gear interested Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 4	The Dillinger Escape Plan are ****ing amazing, pure genious, every aspect, if you haven't heard miss machine go get it now, im serious, and listen to it all, they include so many different styles in their music its insane. I love DEP __________________ http://www.texasisonfire.com check out my band http://www.myspace.com/mirpo my electronic stuff

11th March 2005, 08:48 AM	#18
NyquistFilter Gear nut Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 76	I liked Deloused better because it had songs. It had catchy choruses and was slightly more structured. I feel like the new one sounds more like the band sounds live. Alot of noodling and songs that sprawl into endless jams and noise. I still love it though!

11th March 2005, 09:46 PM	#21
Chris VAEDA Gear interested Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 20	I'm a huge fan of Frances the Mute. It doesn't sound quite as clear as the first album, and some of the songs have four minutes of noise, blah blah blah, but at least they have the balls to put it out and not be another Trapt/Crossfade/Whatever band. Having The Widow on heavy rotation on the radio is a great thing. It'll help kids figure out that there are still artists in the music industry. Even if they aren't the Beatles.

11th March 2005, 09:58 PM	#22
Chris VAEDA Gear interested Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 20	I'm a huge fan of Frances the Mute. It doesn't sound quite as clear as the first album, and some of the songs have four minutes of noise, blah blah blah, but at least they have the balls to put it out and not be another Trapt/Crossfade/Whatever band. Having The Widow on heavy rotation on the radio is a great thing. It'll help kids figure out that there are still artists in the music industry. Even if they aren't the Beatles.

11th March 2005, 10:01 PM	#23
grahluk Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 547	So this is getting airplay? Wow. I'm surprised. It might be a step in the fight to combat ADD. Kids tuning into headphone rock? Cool.

12th March 2005, 02:37 AM	#25
RoundBadge Lives for gear Join Date: May 2004 Location: Los Angeles ,Ca. Posts: 5,730	That drummer just fukkin kills ...whats that Zep sounding tune I hear on the radio all the time??

13th March 2005, 11:53 PM	#28
BattleAngel Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Long Island, New York Posts: 930	I really liked the first track, but I have to say that I'm not particularly impressed with them yet. I'm glad that there's something "new" out there, but as a 21 year old kid who has been a Yes fan since age 12, it takes more than song length and bizzare arrangements to impress me. The singer's voice is fantastic, he's gotta be the best young lead singer out there right now, imho. But beyond that, I find a lot of their stuff to be way too "hip" for my liking. On a somewhat related note, who has checked out Steve Vai's new album Real Illusions pt. 1? Now, I'm usually not a Steve Vai fan, but I think he's finally created a true masterpiece- his singing on the album is beautiful too. This one, imho, is the top of the new 'concept album' releases we've been getting over the last few years. Not only is his playing completely out of this universe, but the songwriting is beautiful and the production is meticulous.

16th March 2005, 01:19 AM	#29
alphajerk There is only one Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: asheville NC Posts: 5,291	well i bought this album today. i got to say im a LOT offended by them and almost put it back on principle. f u c k the FBI and their stupid piracy warnings! should we even be using the FBI to combat piracy at this point in our history? shouldnt they pretty much be consumed with much BIGGER issues? yeah, im talking about that stupid thing on the back of the CD, then not once, not twice... but THREE times circling the CD face itself, twice larger than the name of the band or album title and then a third time just to make sure. i gotta wonder, is this REALLY a redbook CD? or is it one of those f u c k ed up copy protected things that will crash my computer should i try to put it in to listen to in my studio. i swear to god if it does i will sue the damn label and the band for not being labelled so. this f u c k ing shit makes me mad as hell. i BOUGHT THE DAMN THING! and this from a supposed rock band. what sellouts to the "man" to let that shit on their CD in the first place. any respect i had for them is gone just from them letting this on their material. its pissed me off so much that i cant seem to bring myself to even want to enjoy the cd now... i should of put it back. but for the sound.... the most annoying thing on it is [again] the singer. he whined the last cd the whole way through begging me for them to become an instrumental band and so far this disc has done the same damn thing. he was much better singer on at the drive in which is what i was hoping for him to return to stylistically. shoulda bought dillinger escape plan instead since a post above perked my interest. my wife bought green day's american idiot today.... and much as its the same album they have always released, at least they are still singing about sticking it to the man. __________________ "i must invent my own systems or else be enslaved by other men's'" william blake __________________________ send me a buzz @ barrett's mad laboratory 828.242.4366 email: barrett [at] alphajerk [dot] com

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