This should not come as anything unexpected for followers of such a progressive group. However, after listening to the latest album from TMV for the first time, I was on the edge of my seat as I waited and waited for the first track to hit. After a long period of silence, I was surprised to hear the sound of an acoustic guitar accompanying Bixler-Zavala. Yet my surprise by the unusual opening track was overcome by the captivating aura of "Since We've Been Wrong." I may be partial to this track, due to my love for the entire genre of "post-rock" - which is based on the design of 'slowly building over several minutes, until a climax is reached near the five minute mark.' And it is within the first song that I noticed some 'post rock' influence. Once can't help but think of Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to heaven' upon listening to the opening song as well - we hear an acoustic guitar climb up and down, electric guitars creating the melody in the background, soft and meaningful vocals dancing throughout the song, and finally a crescendo with the full array of instruments (minus a lengthy guitar solo).
After the seven minute opener, TMV returns to a style which is familiar to many of us in "Teflon," as they cut Pridgen loose in the first seconds of the track. "Cotopaxi" and "Desperate Graves" also stand out as familiar and comfortable tracks for those of us who love the fast/harder tracks that we've seen over the years. Throughout the album we see a back and forth or up and down sense of cohesion between the tracks. There are more ballads in Octahedron than we saw in The Bedlam in Goliath, creating a much more balanced album. I see their prior album (The Bedlam in Goliath) as a much more experimental piece, as Omar said in one interview the theme or inspiration of the album came from an "Ouija" board - which provided him with visions and visits from spirits in the following nights, providing him with lyrics and ideas for their new album. And I also see this album as an introduction to Thomas Pridgen, the bands newly acquired drummer for The Bedlam in Goliath - allowing him to impress us and leave us with a sense of amazement by his technical abilities. And after listening to the speed and quality of his drumming throughout the album, I was instantly impressed. As the band moves forward toward Octahedron, the group returns to create songs which are more vocally centered, yet we still hear the quality drumming in the back - just a more subdued and consistent version.
There will be listeners who will criticize the band for releasing an album with such an 'accessible' track as "Since We've Been Wrong," and there will also be lifetime fans who love it. Regardless your taste - the quality of the album cannot be denied. The one constant that The Mars Volta continues with in this album is that it is different and unlike anything else they've done. Different from the last album. Different for them in general. Even though Octahedron is shorter than prior releases, and may seem to have been put out very fast (which it was), don't let these factors force you to listen with biased ears - because this album, like every other, is amazing in its own way. One should not listen to anything created by The Mars Volta the same way you listen to anything else, and for that fact, hold them to the same standards. There is talent and creativity that exists within these guys that I have not seen anywhere else. Octahedron appears to be a step towards the style of prior albums, so if you're not a fan of this one, I'm thinking you won't need to wait long for the next album - which will most likely be nothing like this one.
8.5/10
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