A week with Frances (TMV Thread IV)

[SlapBone]

So after a week with Frances the Mute I figured we could all start to give some more thorough impressions. I just have a few observations to make:

1. It is obvious that these guys don't give a shit. MTV and radio should just feel lucky that they got a single out of the whole thing because these guys are absolutely unapologetic about the nature of the album (and their music in general).

2. To me, the lyrics just seem like another instrument to be played because they have no coherency whatsoever (in either language). Overall the flow of the lyrics seems to be conducive to the flow of the music, which I guess in retrospect, makes them fit

3. These guys have obviously listened to a lot of early Yes. I get the same feeling with this music as when I discovered Tales From a Topographic Ocean or Close to the Edge . To get the edge you need throw in Led Zeppelin's Physical Grafitti .

When I listen to the album there are many times I am teetering on the edge of being "lost" in the noise when along come some horns or stacatto singing from Omar to bring me back. At first listen, coherency will be the thing most longed for but ultimately The Mars Volta just want to take you on a journey. Once you buy into what they are doing, it just works. If you don't like what they are doing I guess this iteration of TMV isn't for you. If you dug Deloused but find this album to be too "out there", I'm sure they will move on to something else that none of us will like

edit: I should proofread.

[Ksyrup]

I don't really like some of the "noise." I could have done without the 3-5 minutes of static at the end of The Widow, for example. I just don't get it.

Overall, though, I'm digging it. The Led Zep and Santana vibes are what come through most for me.

[SlapBone]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I don't really like some of the "noise." I could have done without the 3-5 minutes of static at the end of The Widow, for example. I just don't get it.

Overall, though, I'm digging it. The Led Zep and Santana vibes are what come through most for me.

Agreed, when I first saw the time on the album version of "The Widow" I was stoked but then I realized what they had done when I came out of my static-induced coma.

Also I guess I should mention that my favorite song so far is L' Via L' Viaquez . A glaring omission from my review above is the Santana influence (especially on the song I just mentioned).

[Hurst2112]

While the bombastic attitude of Deloused has been tamed a bit, I still appreciate the new album for what it is. It's more of a concept piece, where each song is a movement of a larger piece (IMO) anyway.

I can't listen to Frances without playing the whole thing. Deloused had some good 'single songs'...excellent for that matter.

Frances is excellent as a whole album. I could do without the long drawn-out noise-capades in the songs. Hell, get rid of all the extra stuff and they could have included the title track.

I also feel that while Deloused had a very early, HEAVY prog feel to it (Rush), Frances does have more of a Yes/Zepp/Floyd attitude. I like that. Sure, the Santana vibe is still their from the last album (thanks in part to Lenny Castro).

Sonically, Frances isn't a good sounding as Deloused to me. The drums in Deloused were much more clear than Frances. Frances drums are a bit to 'murky'. I thought the Deloused drums sounded great. Nice compression, good overall balance (but bad tom sounds and too drastic of panning on the toms).

Now that I think about it, the whole Frances album seems a bit darker than deloused. Lot of factors for this, and it's really not a bad thing...just different. There is plenty of great balance throughout the instruments. You can hear everything. Keys are defined..bass is defined as well. The vocals are (both lyrically and as an instrument) really part of the band as opposed to Deloused. Think of them as another guitar. It's hard to explain, but I am sure you know where I am coming from. I think the vocal style and placement in the mix added to the whole theme of the album. It's less TMV featuring vocals. It's now TMV WITH vocals.

and no, I am not high right now.

Still listening everyday. Bus rides are long enough to get through most of the album. I am going to shuffle all TMV albums tonight and see how each of the 3 sounds against each other.