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The Mars Volta Frances the Mute
Frances the Mute offers up some post-Mardi Gras, slip on your dancing shoes, get out into the street, strip your clothes off and shake what God gave you type of rock' n' roll music. Cedric (vocals) and Omar (guitarist/producer) are flinging all kinds of nasty on this five track, 75-minute unabridged tirade.
These dudes are completely cracked out and not afraid to flaunt it, going full tilt with more complicated and varied instrumentation than ever before on this, their second full length offering. Releasing a concept album on a major label is always a major risk, but The Mars Volta refused to be contained. Cedric is spittin' some serious game in Espanol while break-dancing in his high-heels as Omar slips in enough
toxic guitar solos that'll make your little brother bow down and sell his guitar in shame.
Each song has several titled "movements" within it to break up the hysteria, which gives the album a compositional structure that's both intricate and natural. The final track, a 31-minute mountain, features some spoken-word commentary by a voice oddly similar to Tom Waits to build momentum toward the middle. But the song sort of falls asleep on itself as The Volta attempts an unsuccessfully avant garde interruption. Eventually, we're rescued by a new movement, and the final three minutes are a glorious resurrection of where the album began.
Patience is key with Frances; at times feeling like musical foreplay, but well worth the wait for the ensuing explosions.
Recommended for fans of: Yes, Queen Pink Floyd
Grade: B+
—Ryan McBee
The Game
The Documentary
Jayceon 'Chuck' Taylor AKA 'The Game' released his debut album last week amid hype that is more accustomed to rumors regarding Jay-Z's return dr an NWA reunion. NWA played a protagonist role in the insurgence of West Coast Gangster Rap in the 80s and 25 year-old Game has every intention of leading the revival in 2005. Inked with a large NWA tattoo on his chest, raised in Compton and signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath record label he was well on his way before he had even recorded a track. Thankfully, however,
The Documentary lives up to its expectations without the need to over-publicize the fact that he was shot 4 times.
Although perhaps not quite, "Ready to Die, Reasonable Doubt and Doggystyle in one," as he proclaims on the Kanye West produced track, "Dreams", the album is well worthy of the media hype. Tracks like the hit single, "How We Do," and "Higher'have Dre's sought-after production stamp clear for all to hear, while the closing track featuring Busta Rhymes, "Like Father, Like Son," is a masterful narrative of the day his child was born.
Because of Dre's production the beats speak for themselves and so the factor that must be analyzed is the actual rapping; Game's flow is tight and smooth, but subject matter is lacking. Like most rappers, it's guns, drugs and cars. Difference is, few can spit the words and make them feel like bullets penetrating your eardrums.
The album went platinum in little over a week and a tour is supposedly in the pipeline. No doubt Jay-Z and NWA will be pulled out of retirement to fill the support slots.
Gary Meenaghan
Grade: A-
M83 Before the Dawn Heals Us
M83 is named after the spiral galaxy Messier 83; which aptly describes their blend of space rock, synth pop, and Euro electron-
ica. The band is headed by Anthony Gonzalez of Antibes, France, and despite the heavily techno sound of the band; they really do play the music on actual instruments.
Their latest album Before the Dawn Heals Us creates a sonic landscape using synthesizers layered so thick you may need a knife, guitarso over processed that they sound like synthesizers, the ubiquitous driving beats with breaks so frequent you keep checking the CD for scratches (that's actually what the song is called), vocals ranging between spoken voice tracks (Car Chase Terror), repetitive lyrics that sound really deep to stoners ("My first vision was a bush growing down the river, and I couldn't stop crying"), and spacey choral mixes.
The album does take the listener on a fantastic voyage from mellow ambience to a robot orgy and then back again. The band really produced the shit out of this album and polished it until it shined. The overall feel is so meticulous that there isn't a note or beat out of place. Obviously, a lot a work was put into the album, but maybe not enough emotion or expressiveness for the listener to relate to.
Grade: D+
—Joe Sibinski
02.10.05 Jayplay
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