THE MARS VOLTA - Cassandra Gemini

exas’ most brilliantly bizarre band- these list wich the best song As cliché as it sounds to say, The Mars Volta were truly a one-of-a-kind band. Formed by vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López after the break-up of their previous outfit — Texas post-hardcore/art-punk troupe At the Drive-In (of “One Armed Scissor” fame) — the ensemble quickly and consistently built upon those foundations to incorporate wildly bizarre and wholly idiosyncratic fusions of progressive rock, free jazz, Spanish rock, psychedelia, avant-rock, ambient, and more. While influences like King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Can, Fela Kuti, Miles Davis, Mr. Bungle, and Frank Zappa were apparent, The Mars Volta succeeded at establishing their own precise and surprisingly successful (commercially and critically) sound. Although the group was only around for about a decade, they managed to produce an astoundingly distinctive, ambitious, and enduring catalog that debatably ranks alongside the work of those forebears. Be it the troubling atmospheres of De-Loused in the Comatorium, the experimental genius of Frances the Mute, the relentless multifaceted fury of The Bedlam in Goliath, or the comparatively digestible Octahedron, The Mars Volta remained reliable yet refreshing and innovative across all six of their LPs. It’s no wonder, then, why members of Protest the Hero, Mastodon, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, Tool, The Ocean, and even Rush have expressed appreciation for what they did. “Asilos Magdalena” from Amputechture (2006) “Since We’ve Been Wrong” from Octahedron (2009) “Cassandra Gemini” from Frances the Mute (2005) “Goliath” from The Bedlam in Goliath (2008) “Son et Lumière” from De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) “In Absentia” from Noctourniquet (2012) “L’Via L’Viaquez” from Frances the Mute (2005) Copernicus” from Octahedron (2009) “Cut That City” from Tremulant EP (2002) “Meccamputechture” from Amputechture (2006)