27 July 2003
It’s very very good. It’s like if you took ATDI, giving Bixler Björk-ish tendencies while giving Rodriguez access to the entire Captain Beefheart back catalogue. Neither of those is a bad thing.
But it’s not Relationship of Command. That excited me and woke me up, got me jumping around the room. Just a brief snip of the intro to Pattern Against User was electrifying, compelling the body to get up and move.
The ‘Esp’ combination of Inertiatic Esp and Cicatriz Esp is brilliant. I say combination despite them being separated by 20-odd minutes of goodness, including the spectacular Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of).
But they aren’t At The Drive-In. I wish I’d seen them live before they split.
Some people have commented that it takes a bit of getting into, that it sounds weird the first time. I didn’t find it weird, but I wasn’t convinced when I heard it yesterday afternoon. Since then, I’ve listened to it lots with people who boast a variety of musical tastes (and a couple of people who’d seen them live with the Chilis).
In conclusion: The Mars Volta aren’t ATDI, and neither are Sparta. Let them be what they are. Having said that, buy it now — ten pounds or less in all good record stores.