The Mars Volta: Nocturniquet

     

     For over a decade, The Mars Volta have consistently set ablaze, and redefined the prog rock genre.  Their albums are like eating at a Brazilian steakhouse, requiring a long time to take in, and even longer to digest.  After nearly three years, their latest record, Nocturniquet, was released.
     The opening track of the album, "The Whip Hand,"  shows Volta taking a more traditional approach to song writing, with (relatively) standard melody.  Eventually, the song progresses into the mentally challenging structure that has made the band so famous and reputable.  The several songs on Nocturniquet bounce back and forth between the same juxtaposition:  straightforward, unexceptional prog rock, and the oddball time signatures and compositions that other bands envy.  The bands slow immersion into more conventional songwriting makes Nocturniquet an easier listen for more casual fans, but die-hard Volta, and prog rock, fans might find the album too boring and benign.  About halfway through the album, the band starts to hit its stride, as the songs and production are more challenging for both the band and the listener.  The second half of Nocturniquet scorches with the proggy grandiose that fans were eagerly waiting for.
       One thing Mars Volta fans might quickly notice is the bands heavy use of synthesizers throughout the album.   While some purists may not immediately buy into this, the use of synths help add a new dynamic to the shredding guitars, and help the songs take flight despite the lack of stimulating song structure and instrumental construction.  Frankly, the songs would sound to thin and uninspired without the synth.
     Nocturniquet is not The Mars Volta's best effort.  Listeners hoping for the thrashing chaos of the past may frown upon the bands subdued sound.  The album is still good, though, and once past the first handful of songs, has a similar, albeit smaller, payoff in the end. Likewise, in typical Mars Volta fashion, the more the album gets, the more complex it becomes.