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Frances the Mute, the second full length album from Mars Volta, expands upon their sound established with the Tremulant EP and De-Loused with an all-out Latin salsa song, moreso than just some influences of Latin music in De-Loused, and in many more ways expands their sound and their sheer songwriting ability. Mars Volta makes another incredibly long CD, but one noticable thing worth pointing out is that a good ten minutes or so of the CD are more or less intermission between songs. There's a lot of time which could have been used for things better than whirring sounds laden with effects winding down for minutes on end. However, these things do provide interesting lead-ins to the songs, as well as come a bit closer to reproducing the live experience of Mars Volta in a studio recording. Most any fan of Mars Volta will tell you right off the bat, seeing them live is by far the best way to fully appreciate their music. With jam sessions, extended songwriting, everything that makes you feel inclined to want to see a band live, knowing that their performance onstage is truly enhancement to what you have on CD.. Not just simply reproducing what's on the CD to the best of their ability. This CD defintely played out well in the live setting, making for some amazing moments. Possibly the most ironic factor of this CD is that the title track, "Frances the Mute", isn't even on the CD. However, a quick trip to a specific large electronics store with a large yellow tag can solve that, as they have free handouts sitting in the Mars Volta section, with the actual Frances the Mute track, and a live acoustic version of The Widow. Hearing the actual Frances the Mute track which is otherwise more hard to come by and requires you to pick up an import disc version of it (Or possibly a single. I recall it being on something else, but I don't remember specifically what.) makes much more sense of the rest of the album, and provides a perfect introduction to the CD. Overall, Frances the Mute is much more difficult to get into and understand and enjoy than De-Loused, but it's excellent. De-Loused and Frances both are amazing CDs by an amazing band. If you enjoy experimental music that varies from the norm, give it a try.Read full review
When I bought this album, a friend of mine warned me it was The Mars Volta's worst album, but once I managed to get used to the large amount of "art" (instrumental space) between tracks, this album has grown to become one of my most favorite volta albums. The record is quite diverse, with transitions from the operatic "Cygnus....Vismund...Cygnus" into a more jazzy "The Widow". If you're looking for an album to skip around the tracks while driving to work, this may not be the album (but "De-Loused in the Comatorium" may do the trick) due to the artistic flow. On the contrary, the vinyl format of this concept album is HIGHLY recommended as the seamless transitions and flow can truly be appreciated as well as the sound quality of an acoustic medium.
Band's second full length effort, as I couldn't help but to notice the lyrics would often jump from Spanish to English. Tracks I was most impressed with were the four-part thirteen-minute "Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus" - featuring some classy guitar work from Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and the 32 minute five-part "Cassandra Gemini" that has plenty of changes during it's lengthy duration. "The Widow" and "Miranda, That Ghost Isn't Holy Anymore" is said to be more like elaborite poems. Some patrons, including myself might find 'Francis The Mute' a bit too complex (yet still enjoyable). Not a bad find.
This album is one of my favorite. Although I enjoy De-Loused more, this album is different lyrically, musically, and conceptually. The transistions between tracks are so smooth that it almost seems like 1 track. My favorite part of this album is the lyrics by far, some just stick out so much you can't help but remember them throughout the day. The least favorite part of the album is some of the long stretches of noise (I shouldn't say noise but it's hard to describe it in any other way) between some of the tracks, like at the end of the widow. I don't like the talking at the end of the first song either. Besides that, this album is an instant classic, yet progressively amazing. If you already have the tracks downloaded, buy the album because it flows a lot better and the artwork/lyrics are worth it alone. Get it on half.com or ebay for 5 bucks, it's well worth it. If this is your introduction to The Mars Volta and it doesn't seem to click with you, please give it a couple listens to because this is one of those albums that honestly takes time to grow on you, but once it has, it's hard to stop listening to it. Also, have a listen to De-Loused in the Comatorium and the Tremulant EP because they are much different from one another, although they all tkae multiple listens to in order to enjoy them fully.Read full review
I will never understand how someone could say anything negative about this album. It's art/music at its best. Full of power and feeling and is just brilliant.
Verified purchase: No
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