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The Mars Volta
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Published: July 2, 2009
Updated: 07/01/2009 08:25 pm
The Mars Volta
Octahedron
Label: Warner Bros.
If you like: Euphoria
Song to download: "Cotopaxi"
Grammy-winning prog-rock wizards The Mars Volta show a softer side but still rock hard on their fifth studio outing, Octahedron.
A creative partnership between guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala -- who breathe life into their collaborations with the help of various musicians -- The Mars Volta soar just as high with acoustic guitars and piano arrangements as they do with blazing riffs and space-rock atmosphere.
The prolific Rodriguez-Lopez effortlessly weaves elements of punk, funk, psychedelia, jazz fusion, and Latin grooves into the mix, while Bixler-Zavala teams a scorching falsetto with an impressive vocabulary on his abstract, metaphorical vocals.
They kick off with a light touch on "Since We've Been Wrong" and bring some serious spaced-out funk-rock on "Teflon" and the dynamic "Halo of Nembutals."
"With Twilight as My Guide" sounds just like its title with gloomy acoustics and haunting guitar effects, and "Desperate Graves" is a dose of post-hardcore aggression.
"Cotopaxi" kicks hard from start to finish and features a ferocious performance by drummer Thomas Pridgen.
The disc closes with the manic 1-2 punch of "Copernicus," which floats into deep electronics, and the cryptic "Luciforms," with a trippy opening that builds into wah-wah euphoria.
And euphoric is exactly what Octahedron is -- yet another indispensable entry in The Mars Volta's already impressive catalogue.
Mos Def
The Ecstatic
Label: Downtown
If you like: Talib Kweli
Song to download: "Quiet Dog Bite Hard"
Mos Def, the actor, has been much more prominent the past few years than Mos Def, the nimble rapper who burst on the scene more than a decade ago with Talib Kweli in the group Black Star.
His last CD, True Magic, was a disappointing throwaway, a mere obligation to fulfill the terms of a record contract. But his latest, The Ecstatic, marks a welcome return to form.
Middle Eastern sounds mix with East Coast hip-hop lyricism and jazzy improvisation, all resulting in a beautiful meditation on politics, spirituality and life.
Some songs seem to just fade away, but others pulse with vibrancy and soulfulness, particularly on "Quiet Dog Bite Hard," a song that pops with Afro-beat rhythms.
Close to his heart are the everyday struggles of people and a sense of history. His rhymes are poetic language set to music, potent in their compactness.
At times Mos Def's penchant for improvisation is a bit too much, the songs feeling not fully formed, but you can't help but enjoy the journey, no matter where it takes you.
Dinosaur Jr.
Farm
Label: Jagjaguwar
If you like: J Mascis and friends
Song to download: "Said the People"
Good news: The original lineup of Dinosaur Jr. has a new album out.
Not so good news: Farm sounds like another installment of J Mascis and friends.
The great thing about the revival of one of indie rock's touchstone bands is the chance for guitarist Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph to spontaneously combust with another album like You're Living All Over Me, the molten-lava middle album of the three that the original lineup put out in the 1980s.
Farm is not that album. The band's latest is as close to mellow as Mascis is ever likely to get. Acting as producer, Mascis has things going just the way he likes. Barlow and Murph act as a platform from which Mascis launches several extended guitar solos and inspired noodling.
There are some great moments here: Mascis' lazy delivery on "Ocean in the Way," his playful guitar intro on "Over It," the drama of "There's No Here" and the sugary sweet melody of "See You." But overall, the album sounds a lot like Mascis' work post-breakup.
Mascis' gift is that he can break your heart while he's blowing you mind, something he accomplishes on the melancholy "Said the People" with its plaintive chorus and soaring guitars.
The most energetic moment on Farm comes in "Your Weather," one of two songs penned by Barlow. It's a reminder of how much energy the band once had, and may yet reclaim.
Al B. Sure!
Honey I'm Home
Label: Hidden Beach Recordings
If you like: Classic R&B
Song to download: "Top of Your Lungs"
When an artist delivers an album after more than 10 years on hiatus, fans listen closely for the music they fell in love with and cynics listen closely for a deafening flop. In the case of Al B. Sure!, fans win out.
Sure! is still the crooner he was when Nite and Day reached the Top 10 of the Billboard R&B and Pop charts in 1988, but on the slow-burning "I Love It! (Papi Aye, Aye, Aye)," drum machines and electric guitars have been replaced by pianos and violins. That's not to say, however, that Sure! has abandoned the R&B sound that made him and his New Jack Swing peers popular.
Honey I'm Home bears all the signs of '90s R&B nostalgia. The track "Dedicate My All" not only incorporates the sound of snapping fingers but also boldly begins with a voiceover: "Can I talk to you? I think you need to hear what I've got to say. So please, listen."
It's almost impossible for listeners to forget what era Sure! is coming from, and for the most part, it seems as if the singer doesn't mind reminiscing. He covers both Michael Jackson's "Lady in My Life" and Sting's "Fragile."
Besides those two songs, Sure! takes writing and co-producing credits for every track on the album. The mid-tempo "Top of Your Lungs," featuring an exasperated Sure! singing to an argumentative lover, is one of the best in the batch of romantic, mellow grooves.
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