Customer Reviews

Scabdates

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Most reviewers are talking about this album as if it's a standard live recording, but this is not the case. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has clearly started with some live tracks but used them as a jumping-off point for more studio work with sound collage. This includes studio-assisted mixing with outside sources – which is a major tactical mistake by Omar because it damages the listener's experience of live Mars Volta. This is especially true of the exasperating segment of "Cicatriz" near the end of the album, where the band's playing fades in and out with real audio that sounds like several people sitting in an echoey room and channel surfing. That makes this album a larger work of art that does not work as well as Mars Volta's two stupendous studio albums.

Those original albums feature expert musicianship of great intensity, and mindboggling song structures and achievements in progressive songwriting. But here, much of that magic is strangely missing, especially if you've willingly had your mind blown and perceptions blasted by De-Loused and Frances. One possible way to look at this disc is that it is full of sonic exploration – some live, some constructed – but it is low on the exhilaration of the studio discs. A very large percentage of this album is noise and dissonance. Of course, Mars Volta are incredible improvisationalists and that is the key aspect of their existence as a band. Their concerts feature jam sessions that erupt into entire new songs practically every night, and you'd swear the five core members of the group can read each other's minds as they explore their way into unknown territory.

On this disc, that improvisation works in a few places, such as the sinister funk groove that the band works into a frenzy during the second (third?) part of "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt." But once again most of the improv here is directionless noodling, as every time the band erupts into full rock fury, they (or this recording project) lapse into multiple minutes of ponderous noise. This actually happens several times during the 40+ minute suite listed as "Cicatriz." One guy who manages to keep the noisenik-ing interesting is wicked keyboardist Ikey Owens, but bassist Juan Alderete de la Pena and (especially) drummer Jon Theodore are tragically under-represented here, while Cedric Bixler-Zavala shows that he is better at all-out emotional singing than trying to improvise his way through the band's wanderings. Instead of a true live document, Mars Volta have tried to reward the fans with another artistic statement, but it just doesn't completely work. [~doomsdayer520~]

It should be said first and foremost that The Mars Volta amaze me, album after album, song after song, and to have to give anything of theirs less than 5 stars is truly heartbreaking, but in this case, necessary. While Scabdates has been marketed as a live album, it drifts away from that in the traditional sense, opting more towards a live recording mixed in with various sound effects, samples, and recordings of noise such as babies crying, people talking, and just overall ambience. This detracts from the expectations I had prior to hearing this, and while TMV are very much an improv-band and never ones to go the predictable route, the fact that more than half of Scabdates is Omar Rodriguez-Lopez looping his guitar through various effect pedals and mixing live jams with static and unnecessary noise makes most of this release a rather undesirable listen. I would have much rather heard the band improvising through the 80 minute set that this CD could have allowed, stopping in between the spacey wanderings to play some of the amazing songs which got them to the point they are at today.

Another terrible tragedy of this CD is, as has already been noted by other reviewers, the terrible mixing failing to encompass the performances of Juan Alderte and Jon Theodore, on bass and drums, respectively. While Juan's bass is audible, it is far too muddy and drowned out behind the guitars and keyboards to get an accurate representation of just how damned good this guy is. As for Jon Theodore, the man is a beast on a drum kit and the fact that his skill has been pushed to the very back of the mix is a grave error of production. Basically Omar needs to quit be so self-indulgent with his random guitar meanderings and focus more on the band playing in the pocket rather than screwing around with ambient noise and studio mixing tricks.

Don't get the wrong impression, the album isn't entirely made up of the noise usually reserved to fill the spaces between songs on their studio albums and there are actually a couple of sweet spots which really are jaw-dropping. Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt, which closes the De-Loused album unpredictably opens up the set on Scabdates and is probably the feature moment of the performance, and Concertina, an early version of Eriatarka, soars with melody and technicality.

If you're a die hard fan of The Mars Volta I suppose this is a nice addition to your collection, if only for completist purposes, but newcomers will be tempted to shy away from the band if this is their first impression, and should probably opt for the safer, nay fool-proof route, sticking to De-Loused In The Comatorium and Frances The Mute.

I am a big fan of at the drive in. And very disappointed when they split up. But for the first time i am glad they split up, or else we wouldnt have this album. Even though some of the songs i have heard before, they are completly different. On selection 11 Cedric says "Aver Confesa Omar" then Omar starts to sing with his guitar. You cant help but to listen and drool. Now with couple of great albums they are the best band out right now. The Mars Volta is on their way to become one of the greatest bands ever.

The album contains three stretched songs capturing the unique experience of The Mars Volta live performances. Their songs never sound the same! I haven't heard such a band since Led Zeppelin. The most of today's bands try to reproduce the studio versions of their songs as close as possible. This band does the opposite and the effect is stunning! And beware! This is not a fast food music! Linkin' Park fans keep away! And don't write reviews!

Firstly, I'd like to say that this would be a five star album without the annoying overdubs. However, the actual concert expands the songs into huge, power driven jams but still is focused. The band wears its influences on its sleeve: Zeppelin, Santana, Sonic Youth and yes even 70's Miles. However, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and Mars Volta are really this great live. Unlike jam bands, the members of Mars Volta seperately and as a group know how to play. There are not endless solos that go nowhere or boring guitar wankery. The hypnotic feeling of Electric Ladyland or Bitches Brew is given a modern update. Recommended.

quick fix pop songs are nowhere to be found. that being said, the mars volta isn't sending out a search party any time soon, and they aren't apologizing for it either. volta continues to make music for the appreciation of fellow musicians. even if the sonic aesthetics of hallucination-quality dense improv aren't your bag, the pure musicianship displayed by the entire band is undeniable. i've seen volta live twice (a 2 1/2 hour 1 AM set at bonnaroo '05 and september 30, '05 in chicago with system of a down)and the one aspect of their music that i hoped this live album would address is their mastery of dense chaos; and the ability to escape it and roll into intense rhythms. this is best illustrated in the transition from track 10 to 11 of cicatriz. loop-based guitar squelches gather to a head and suddenly sink into a sinister descending bassline syncopated with some of the best arpeggiated improv riffs i've heard. cedric's ghostlike vocal improv fits perfectly into the airy feel of this particular section. the last section of track layering is quite an avant garde approach, which the music world has learned is to be expected of volta. it seems like a vignette of the backstage memories of a performer following a tiring set of marathon jamming coupled with excited conversation about the performance among bandmates. the only things i was left wanting more of was adrian terrazas' woodwind witchcraft... and maybe some of the brass belligerence of miranda or cassandra. all in all, a worthwhile purchase and more importantly, worth repeat listens. however, this album should come with a warning label for musicians: "Overexposure may cause periods of intense excitement followed by thoughts of musical inadequacey which may or may not render your own creative efforts hopelessly meager in comparison." I also encourage you to take that bath requested of you at the end of the 72 minutes... you may not have noticed but you've been splattered with intestines and various other entrails during the performance and require similar attention as someone leaving a macabre Gallagher performance.

On the subject of Mars Volta there are really only two different opinions. One side of fence hears them for the first time and are blown away. They absolutely love Mars; they think that they are an amazing mix of progressive rock, Latin flare, and screeching hair raising vocals that are reminiscent of a rock generation gone by. They love the lyrics that mix surrealism, pragmatism, and on eerie grunge. The others of you, well the others of you won't get it. But that's ok because if you do fall in the first group, you should run out and buy this album immediately. For you others, well go on listening to Maroon 5 on the radio. So what is so special about this album you ask? To start it's new Mars music which for any fan is reason enough. But more specifically this album is the first taste of live Volta music. Those who haven't been lucky enough to witness a live concert will surely realize upon listening to this album that Mars is even more amazing when they have a spontaneous environment to work with. This album is technically a live show, but Omar, acting as producer once again, has noticeably mixed, edited, and added here and there. There have been some who call this album overly produced because of the added "noise" and ambiance. To those I just say bah because if Mars Volta as a band listened to the feedback of you people who want easier and nicer music to listen to then they surely wouldn't be the band they are today. This is not your vision guys, just listen to it and have fun....if it's too much for you then listen to something tamer, like the above mentioned alternative. As is, this album will absolutely remind you why it is you listen to music in the first place. There are parts in this album that are more powerful and more deeply thought provoking then pretty much anything else that is brought to the market today. If you have never heard Mars Volta before this will be a good opportunity to learn about what makes them so special. It's not something that you can necessarily explain, at least not with my spotty writing ability, but it is a difference you will hear from the very first track on to the fantastic finale. And if you are a fan of this band, then well I expect that you already own the album and have listened to it more then anything else in your collection. It is not easy to digest but it has more substance then pretty much anything else out there.

Initially I found myself wondering how much time the mars volta would be wasting with stuff life "Abrasions mount the timpani". It turns out that the warmup round pretty much continies until "take the veil cerpin taxt:gust of mutts" comes out with an intense sonic front, hypnotically live-sounding. The songs build and build. Your home version of the live experience keeps coming on harder and more convincing. And y the time you hear the final words "thanks for coming out everybody, go home and take a bath" you really do feel like taking a bath. And possibly starting the disc over


Sources say that there were 19 people that contributed to the live show. And I can hear it. Im impressed with the manner in which these songs are accomplished outside of the studio.

If you like the mars volta... You know the drill..

If you dont allready like them, always keep listening.. Because eventually you will find yourself tapping and humming along to some melody that you found annoying at first. And when you succumb to that. Your entertained!

O.K., Take the Veil and Concertina own, but that's it. Those are the two good reasons to listen to this album, that and the beginning of Ciatriz. Ciatriz I thought was a bit too long on the album at 13 minutes... and they drag it out to over 40 on this one. Most of that ridiculous run time is Omar screwing around with noise, and isn't really music. The same goes for the other "songs" which fill the rest of the album.

Can someone please talk some sense into Omar? The recording, mixing and performance on Take the Veil is so damned good I would love to hear a bunch of other songs from that performance or similar ones, but all I get is 2 other tracks (one of which is now unlistenable) and a bunch of random sound manipulation.

Not to mention that none of the tracks are from Frances, the album they were touring behind. I'd say they were just joking around trying to piss us off except that some real passion has obviously gone into writing and performing these songs. Either I'm completely missing the point or Omar's just... gone completely mad.

These guys are some of the best musicians to come around since the 70's. Even before they formed Mars Volta, they were shelling out unbelievable tracks as At the Drive-in. As for this album, alot of tracks seemed unknown to me (or at least sounded alot different than the studio albums). But that's just because they are the masters of improv. This album is a mass of messed up abrasive melodies and drums, which all makes complete since when taken as a whole. One thing I love about the Mars Volta is that, you can't (for the most part) sit and listen to them and tap your hands and feet to a particular beat, cause once you start to, it changes into something completely different. All you can do is listen, and either talk to a friend or sit back and daydream about colors and shapes. If that sounds like fun to you, do not let this one go! One other thing, get their other 2 albums, they are both incredible too.