Does The Mars Volta suck?

[KyleCobra]

If you dont know who they are i strongly suggest you check them out.

But beware...they're different.

They blend classic rock, latin jazz, blues and punk.

They are known for their obsure and sometimes nonsensical lyrics which follow a prolongued story throughout much of their music.


I mostly created this thread as a place to debate this band, as it seems many dont care for or even hate them. Im totally open to discussion.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

If you dont know who they are i strongly suggest you check them out.

But beware...they're different.

I just tried listening to their song "The Window" which I've heard on the radio before, so I assume its one of their main songs. At any rate, I simply can't get into them, because they don't have the type of song I want to hear.

I'm into a lot of music, & a lot of genres.. but what (to you) makes this band so great.. that makes the others in Justin's Music thread, not seemingly compare to them?

They blend classic rock, latin jazz, blues and punk.

Sounds like they need to pick a style. Maybe thats why they aren't over very well. (By the way, I consider over, by the amount of music & records they sell.)

Korn, Breaking Benjamin.. those bands have sold a lot more than Mars Volta.

They are known for their obsure and sometimes nonsensical lyrics which follow a prolongued story throughout much of their music.

So, you basically just said they don't make sense. Then why would you consider them worth listening to? I can sing random words into a microphone, anyone can.. so why, to you, is this band so great?

 

[Freedom 35]

I just tried listening to their song "The Window" which I've heard on the radio before, so I assume its one of their main songs. At any rate, I simply can't get into them, because they don't have the type of song I want to hear.

meh Im probably one of the biggest Mars Volta fans youll ever meet and thats actually one of mymleast favorite songs of theirs

Sounds like they need to pick a style. Maybe thats why they aren't over very well. (By the way, I consider over, by the amount of music & records they sell.)

Korn, Breaking Benjamin.. those bands have sold a lot more than Mars Volta.

actually they sell plenty of records,are highly critically acclaimed and have a quite large fan base its just they dont get alot of publicity or credit from casual music fans and hardly get any radio play just because there songs have such a unique style to them

So, you basically just said they don't make sense. Then why would you consider them worth listening to? I can sing random words into a microphone, anyone can.. so why, to you, is this band so great?

what he meant theres is that its not that the lyrics don't make sense they just use alot of quite good metaphors that have fairly obscure words in them and its not that they dont fit in its that its that their just words that you dont hear very often but they all make sense in the song

 

[Freedom 35]

Will I know you didnt like the Widow so heres one of my personal favorite songs of theirs, this song is more of their style compared to the other you lisened to, the videos kind of weird its to scenes from Carrie but it fits the song well and is a great song

enjoy all you Mars Volta haters
[youtube]O0e2thAsiZg[/youtube]

 

[justinsayne]

If you dont know who they are i strongly suggest you check them out.

But beware...they're different.

Different would be an understatement

They blend classic rock, latin jazz, blues and punk.

This may be the reason I feel they are sloppy, though that might not be the best word to use to describe what I mean, Will said it best, they need to pick a style

They are known for their obsure and sometimes nonsensical lyrics which follow a prolongued story throughout much of their music.

Which is another reason why I can't stand to listen to them, they are hard to follow, and often make no sense

actually they sell plenty of records,are highly critically acclaimed and have a quite large fan base its just they dont get alot of publicity or credit from casual music fans and hardly get any radio play just because there songs have such a unique style to them

See the thing is critic's often time are looking for the most off the wall out there bands, cause if it sounds different, then it must be good, and with me that is not the case, I don't care what a critic thinks, I listen to what I think is good, that is all that matters to me, what I think, their fan base isn't that large, it's quit small really if it were large they would be more known, and getting a lot of publicity, they are an underground band, and most fans of underground bands, are just fans cause "it's cool to like the band no one has heard of", this is the case with most fans, not all, but most, you are right in that they do have a unique style to them, unfortunately that style just sounds like shit IMO

 

[KyleCobra]

hard to follow...what im about to say is in no way intended to offend but...

the reason they are hard to follow is because most of their music is played in jaz roots which is very uncontemporary for this time. They often incorporate off timing or augmeter into their music which gives it a frantic and desperate feel to it. If you dont understand what that means..it means you cant tap your feet four times in a measure like a regular song..it would be 5/8 timing or whatever the case may be.

the bassist uses halicone effect over his tone which gives it an eerie vibe and a slight altered delay effect. He IMO is the most underated member of the band..if you have ever seen a TMV freestyle jam session you will understand what i mean. His walking bass lines, his latin fills..greatness.

And i think the band themselves said it best...they consider each one of their albums as a soundtrack as opposed to a freeflowing song by song collection. The draw inspiration from movies, literature and real life affliction. their lyrics may seem odd or intangible because the lyricist and vocalst Cedric uses his own form of free thought peotry, the same way a beat poet would at a jazz club. It makes sense to him and only him, but if thought upon hard enough someone can find messages int he lyrics.

Genre

i cannot for the life of me understand why any band would ever want to catagorize their music into a single genre. To me, that limits my artistic expression to the point if irrelevancy. why bother to make music if you have guidelines..why make an effort to create something of natural artistic birth only to have it erased from existince becuase a record label or radio station deem your creative mind to be outside the boundries of what is acceptable to the normal audible pallet...i cannot understand that.

they are revered by many many fans and critics alike as the most creative and interesting band making music today. Their musicianship is almost unparrelelled in the sense of creativity and overall skill. The band has sold more than a million copies combined.

They wont ever sell out huge arenas. I dont think they would want to. they want a personal show. And they have played big arenas by the way. The played to sold out crowds while opening for System of a Down and Red Hot Chili Peppers. I know that the headliners are the ones responsible for putting asses in the seats..but TMV was chosen BY those bands to open for them, proving they have the respect and admiration of the biggest names in rock music.

I can totally understand why people do not like this band. I can 100% understand that.

But there is no way in hell someone can say this band sucks as musicians.



oh and as for people only liking them becuase the are ''underground''...

how, if a band is truly underground, do enough people think its cool to like a band as such without hearing them which would be likely if they were truly ''underground''. This band isnt underground. they have sold a million copies. thats not really underground.

and thats like saying you only like bands you like becuase of their image. i know thats not true. You know thats not true. I dont think you can assume people only listen to a band to be cool. No one would go through the effort to go and and find a hard to locate record and spend the $15 on it only to show off..not a band like TMV where their true fans would call your ass out in a heartbeat. And I hate when i like a band no one has heard of becuase i have no one to talk about them with.

 

[KyleCobra]

I'm into a lot of music, & a lot of genres.. but what (to you) makes this band so great.. that makes the others in Justin's Music thread, not seemingly compare to them?

Im basing that on what i have heard from those bands.

Thats not saying how much these bands mean to their fans or them as people or their fans as a whole.

Based only on musical talent...

If you were to take the lead guitarist from say Korn, and the lead from TMV...there is no doubt in my mind that TMV takes the win on that one as far as skill goes. But that goes for every instrument uncluding vocals. This part is fact not opinion: the music made by TMV is more delicatly compossed and played and more developed. If you take anyone with minimum guitar skills, you can teach them to play a Korn song in 5 minutes flat. You could NEVER do that with TMV. NEVER...unless they are EXTREMLY fast learners...


and i know that just becasuse a guitarist can shred doesnt mean they are better than any other musician..i know that..hell im a die hard Johnny Cash fan and he was a bare minimum guitarist.

But that does mean that they are more skilled at what they do and how they do it.

thats what i was saying. as musicians TMV are more skilled at their particular instrument than those other bands.

 

[Freedom 35]

See the thing is critic's often time are looking for the most off the wall out there bands, cause if it sounds different, then it must be good, and with me that is not the case, I don't care what a critic thinks, I listen to what I think is good, that is all that matters to me, what I think, their fan base isn't that large, it's quit small really if it were large they would be more known, and getting a lot of publicity, they are an underground band, and most fans of underground bands, are just fans cause "it's cool to like the band no one has heard of", this is the case with most fans, not all, but most, you are right in that they do have a unique style to them, unfortunately that style just sounds like shit IMO

you can 100% not say that people like them because they are an "underground" band, At The Drive-in you may have an argument there even though I love them there probably are some people out there that like them becuase theyre a cool underground band The Mars Volta is too much for that simple follower and even no matter how hard they tried to like them they wouldnt because you know the first time you listen to them whether you like them or not and like Kyle said theyre not for everyone and I can also completely understand if people dont like them. And to say the critics love them because they sound different doesnt make sense to me either they are critically acclaimed because their some of the most, if not the most musically talented bands out there they are so talented that its hard to overlook them and IMO are the best band around right now