The Mars Volta
Frances the Mute
The inevitable destination of any progrock (or even prog-inclined) band is up its own rear end. That’s just the nature of the beast. While the Mars Volta should be commended for bravely turning their back on their punk roots in favor of ultra-complex weirdness, their second album, “Frances the Mute,” tackles so much, so fast that the sheer ridiculousness of its ADD-styled composition often overwhelms its significant achievements. Divided into five suites, the music touches on everything from metal to ambient noodling to salsa, often over the course of just a few minutes. The final suite, “Cassandra Gemini,” on the other hand, stretches on for more than half an hour, which, for the record, is 10 minutes longer than Side 1 of Rush’s “2112.”
Best track: The 12-minute “L’Via L’Viaquez,” which crosses the industrial hum of Nine Inch Nails at its mellowest with Santana.
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