The Mars Volta Writing New Material

When The Mars Volta’s latest, The Bedlam In Goliath, debuted at #3 on Billboard’s albums chart, no one was more perplexed than the band’s guitarist, Omar Rodríguez-López, reports MTV.com.

“We’re surprised by any kind of commercial success or acceptance on a mainstream level,” he said during the Coca-Cola Zero Fest in Mexico City on April 12. “We really don’t understand it at all.”

And who could blame the man? The Mars Volta’s four studio releases have focused on a variety of topics, including morphine abuse, failed abortion attempts, possessed nuns and, in the case of Bedlam, a Ouija-like board game, discovered in Jerusalem, that irrevocably altered their lives. But Bedlam’s impressive debut doesn’t mean much these days, considering sales industrywide have been drooping for years and years. Rodríguez-López said he’s confident those 54,000 records were sold to the Volta faithful, not new fans.

“Our crowd has always been diverse,” the guitarist said. The band has been touring for more than three months now, mostly playing songs from their last two LPs. “Over the years, it’s grown organically, but really, the crowd is the same — people who want to come out and see live music, honest music, and hear mistakes and watch people be human.”

Even though The Bedlam in Goliath has been out for just two months, Rodríguez-López — who, after a two-week trip to Mexico, was asked to score Guillermo Arriaga’s and Jorge Hernandez Aldana’s film “El Búfalo de la Noche” — said the band is already collecting material for the next two albums. Seriously.

“The Bedlam in Goliath is a year old for me at this point, and it was written a year before that, so, essentially, it’s two years old for me,” he said. “Whatever people know of us [from] the new album, it’s actually two years behind where I am now. So you have to put your current world in park and go in reverse just to talk about whatever’s ‘new.’ ”

Rodríguez-López didn’t provide any additional details on the songs he’s been writing but did mention that they’d be more acoustic.

Read the entire article at MTV.com.

Comments

[Comeback Kiddd]

sweeet

[negativecreep92]

I'm sure he already said that the new album is finished music-wise, it was just the lyrics that need to be added. I also remember him saying they were calling it their 'acoustic' album, because it was more laid back. Of course by the time the next Mars Volta alum comes out, Omar will have done another four albums. :P

[Xeus]

that man is a genius

[llama_guitarist]

I sure do love the Mars Volta and they're coming to Utah! so I get to see them, which is an amazing thought. I still haven't heard much of this new cd though, although De-loused in the Comatorium is still my favorite.

[Kleynan]

Definitely one of the few geniuses in music today.

[MAYNARD]

negativecreep92 wrote:

I'm sure he already said that the new album is finished music-wise, it was just the lyrics that need to be added. I also remember him saying they were calling it their 'acoustic' album, because it was more laid back. Of course by the time the next Mars Volta alum comes out, Omar will have done another four albums. :P

He actually said they have the next 2 albums done, which kicks all sortsa ass. Maybe make it a double? They are one band that is worthy.

[PopNFresh07]

I think the idea behind this article is to say that Omar is 2 years ahead of the rest of the world.

I don't know if this means he's just faster than everyone else or he has the ability to time travel, but whatever it is, I cannot wait to hear what 1212 TMV sounds like in 2008.

[turbojugendpat]

cool, still like at the drive in a little more.

[Bulls.On.Parade]

His solo albums are fantastic, however I would prefer more Volta albums than his solo stuff.

[IncubusMan999]

Yes, he is a genius. One of my main inflences musically. I love Bedlam, a big step up from Amputechture. This new stuff should be great. Seeing them on June 19.

checked.

[Tvr]

I read somewhere ha already had material for like 6-12 albums written. And that was about a year ago.

[pfa]

Saw them Live in manchester and they were sensational, i was on a healthy diet of de-loused every day when i got it for about 3 months...now its just a weekly thing :P

[bolezhinkov]

most musicians say they have a lot more done than they really do, you know. it might not be that they dont have it done, but it might still need a lot of work.

I know where he is coming from, I have a few "album" type things I would like to finish up, theyre just sitting on the shelf until we ride out the last set of songs we wrote.

but kudos to mars volta for a sweet CD and future listening pleasure.

[Sound_Garden_X]

Sweet I love TMV, I met Omar on Monday actually when they came to MN. He's actually a very nice guy and cares deeply of what the fans think. He actually apologized for how long Bedlam took to release which is amazing since it was only about a year after Amputechture. Good on The Mars Volta for their none stop flowing of music.

[RC_Hammer]

llama_guitarist wrote:

I sure do love the Mars Volta and they're coming to Utah! so I get to see them, which is an amazing thought. I still haven't heard much of this new cd though, although De-loused in the Comatorium is still my favorite.

They are coming this May. I'm seeing them fosho.

[hobo467]

I can't understand what people see in these guys. Whatever it is, I am certainly missing it; they're talented in my opinion, but I don't think they put their talent to good use.

[Demoncleaner 23]

I'm actually kind of disappointed where the Mars Volta has gone. I particularly don't like what Cedric does with his vocals these days. IMO they will never top de-loused one of the best albums ever recorded.

[eltravo]

Demoncleaner 23 wrote:

I'm actually kind of disappointed where the Mars Volta has gone. I particularly don't like what Cedric does with his vocals these days. IMO they will never top de-loused one of the best albums ever recorded.

I second that.


at least they still destroy everyone live.

[MCRkid22]

eltravo wrote:

Demoncleaner 23 wrote:

I'm actually kind of disappointed where the Mars Volta has gone. I particularly don't like what Cedric does with his vocals these days. IMO they will never top de-loused one of the best albums ever recorded.


I second that.


at least they still destroy everyone live.

I disagree. Cedric still ****in rips. I mean, I don't really like the new album, but that's what keeps them amazing. They're so completely diverse, and no two songs are exactly alike.

Personal fav: The Widow :p

[fetus989]

The Mars Volta is going to change the world.

[CousticStrangla]

Can't wait to hear some acoustic stuff, hopefully Omar doesn't shroud the [good] music within his production "wizardry."

[SweetFancyMoses]

bolezhinkov wrote:

most musicians say they have a lot more done than they really do, you know. it might not be that they dont have it done, but it might still need a lot of work.

I know where he is coming from, I have a few "album" type things I would like to finish up, theyre just sitting on the shelf until we ride out the last set of songs we wrote.

I'm pretty sure Omar actually has everything written and probably demoed, its just waiting to be recorded. He writes basically everything involving an instrument in TMV. He teaches everyone in the band their part and they record it individually over a click track. An idea he got from Miles Davis, It makes the musicians treat each one of their parts like a self-contained song.

[Da Guitar Masta]

This man is a genius.

The Mars Volta is unbeatable.

[The Virtuoso]

I think the idea behind this article is to say that

Omar is 2 years ahead of the rest of the world.

I don't know if this means he's just faster than everyone else or he has the ability to time travel, but whatever it is, I cannot wait to hear what 1212 TMV sounds like in 2008.

Lol.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to this album, I really like their acoustic stuff. Especially Asilos Magdelena, my favorite song of thiers..

I still need De-Loused ;(. It's the only one I need left.

[The Spoon]

Bedlam in Goliath is one of my favorite TMV albums. The only thing that kinda got annoying was the large use of falsetto

[whitestrat279]

omar is from the future here to show us how music is in the future.

[Shpongled]

I like the Mars Volta a lot but to be honest I think the last album was their worst yet. I'd say Deloused was the best with both Frances and Amputechture having good and bad moments. I felt like the songs on Bedlam weren't very diverse and kind of sounded a lot like Amputechture.

[blackflag49]

Frances the Mute > all.

Here's hoping for another one of those..

[CaTeArS]

saw their show in minneapolis! DAMN AMAZING! Love them, took me a few days to get to like their new album and understand their concepts, but so amazing. a ton of energy

CAN'T WAIT FOR THE VYNILS TO BE RELEASED

[Hash4you]

my god these guys are so young relatively and so talented, and they show NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN!!!
Im just amazed by their ability to keep writing.

[SideshowRaven24]

fetus989 wrote:

The Mars Volta is going to change the world.

well said. i personally like everything they've released. anything omar creates is gold haha. sure, they're a totally different band than they were, but would you really want 5 more deloused sounding albums? I sure wouldn't. It's my personal fav, but I'm so glad that they're progressing. They are by far my favorite band, have been for a while. Omar and Cedric are true artists.

[GodbowstoMath]

Tvr wrote:

I read somewhere ha already had material for like 6-12 albums written. And that was about a year ago.

Sounds like we've got someone with a Zappa-esk work ethic. Omar will probably die with well over 80 records under his belt and probably two or three boxsets of unreleased or unfinished material after that. haha, probably a shit ton of live records too. hmm, i'm cool with that.

[kaptink]

The Virtuoso wrote:

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to this album, I really like their acoustic stuff. Especially Asilos Magdelena, my favorite song of thiers..

That song was the highlight of amputechture for me, I wouldn't mind hearing more like that from them. As long as they keep a few "this apperatus" mind blowers on there.

[One Inch Man]

Good news. I'm looking forward to see them live on july 23th!!

[vantage4]

^roger that on asilos magdalena, great great song. televators is another mellow gem, and amazingly simple for a mars volta song. everything is just so damn good, every song is like a mini-trip that has to be digested afterwards.

[screamsoftly]

He's my favorite guitarist. The songs they write are just amazing, and Bedlam was a really great record. Much better than Amputechture.

[MeGaDeth2314]

I hope it's better than Bedlam. No offense, but I thought Bedlam and Amputecture both sucked, a lot. Bedlam sounded like The Mars Volta trying to get the most stereotypical 'Mars Volta sound' that they could. It offered nothing new from any of the previous albums, and didn't have the style of Deloused and Frances. Amputechture was a little bit better, but still nowhere near Deloused IMO.

checked

[lateraluspiral]

Bedlam and Amputechture are my favorite volta records. i really enjoy where their sound has gone. Cant wait for something new

[WithRoyalBlood]

Sound_Garden_X wrote:

Sweet I love TMV, I met Omar on Monday actually when they came to MN. He's actually a very nice guy and cares deeply of what the fans think. He actually apologized for how long Bedlam took to release which is amazing since it was only about a year after Amputechture. Good on The Mars Volta for their none stop flowing of music.

I saw them at the airport Tuesday morning, on their way to California. I couldn't believe we went on the same plane. It was so crazy.

[pyritmann]

im glad hes hinting at a more acoustic album, not that there other stuff isnt amazing,but Televators in my opinion is their best song by a mile and i'd love to hear more stuff like that.

[Hash4you]

MeGaDeth2314 wrote:

I hope it's better than Bedlam. No offense, but I thought Bedlam and Amputecture both sucked, a lot. Bedlam sounded like The Mars Volta trying to get the most stereotypical 'Mars Volta sound' that they could. It offered nothing new from any of the previous albums, and didn't have the style of Deloused and Frances. Amputechture was a little bit better, but still nowhere near Deloused IMO.

No way, amputchture was incredible, i respect our differences, but just stating my opinion when i say the progression from FtM to Amp was very awesome, i didnt like the first and last track causer they were kinda pointless but everything inbetween was mind blowing.

[Infamou$17]

Bedlam sucked, Amputechture was good... if this really is a lazier, "acoustic" album then I expect it to be almost as good as De-Loused...

[sebbsmith]

They're never going to write Deloused again, move on.

[genresrforposer]

Day of the TMV concert in Dallas

Me: "Hey, can you give me a ride dude? I think you can still get tix at the door."

Friend (4 hours before the damm thing): "Ummm....I'm already downtown, sorry dude"

Mother****er!

..... I should really buy one of their albums though. I love the song "Goliath"

[Glam-Hammer]

The Mars Volta are win

[fiftysteps]

negativecreep92 wrote:

I'm sure he already said that the new album is finished music-wise, it was just the lyrics that need to be added. I also remember him saying they were calling it their 'acoustic' album, because it was more laid back. Of course by the time the next Mars Volta alum comes out, Omar will have done another four albums. :P

LMAO so true.

Checked.

[MeGaDeth2314]

Hash4you wrote:

MeGaDeth2314 wrote:

I hope it's better than Bedlam. No offense, but I thought Bedlam and Amputecture both sucked, a lot. Bedlam sounded like The Mars Volta trying to get the most stereotypical 'Mars Volta sound' that they could. It offered nothing new from any of the previous albums, and didn't have the style of Deloused and Frances. Amputechture was a little bit better, but still nowhere near Deloused IMO.

No way, amputchture was incredible, i respect our differences, but just stating my opinion when i say the progression from FtM to Amp was very awesome, i didnt like the first and last track causer they were kinda pointless but everything inbetween was mind blowing.

I actually liked Amp for quite a while, but I thought it got boring much quicker than Deloused and FtM. I can still listen to FtM and Deloused and be amazed, but Amp has lost a bit of its magic.

[ProgIsGood]

Can't wait to hear some acoustic stuff, hopefully Omar doesn't shroud the [good] music within his production "wizardry."

I hope he does shroud it in his "wizardry". I love the way he produces albums almost as much as his music. And also I think that if the new album is more laid-back like he says, it will top de-loused. I'm saying this because I think the whole band has grown exponentially, technique-wise, and returning to the psyched-out feel of de-loused, it will be outstanding.

[fetus989]

Another thing to keep in mind is that they record every minute of live performances, which is awesome.

[f1sk]

i thought they already had like the next 2 or 3 albums done, apparently hes just got tons of material

[BobTheBlob]

i was watching city of god the other day, and the character Benny reminded me of someone. I just realized; it's Omar.

[RyanDamo]

sweet im excited!

[massive melee]

I thought the tremulant ep and de-loused in the comatorium was genius,but I felt the last three albums they got exagerated with the whole pink floyd feeling and 3 hour guitar solos. sometimes it sounds cheesy.

[tommytomtomtom]

mars volta = god

[AlskiOverload]

its so hard to get ahold of their stuff where I am. I would like to give Tremulant a listen, if I can ever get ahold of it...

[alejo4]

tommytomtomtom wrote:

mars volta = god

Omar Rodriguez = God

He's a genius.. A very young genius...

[idle_tooth]

The Mars Volta's music is art, and as much of a cliche as it is to say this, you either get it, or you don't.