The Mars Volta
Frances the Mute
(Universal)
There are bad albums, but not many have voyaged into the pretentious regions of superfluous fodder that make up Frances the Mute. The Mars Volta have gone beyond disappointing fans to giving them a cold, hard slap in the nuts. Want a hook? Try and find it amidst what feels like hours of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez dicking around on guitar. Want interesting instrumental work? Go buy another record. Santana sucks and Genesis were assholes—fuck Mars Volta for being mentioned in the same breath.
—Matt Charlton
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.