Composer Reacts to The Mars Volta - Cassandra Gemini (REACTION & ANALYSIS) 

that sax solo is so sick leading back to that original chorus

This is my favorite band, so hats off to you for taking on this beast. Cassandra is TMV at their most excessive, for better and worse, but I love it. All the dissonance, wackiness, and noise works for me, but I totally understand it's not for everyone. This song reminds me of an extended Led Zeppelin live jam if they were trying to summon demons in a Mexican desert. It'd be awesome to see your reaction to some of their recent live shows. The latest tour shows how much they've matured and tightened up their sound even on older, crazier songs.

I tend to only listen to this album as a whole, and while I don’t anticipate that fundamentally improving anything for you, it does give some more time to settle into the album before reaching this point. Also makes the final acoustic guitar bit make sense, as it’s a reprise of the opening bit of track 1.

This is the blended experience of fever dream meeting a circus meeting an asylum party. Welcome to the TMV soundscape! Honestly, when I first came across them TMV really interested me but I didn't love it. Then I got accidentally exceptionally high one night and this whole album happened to play. And my relationship with the band was transformed and transcended. Its hard to explain why but over time I've figured out what it is. First, you have to get a bit disassociated and track different instruments as if they are totally different conversations happening at a party. Second, the space between the sounds and the ever evolving dynamic between them is extremely hidden and I've only ever really been able to understand it when the music feels slowed down and can hear it all better in a very high state of mind.

All of the criticism you have of the music is exactly why I love it. Those parts that you don't see them as fitting, I see them as accents. I just don't hear the abrasiveness.

This is the most intense piece of music I've heard. I am not sure how much of it one can appreciate without losing at leas 2 kilos during the listen. 😅

I love everything these guys have ever done. This album blew my mind when it first came out.

Love it or hate it, I think this is definitely TMV's masterpiece. It's certainly them in their peak "violently manic psychedelic prog" mode and was really them pushing their singular style as far as it could possibly go. Like many such uber-ambitious pieces it can easily come off as too indulgent and just too much, in general, for many; and TMV definitely scaled things back a lot after this, with each release after this becoming more accessible (though Amputechture was still quite ambitious in parts). They never went "mainstream accessibility" exactly, but they never produced anything as challenging as this track again, or this album in general. This will always be my favorite from them, perhaps just because I listened to it non-stop for a while after it was released because it blew my mind. While I enjoyed much of their material after I was never as enthused as I was with this Frances the Mute (and Deloused in the Comatorium) era material. I can definitely see you enjoying their later material more, but this is what made so many (including myself) fall in love with them. BTW, the ending of this track loops back around to the beginning of the album (Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus). The album is a concept album, though woe be to the person who tries to make narrative sense out of the lyrics!

That 15 sec ending was what Vismund Cygnus started with so album begins and ends with the same melody :)

I subscribed waiting for this lol.

I seen this band live years ago, a friend that i introduced to metal bought me a ticket, and they were incredible, and absolutely insane.

Mid 2000s or maybe later, I remember an interview where they said they like their music to reflect films that they were fans of. They liked having 'scenes' that didnt make sense or made you uncomfortable the way a film might. That always stuck with me

I appreciate the volta reactions! My all time favorite track of theirs is Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt. PLEASE REACT TO IT!!! 😀

Hey Bryan, thanks so much for checking this out, I know it went over the time limit and you aren't really a fan of The Mars Volta (or this era of TMV at least) but it was really interesting and entertaining hearing your take on it. Not sure why I had a sliver of hope you might like this one despite the other tracks you've heard lol, but I completely understand where you are coming from and its always great hearing your analysis even if I don't always agree.

the loud-quiet-loud dynamic applied to texture and melody. chaos adding meaning to the cohesive bits. abrasion and dissonance adding additional beauty to whatever is not. finding solid ground in the chaos, the drums and bass often keeping things together, and omar eventually landing on a string of notes that most would consider "musical". these things are half the fun one of the few bands that actively remind me music is an art form and not just a technical craft.

Idk if anyone else has played MGS 2 but that voice effect that Cedric uses around the 2:50 mark reminds me so much of the Colonel winging out in Arsenal Gear. Not to mention the flutes and stuff behind it sound like the music playing on arsenal. Its crazy. Wonder if they were influenced by that at all lol

I vaguely remember my first listens to this album back in the day. The whole thing was just some random themes here and there surrounded by a lot of noise and ambience. Very hard to orient yourself in. However it grew on me with a LOT of listens. It was helpful to already be a fan because of their previous, arguably more digestible, album. As a musician myself, I feel like I can connect with some of what this is coming from. At times when I've been working for a long time with compositions or arrangements I can kind of get fed up with... well, assonance. Clean chords and melodies. That's where this type of chaos becomes refreshing to my ears, almost cleansing. I believe that Omar did a Miles Davis thing here, where he told musicians to go into the studio and play their asses off without hearing any of the music they were going to be a part of. It makes sense when you listen to what the instruments are doing. For me the piece is super intense for a long time in the beginning of the track so the "jam that trails off" almost lets you rest for a bit before they kick it up again. It IS actually a bit lyrically connected, since they're describing a state of mind that is turbulent but also delirious and likely ridden with more than one substance. So the struggle for cohesion is like a struggle to find focus and to get a grip of reality. That's of course just my interpretation. I see that others in this comment section have given some insight as to what the story is so I'm not going to bother with that. Oh, and the acoustic guitar + vocals outro is more like an outro to the whole album, since that is the exact way the first track begins. Anyways, creds for your patience with this weird track!

There is so amazing parts in this song. This originally was not going to be an LP, it was just an experimental album, and this song was split into 5 songs. Someone released the whole album online with this song as 1 instead of 5 parts. It maybe my favorite album from them.

keep in mind this is a concept album too. i absolutely love the weird little out of tune yelps etc. lol. i also used to feel the same about how there are certain parts that really ruin the overall sound i was enjoying, but over time i have become so acclimated to their sound that i absolutely love those little, weird parts & everything else is kinda boring unless i listen to a complete variety of music. they've been my fav band since i was 18. i'm now 35. lol. they also helped me learn to recognize specific instruments in music, whereas before i would hear everything lumped together. now i can hear each instrument individually. pretty tight

Props to you for reacting to the entire song. Such an epic journey IMO.

I give you so much props dude. I totally get why some people just can’t dig the Volta, despite my love for them. But you give them an honest try every time

The most underrated band I've heard. This band is in an a league all their own, one of the most epic I've heard

Definitely one of the songs I’ve been waiting for

I would consider myself musically attuned, but I seriously could not explain to you why I love this track so much, but I do It wasn't even a grower either, it was something that clicked immediately the first time I heard it (though I had already heard TMV before), and it's in my regular rotation and something I listen to casually a loooot, I do dooze off a little during the jam section bit since it's a lot less structurally interesting than the other sections but everything else is RIGHT up my alley

As always, wonderful reaction and analysis... I could recommend you to check on YT some videos that speak about this album concept, the music functions in order to a story, the Cygnus Vismund story, this piece was the pinnacle of the hole tale, and every moment has a meaning. Yeah, it's kind of complex that there is a soundtrack to a story that is not like "well written" but that you can do your own interpretation. This final piece was Cygnus vengance and demise, that's all I can say.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's uncompromising musical vision is both exhilarating and awesome to witness but also frustrating and challenging at times, lol. That's why they are The Mars Volta, for better or worse. I have like a 25% success rate trying to get friends and family members into this band. But they are in my top 3 favorite bands of all time. Wild.

What I am hearing is that 'Miranda that ghost just isnt holy anymore' would be your favorite track off this album (and thats very ok, its very beautiful)

This is one of my favorite songs of all time, and this analysis is my favorite that I've seen on here. I deeply appreciate the honesty in your takes on this band's music.

The way you react to their music is the way I react to your TMV reactions. 60% loving it because it looks like you're going to like the song, but then you pair it up with not liking the rest and makes me half not enjoy the review! The like/not-like tension is real! Cheers man! :D

It was only a matter of time! Honestly it's pretty crazy that both Mars Volta and La Dispute, two very different bands, are both favorites of mine and you have heavily reviewed their work.

I think the excess dissonance is a poetic choice. Like, you aren’t allowed to have just the good. It has to be drenched in all the ugliness, because that’s just life. Or at least, how these artists saw life at this point.

I might be wrong but I think a lot of Omars song writing comes from his love of film and the film making process. He has mentioned before movies really inspire him and he has also tried his hand at making film himself. I can see this song describing scenes out of a movie and all the the different parts describing things playing out in the film.

Respect for your commitment! One of my all time favorite bands, this is my favorite track of my favorite album. Cool to hear someone who doesn't like it, but truly understands music and can explain why in a respectful manner.

Pick something from the debut guys!

Interesting fact about the performances, for this and almost all of the TMV albums: the composer would force each musician to record their parts individually, WITHOUT HEARING THE OTHER INSTRUMENTS. One man's crazy dream.

You're the man for committing to this one! It's not exactly a banger all the way through, but man it has some amazing sections. If you still want to hear more I recommend "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt".

the new album is a total mind blower. First listen I was let down....but give a listen or two and you will recognise the brilliance

I actually really enjoyed this. I have only heard a few TMV songs and they bounced off me, but there is something about this song that I really liked. I assumed this is from a concept album that I might download and listen to as a whole. Also, it is my experience with this style of music that it can take some time to grow on me. Sometimes a first listen is not enough to appreciate everything that is going on and why.

I'm currently struggling to add dynamic sunset shadowing to a Cedric portrait, but the right (visually left) side of him only. A tasteful approach is risky. Easy to mess it up.

Congratulations. You have now listened to the greatest song ever written. You may die a happy man now.

The very end of that (that seemed to come out of left field) is a reprise of the opening moments of the album. It makes a lot more sense in context of the whole album than it does with that song in isolation, bookends the album nicely. As many times as I’ve listened to this album, it still threw me listening to this track in isolation with you, lol.

one of the best prog songs ever made along with : close to the edge (yes), thick as a brick (jethro tull) , salisbury (uriah heap) , april (deep purple) and invitation to a river (bill chase)

I think that was a new record for puzzled head shakes. 😕 I personally love this track. Sure it does meander around with a lot of various sounds and change-ups, but I really don't find anything downright abrasive.

LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH

The descending Sint represents the women sinking, the ice packs falling in a stabbing movement, the blood dripping from the ice picks.

King Crimson meets Can meets Yes meets Pink Floyd meets Frank Zappa

You say you're biased, I'd say that you're just more conservative in you preferences. There are things here going on that make first listen just extremely exhausting and I have a feeling you expect everything to make sense on the go. But some of it does only when you approach this song over and over again and catch the flow of those seemingly chaotic and dissonant elements in a wider perspective. Some of it is easier to accept if you consider, that this band emerged from At the Drive-in, a post-hardcore project that was way louder and more uncompromising in their expression. The whole idea behind this music is kind of impossible, because it blends progressive and psychedelic with hardcore and punk, and those are simply two opposite things if you look at popular music history. Somehow they are able to connect those two traditions. There's noise influence there, there's Latino music component as well... Really a lot to unpack, and we didn't really even mentioned cryptic lyrics and themes they're dealing with yet. Does it all change anything? No, you don't have to like it, dissonant and abrasive sounds are not for everyone and that's absolutely fine. Sometimes all those background (or not-so-background) noises make more sense if you really treat this music as psychedelic in the first place, by which I mean you trip to it. And boy, what a trip it is. But I enjoyed this album and song for years (and still, I noticed a nice detail i bass that I never payed attention to before, while watching your reaction) without this perspective, so I guess it all comes down to your taste and aesthetic preferences at the end of the day. Thanks for listening and analysis anyway, it's always fun to watch and hear your observations :)

I think this album is unsettling both intentionally and subconsciously from the band’s side. It deals with loss and tragedy they really experienced at the time. The story is inspired by an anonymous diary Jeremy Ward (friend of the band) found while repossessing a car. He realized he has much in common with the person who wrote it, they were both adopted and looking for their biological parents. From what I know, many people interpret the details of the story on the album differently, but basically it’s about a man (Vismund Cygnus) that finds out he was adpoted after his mother was killed. She was likely a nun raped by a priest and when she tried to abort the baby, the church forced her to keep it and killed her after giving birth. Her mother and sister had to flee and live in hiding. Cassandra Gemini is probably about him processing the story (maybe that’s why it goes back and forth), and him deciding to burn the church while everyone inside. Then killing himself afterwards, joining his mother. Jeremy Ward died from heroin overdose about a month before the release of their debut De-Loused in the Comatorium (that deals with loss of another friend). Allegedly that inspired Omar and Cedric to kick their own addictions. I didn’t think about this album as being abrasive when I first heard it, or maybe I didn’t mind at the time because I needed it. I thought of it more as creepy. I think I was drawn to it because it’s just so emotionaly charged and heartbreaking, even though I didn't know about the story back then. Lyrically, it deals with tragedy and suicide, and It gave me some kind of validation and outlet for my anger and frustration (but maybe also amplified it though). To this day some of the lyrics are the most existential ones to me. I don’t mind the little disorienting details, for me they’re the part of the concept and add to the atmosphere and uniqueness of it. Thanks for the reaction and for giving it a chance. :)

I find your reactions to my two favorite bands, Porcupine Tree and The Mars Volta, utterly fascinating. You’re typically very enamored with Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson’s ability to communicate stories and emotions woven flawlessly together, able to follow any potential digressions or embellishments by identifying clear motifs and thru lines and seeing how they shift and evolve, whereas your reactions to TMV are always more conflicted. The cacophony that arises from Omar’s production and composition style always presents roadblocks despite them also channeling a lot of narrative and atmospheric elements through progressive music. On the face of it, they’re both 2000s prog acts with elements of other alternative genres fused together, but The Mars Volta, even though they’re perhaps arguably one of the most stylistically eclectic rock bands ever, stick to a solid template within their music and usually you can find what makes a given song unique or communicative in how each song differs from their own formula, whereas PT, a more ‘in their lane’ band, go for a variety of moods, energies, and general sense of dynamics on a song to song basis, even though they have a comparatively limited toolkit. If you break them down, it’s like The Mara Volta do a sort of free form sculpting for their music, whereas Porcupine Tree meticulously build from disparate parts with a very specific set of instructions- if any of that makes sense. You’re one of the few people who, no matter how you feel about a given compositional choice, I always take something valuable away from your insights and find out way more about music I really love. Thanks for giving these a shot! I think you might actually end up being a much bigger fan of The Mars Volta’s later era stuff, ironically the stuff the fans are far less hot on, because it sees them honing their craft into something a little more pointed and less amorphous.

Everything about this piece blows my mind every time I listen to it 🎉. It puts me in a great mood and energized for the day. I, too, hated them for at least a year when I first heard them in the early days. But now they have grown into one of my top listens, Ever. And I still can't get enough.

This is my all time favorite band, but it has taken many multiple listens for me to fully appreciate everything about the style of composition. For me, it's the album Deloused In The Comatorium that really shines the brightest. Once you have the time changes committed to memory and you can slap your hands along to the entire album and know all the changes, it just feels amazing. Its now deeply stamped on my emotional consciousness, and there is no going back.

I really love your opinions cuz it's it's like reality punching fans in the stomach. The Mars Volta never do anything randomly, and you will never understand the composing without understanding the message. I am a guy who rates pink floyd's dark side of the moon 2nd, guess who's the first...yep. This is a movie, Frances the Mute is a movie, sorry, but you will never understand the composing earing tracks isolated. For example, L'via L'Viaquez, you told it was creepy. It was supposed to be because it was an ode to a death woman, and the latin section meant to represent a regression to the main carachter's past. It's a classic Frederico Fellini theme. Cassandra gemini: first of all, Cassandra. Cassandra was an oracle who was damned by the god Apollo to never be believed again because she rejected him. Cassandra in gemini is also an astronomical occurance. Cassandra gemini apoints to bipolarity of the main caracther, Cassandra is in fact a female alter ego full of rage and murderours revenge. Now the strange screams Cedric does. If you take a closer look he his imitating crows, owls and chickens (or gallos con dentes de machete). They all represent certain group of people the main carachter put in "little boxes". The final section of the song, sarcophagii, represents death, you also heard it on Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus. Also 26 is repeated thowards the song: "I think I've become one of the others...25 wifes e the lake tonight" 25 +1 = 26. 26 represents death. I am talking too much, sorry ahah. FOR A TOTAL DIFFERENT MARS VOLTA: Last 2 albuns. Fans, let's ask for Luciforms, luciforms, luciforms....

Enjoyed watching this reaction and review. The theme of the album is centered around a journal the band found. The journal detailed an adopted person's journey to find their parents. The dissonance and lack of cohesion certainly reflects that. The Mars Volta is also chaotic generally for what that's worth.

vicariously loving this

I was laughing out loud multiple times because you seemed so frustrated. Fantastic reaction as always.

Imagine having to mix all tracks for this...

Thanks to talk about this piece AND band ITS so difficult we cover us to true genious, no understand Many things in those compositions...because our level of critic no compares with Mars Volta like to say us .. but there Is not other musika like them Great marvel in this fucking world

Mars Volta deeply changed what do I like about music, an acquired tasted really hard to find elsewhere. Recently had a similar experience with the music of Oxbow. With me at the beginning being on the side of "what is this noise?".

back when I first listened to this song, it was on cd and partitioned into multiple tracks (blame the record label I suppose) and it was only the first part up to the guitar solo that I've enjoyed the most and ended up replaying over and over again.

My favourtie song, listen to this almost every day

That little bit at the end is a reprise from the opening bit of the album

I'd love to see a compare and contrast between The Mars Volta and At the Drive-In (The lead singer and lead guitarists band from the 90s, resurrected in the late early 2020's or late 10's) God I love seeing reactions to music I love.

LMAOOO I loved seeing Bryan straight up pissed off like yo.... why are yall doing this haha

what I do love about this track is that despite being 32 minutes long, it never really gets boring. Yes the jam section in the middle is about 7 minutes long, but compared to the rest it's really not that out of the ordinary lengthwise. Just look at the booklet of the album, they barely fit all of the lyrics to this lol. 43:40 I think the thing with Mars Volta is that their albums are more structured like a movie rather than an album. 45:30 Their sound designer Jeremy Ward, while working as a cars salesman found a diary of an adopted person trying to find their biological mother on the back of an old car and he could really relate to that cause afaik he was adopted too. The album is only losely based on that though, as the story revolves about Cygnus trying to find the people who r*** and killed his mother Frances. L'via, Widow and Miranda are all people he met along the way.

That final acoustic part is meant to be a revisitation to the beginning of first track, Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus which begins with that track. In this way, the album begins where it ends.

Totally get this criticism. Few people I show this to like it bc it’s just too out there and chaotic. Full of dissonance, etc. But it’s part of the experience to be this chaotic, intense often disorienting spooky rock in roll opera. I mean it’s jazz it’s balls out rock it’s the weaving between life and death, things uniting and things being ripped apart. It’s one of my favorite albums ever bc I like weird and I like to rock and hearing this album is a one of a kind experience. But yes, it’s ugly and grating at times. I get that.

I don't think I actively love Mars Volta, but the unifying thread that keeps me coming back to a couple of their songs is how strong their choruses are. Such strong vocal melodies and harmonies paired with violent guitars going all out on the riffage - it really wakes you up after a couple minutes of instrumental wankery. And yet I don't think the choruses would *feel* as strong if we didn't have to suffer through the other bits. Cassandra Gemini *rarely* goes on my rotation because "the other bits" constitutes 25 minutes of fluff ranging from decent to pain-inducing, but there's no doubt that final chorus gets me just as excited as you did when it finally comes back around. Talk about a build up. Cygnus... Vismund Cygnus' chorus is better though.

Omar playing guitar with Omar One though that has always come to mind when thinking of Frances the Mute as a hole. It is that disfunctional apartment complex you walk through and you get to hear all the noises good and bad. It is the muk of life.

I've said it before, but considering you liked (or at least somewhat enjoyed) the newer stuff, you might actually dig their last album. Maybe even the more down to Earth approach from Ochtaedron and (up to a point) Noctourniquet. Frances is probably their most inaccesible stuff and it's crazy how it's what you've been mostly exposed. Don't get me wrong, I'm among the poeple that loves this album, but it's clear it's not something you'd like by now. And it's not all this band has to offer. I'd even say you'd probably dig the tracks you haven't listened to more than the three you had so far because even with the weird ambient sections and abrasive nature, both are kind of ballads and way more palatable for me most part. Great insight as always, even if I don't agree with the overall sentiment, I can undestrand why you feel frustrated with this.

YEEESSSSSSS

2:50 reminds me so hard to Little King John from Ratboy Genius.

31:08 before this omar brings you into a nest of chaos that youre rightfully critical of, and its all so you desire this moment so much, then theyre back in orbit at 32:07

I went back and forth with TMV. Always loved them but there was a time when i didn't like how sloppy some playing and arrangements were. Now i love all of it even after learning jazz guitar.

The end acoustic section, While making no sense in the context of this song, makes sense in context of the album. The same part opens the album.

I remember hearing this album originally and thinking it was just noise. While I don’t have the musical language or understanding of theory of what’s going on, it sounds more musical to me. After listening to much more “noisey” and abrasive “music” this is much more digestible to me. Tbh, I didn’t listen to the entire song but skipped to your comments. The comparison to HTS to TMV makes sense to me sonically. The core of HTS- vocals, melodic lines, drumming- all sound like a less spastic TMV (their older stuff imo sounds a bit more like TMV but is still a bit more controlled and melodic). I don’t know the history of TMV, but I’m assuming there’s a reason to their “noisey” approach to music. I’m curious what your line is for “noise” vs “music”? I imagine it’s difficult to define in a YT comment, but maybe some musical examples?? Thanks as always Bryan!

i always interpreted chaotic TMV as: "if you endure, you'll be rewarded". same to me as to endure screamo or growl: I HATE IT. but some bands are instrumentally/compositionally worth the pain

When you just finished the song but you still have to do an analysis: I'm tired, boss. Haha. Love this song. Some sections feel to me like they are pushing my head under the water. And when a less chaotic part comes I can finally breathe. Tension and release I guess.

Omar loves to revel in atmospheric dissonance. It's def a love it or hate it thing. One of his biggest influences is Siouxsie & The Banshees, whom also heavily use atmospheric dissonance. When I first listened to this album when it came it I hated it & made fun of friends who made me listen to it. But I found the drums, bass, & horns stuck in my head, kept listening and ended up becoming a mega fan, seeing them in concert 3 times lol.

This is one of my all time favorite songs. There is so much groove it's ridiculous. Get some good shrooms and and pair of noise canceling headphones and blast off. Mars Volta is like Pink Floyd just free based an 8 ball.

i really wish he’d listen to something off of Noctourniquet. specifically The Malkin Jewel or Empty Vessels, some less proggy stuff but still amazing music (my favorite album of theirs)

I think you will really dig their tracks Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt or Drunkship of Lanterns based on your criticism of their work

If you're interested, their 2022 comeback album is more laid back, without the insane parts of their earlier discography.

hey man out of curiosity, have you ever done psychedelics?

As always, great reaction! May i suggest something by Glass Beach? They combine emo, jazz and electronic music very well if that intrigues you! I suggest trying “classic j dies and goes to hell, part 1” as a start. Hope you have a good day!

Someone may have mentioned this, but Omar purposefully had some members play parts without knowledge of the other concurrent players' parts. Might explain why all but one instrument seems in sync thematically with the others. This practice seems to be a Herbie Hancock inspiration.

The mars Volta grew on me over the course of like 2 years. It's like your brain needs some time to figure out what the hell you just did to it.

Great !, Easily my favorite Mars Volta track.

I've seen a few of your Mars Volta reactions. Kudos for sticking with it despite not really digging a fair amount of what you've heard. You might like some stuff off their first album Deloused In The Comatorium. More direct, less fluff. Imagine all the punchy choruses and hooks, but without the extended proggy jams.

I see your point but for some reason I love those weird screechy bits. Reminds me of Saucerful of Secrets et al.

You need to check out some 5uu's. Try, " Resentments ", live. It's an early piece. Their album," Crisis in Clay", is on my desert island list.

Also, i just heard your comment about Hail the Sun. So, i checked them out, and i think i have an understanding here. It seems you enjoy modern metal type sound and production. Which is very much the opposite of the Mars Volta, who took much of their inspiration from improv jazz.

Hey Bryan, what you call "just noice" in here is NOT just noise but music (noisy music that might annoy you to bits perhaps, but still music☝️)😁 You're probably right that TMV don't care what critics think but (possibly partly because of just that) they were something of the critics darlings in Sweden at least. The same critics who never had a good word to say about prog otherwise (and subsequently never called TMV prog in their reviews...) I think one can also see much of that "jam band section" as a jazz/fusion. Jazz is typically much about improvised soloing over repeated foundation(s). I don't particularly enjoy all of theese solos but the section is as much without direction as most jazz (though more in the vein of free jazz in some of the solo work - but that's just the choice of the soloists and not a definer of what kind of music it is...) For the second time today you manage to (patiently) do a good reaction & analysis for a song you didn't enjoy overall. Bravo!

Wow!!! Oh my goodness. Why so freaking long? It's very, very good. Experimental music, right?

on the lyrics: i don't think there's much there in the way of metaphors or hidden meanings. it's closer to surrealist automatic writing really

Love tmv, they are insane live, and so unbelievably tight in their playing. I know it sounds like noise to a lot of people, but this is actually thought out chaos. Their style has always struck me as quite schizophrenic.

This song brings me closer to God.

This is a hilarious reaction. I think these elements are abrasive because you must be pretty sensitive. To me, it is like a spice, I love it. Reminds me of Pink Floyd psychedelic jams. I guess somebodies noise is somebody’s favorite sounds :) The suffering was palpable, sorry you had to through this 😂

TMV are, in their 1st 3 albums especially, a band of contrasts, & the contrasts between the parts you (Bryan) don't care for & the ones you like serve to elevate the pleasing parts. I feel like if they just linked up all the more fun/spectacular parts, a) their albums would be ULTRA-short, & b) it would rob those pieces of badassery of much of their impact. And your comment while the song played about the jam band vibe is on...they clearly see themselves as a jam band at least in significant part. But it's gonna be hard to find many TMV songs that don't get "atmospheric."

feel like omar writes very creepy music that sounds like it should go on movies or tv shows. listen to se dice bisonte no bufalo by omar rodriguez-lopez, i believe its a soundtrack. its badass & creepy & really is his sound lol.

SNAKES CRAWL OUT HIS EYES This song proves is bonkers.