Artist name: The Mars Volta
Album name: The Bedlam In Goliath
Label: Universal Motown Records
Gender: Psychedelic Rock/Progressive Rock
Release date: January 29, 2008
ZMErating: 8/10
Website: www.themarsvolta.com

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I’ve always been fascinated by the prog and experimental rock scene, being a fan of old school musicians like Yes, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, The Beatles or The Velvet Underground, but also following contemporary acts like Xiu Xiu, Dream Theater, Tool and not ultimately The Mars Volta. The band first popped under my radar with their highly praised 2003 debut De-Loused in the Comatorium, a concept album revolving around a protagonist in a drug-induced coma, but it was their sophomore release, France The Mute, that got me hooked, another concept album, based on a random diary that was found in a repossessed car. The third record Amputechture, written as a simple studio album, however, came as a total disappointment, with repetitive hooks and riffs. It seemed like TMV ran out of ideas, but on their latest, forth installment, titled “The Bedlam In Goliath,” the band has returned to it’s conceptual album roots, with the same epic hooks and melodies, this time heavily funk infused and with a story about the occult.

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Well whoever said that The Mars Volta music is “puzzling” is oh so right, especially when the Long Beach, CA based band, recently put out a brain challenging puzzle on their website. The puzzle is made out of 16 blocks, all forming the cover art for TMV’s forthcoming 2008 studio album “The Bedlam in Goliath,” the type where you have to move a block one at a time. Yeah I know it’s really frustrating. If you successfully complete the puzzle caption you’ll be rewarded with a new song from the band, actually a Circle Jerks  cover of “Back Against the Wall.” Play the puzzle here and check out the album’s cover art after the jump.
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Few bands can be labeled as a must see live band, I know i have my personal list, there’s Muse, there’s Arcade Fire, there’s The Rolling Stones and of course no list of this sort can be complete with out The Flaming Lips. World renowned for their live sets, The Flaming Lips can be seen on shows in a vendor near you, as part of their upcoming US fall tour. The tour will kick off in Chicago’s Aragon Theater, after which their play a string of gigs all across the US, before finally reaching upstate on their last show at Atlanta, where they will be playing the Echo Project Festival. Check out The Flaming Lips Myspace for some streaming.

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Tags: Arcade-Fire, Muse, The-Flaming-Lips, The-Rolling-Stones