The Mars Volta — Amputechture

Amputechture is The Mars Volta's most stripped-down record, though at over 75 minutes, that's not saying much. The band are obviously more focused this time around, and the album is almost radio-friendly compared to the bloated wasteland that was Frances The Mute. The big difference is in the compositions. Where they once relied heavily on dense layers and off-the-wall rhythms to bombard the listener, Amputechture slows things down with minimal overdubs and less frenetic tempos that make the songs coherent, even accessible. Unfortunately, in toning down their instrumentation and structuring, there's not a whole lot happening on most tracks, and the album loses momentum fast. Instead of ambient noise filling the gaps as on past albums, the band repeat riffs and prolong solos ad nauseum, making the longer excursions static and dull. It's far more listenable than Frances, but they've erased the elements that made them compelling in the first place.