Mars Volta is sooo like, you know, Mars Volta, man.

"Okay. Now, I think what the cover means is like this guy's head, you know, his thoughts got too big. So big that he couldn't see anything outside of his own head. You see, dog: his eyes are covered. He couldn't see so he needed help from other people. I think that's like the concept of the new album."

We're onto something here, wide-eyed Mars Volta fan. Could it be that we see eye to eye? I noticed yours is a bit cocked, but I think I can follow it. You're saying that this guy, or maybe even a band (can we call them the Mars Volta for now?) grew such bloated egos that they couldn't see the big picture, that they were alienating a universal message that we can all identify with. Somehow, though, there are people out there (John Frusciante) that want to carry him or this "band," because he or "they" couldn't walk it alone. Perhaps, even, wide-eyed Mars Volta fan, those people were there for much longer. Maybe those people are not even people at all, but the ghost of a group that once was (At the Drive-In).

Oh, no? It's about some dude the band once knew? Oh, you say it might even be a fictional character, a character in a long-winded concept album?

You see, the difference between you and me is that with time and effort, we can both pronounce the title of the new album, Amputechture, but you respect them for its difficulty and I consider it a Tool-like gesture of overambition.

"You just don't get it, dog. It makes you think. Just like the album name, Lateralus makes you think. It's very intelligent, and maybe you just can't follow it, dog."

Well, okay. Rock on, brother. You and me - Let's get epic.


Links
The Mars Volta: Official - For more on Amputechture