i really miss juan on sax but for a stripped down album it isnt half bad. the whole "missing persons" concept is a pretty good idea i think too. shame there arent more electric songs/songs with a guitar solo.
Far better then the last two releases for me. Not listened to it much since the leak but from the few run throughs I've given it, it's a return to form.
maybe you can answer this for me: whats so bad about bedlam? i personally love it, but whenever i see a poll of "fave volta albums" its right at the bottom.
It felt as if the band were really forcing a much more energetic release upon listeners. It didn't feel like it had the right flow and groove of De-Loused nor the intelligence and pacing of Frances the Mute. I can't remember it as much as I would like to in order to explain my dislike for the release which speaks volumes for how unremarkable it is.
A problem with a band like The Mars Volta is that they came to my attention by doing a very unique thing which raises the bar quite highly for what I expect to hear afterwards. Maybe that's bad of me to think that, but I can't disagree with what my mind is thinking.