Amputechture | ||||
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Studio album by The Mars Volta | ||||
Released | September 12, 2006 (International) September 11, 2006 (Europe) September 8, 2006 (Germany) |
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Recorded | November 2005 - May 2006 in Los Angeles, California , El Paso, Texas and Melbourne, Australia | |||
Genre | Progressive rock, experimental rock, jazz fusion | |||
Length | 76:04 | |||
Label | Gold Standard Laboratories Universal Records Strummer |
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Producer | Omar Rodríguez-López | |||
The Mars Volta chronology | ||||
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Singles from Amputechture | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Blender | [2] |
Drowned in Sound | (7/10) [3] |
Kerrang! | |
NME | (5/10) |
Pitchfork Media | (3.5/10) [4] |
PopMatters | (9/10) [5] |
Rolling Stone | [6] |
Punknews.org | [7] |
Stylus | (C-) [8] |
The Observer | [9] |
Total Guitar |
Amputechture is the third full-length studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta, released on September 12, 2006 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. The album debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 selling over 59,000 copies in its opening week and an estimated 400,000 copies as of 2009.[10] The album marks the final appearance of drummer Jon Theodore, and is the first studio album to feature guitarist and sound manipulator Paul Hinojos, formerly of At the Drive-In and Sparta.
Contents |
The album was recorded in Los Angeles, CA, El Paso, TX and Melbourne, Australia in late 2005 and early 2006. It was produced by Omar Rodríguez-López and mixed by Rich Costey.
Although most of Amputechture was newly recorded, the band also incorporated older material into some of the album's tracks. "Viscera Eyes" evolved from a song originally written by Omar while in At the Drive-In.[11] "Day of the Baphomets" uses lyrics and melody from "A Plague Upon Your Hissing", an un-released song that was recorded for De-Loused in the Comatorium.[12]
In early July 2006, "Viscera Eyes" was officially released on the band's MySpace page. On July 13, the band also posted a link to a stream of the song in full on their website. Soon after, the full version of "Viscera Eyes" on the MySpace page was replaced by a radio edit running at 4:21. "Viscera Eyes" was also confirmed to be the album's first single.
This album is the band's first studio recording with former At the Drive-In bandmate Paul Hinojos and is also the last with drummer Jon Theodore.[13] The album also features John Frusciante on lead guitar throughout, with Bixler-Zavala stating, "[Omar] taught Frusciante all the new songs, and Frusciante tracked guitars for us so Omar could sit back and listen to the songs objectively. It's great that he wants to help us and do that."[14]
Amputechture marked the first time that The Mars Volta created an album without a single unifying narrative.[15]
In an MTV interview posted on July 25, Cedric Bixler-Zavala said inspirations for the album were very diverse, ranging from the recent U.S. immigration marches to the news stories of possessed nuns. He discussed the concept, storyline, and overall mood of the album.[16] He also explained the lyric writing process to "Time Off".[17]
Omar Rodríguez-López stated in an interview with Switch Magazine that the word "Amputechture" (a portmanteau of amputate, technology , and architecture) was coined by the late Jeremy Michael Ward.
The liner notes of The Mars Volta's previous album Frances the Mute feature a credit for "Amputekthure" under the "published by" credits, Cedric Bixler-Zavala's name under the ASCAP corporation. The word also appeared in the storybook accompanying De-Loused in the Comatorium.
Since the release of The Bedlam in Goliath, Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez have taken to referring to Amputechture as their 'autistic child' due to fans' reactions to the album.
Unlike The Mars Volta's first two albums, Amputechture contains no original artwork; the background of each page in the album booklet is a section of Jeff Jordan's "Big Mutant". In addition the CD art itself is "Dwarf Dancing", also by Jeff Jordan.
The artwork was originally to be done by Storm Thorgerson,[18] who designed the covers for their first two albums, De-Loused in the Comatorium and Frances the Mute. Storm's cover featured a picture of a nun standing in a field warding off the presence of a giant floating skull decorated in a mirrorball fashion. For reasons unknown, the band was unhappy with the outcome and used Jeff Jordan's art instead.
All songs by Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Vicarious Atonement" | 7:19 |
2. | "Tetragrammaton" | 16:41 |
3. | "Vermicide" | 4:16 |
4. | "Meccamputechture" | 11:03 |
5. | "Asilos Magdalena" | 6:34 |
6. | "Viscera Eyes" | 9:23 |
7. | "Day of the Baphomets" | 11:57 |
8. | "El Ciervo Vulnerado" | 8:50 |
Amputechture features almost a dozen artists, including former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante who is featured on every track except "Asilos Magdalena."
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