Earth Hour, how I spent mine…
March 30, 2008 – 8:09 pm
I figured since Google considered Earth Hour important enough change their famously consistent home page for a day, that I could at least participate in this demonstration. So at approximately 8:09pm I turned off all the lights, poured myself a tall glass of Barney Flat’s Oatmeal Stout, put on my Audio-Technica headphones, and listened to The Mars Volta‘s new album, The Bedlam in Goliath, for the first time. The beer was good, the album was even better.
The Bedlam in Goliath has been out for about two months now, but I just got around to listening to it. I usually “obtain” Mars Volta albums long before their releases, but after two sub-par releases, this one drifted a bit off my radar. I wish I had listened to it earlier.
This is the first release featuring acclaimed drummer, Thomas Pridgen. His influence is immediately obvious. Unlike all of Mars Volta’s previous releases, this one kicks you right in the face at 00:01 of track 1. No extended intro, no buildup. In fact, in this album they didn’t include any of the overly extended random noise that annoyed me in previous releases. Just straight up energy all the way through. It’s hard to describe something like this in words, so I encourage you to give this album a listen.
Would I consider this album better than De-Loused in the Comatorium? Hmm…I don’t know if they ever could top that masterpiece. We’ll see how I feel after a few more listens. But it’s by far their best effort since.
P.S. Here are some tips to help you truly appreciate the depth of this album:
- Use headphones. Good headphones. Dan Chow would agree with me.
- Adjust your EQ to either the default “Jazz” setting, or adjust it to focus specifically on the extreme highs and lows.
- Don’t multi task. Just focus on the music. In fact, turn off the lights…just don’t wait until next year’s Earth Hour.
- Take the time to separate the instruments in your mind for a bit. There’s a lot going on at once.
- Drink a tasty beer or two. Because, why not??
3 Responses to “Earth Hour, how I spent mine…”
Geez, so dramatic. Maybe I’ll have to post instructions on how to properly listen to a Blue Man Group album in surround sound.
But it’s nice of you to share what you do alone in your apartment with the lights off. We were all wondering.
By Wysz on Mar 30, 2008 - 10:41 pm
Detail given because detail deserved. I’ve been following these guys since the days of At the Drive-In and De Facto. They’ve evolved into one of the more innovative bands of our generation.
Just trying to share the experience.
By Mike on Mar 30, 2008 - 11:20 pm
Mike Leotta,
Josh Dilk. Glad to see how you spent your Earth Day. I enjoyed the latest MV album as well, though not nearly as much as you seem to have. I spent the day reading and writing for pleasure. For ambience, I had King Crimson’s “Larks Tongues in Aspic” & “In the Wake of Poseidon” playing in the background on a 200 watt surround sound system. What can I say? Bill Bruford is not here to f$#k around on the drum set.
I wanted to point you toward these guys since you really seem to enjoy the percussive elements of a quality progressive rock band.
By Joshua Dilk on Apr 8, 2008 - 8:31 am