Frances the Mute
Encyclopedia
Frances the Mute is the second studio album by progressive rock
band
The Mars Volta
released in the US on March 1, 2005. Though not as commercially successful as De-Loused in the Comatorium
, it received considerable critical praise. The album displays a deep jazz
influence while infusing Latin flavor into many songs, as well as utilizing many of the dub
, ambient
and electronica
influences and techniques experimented with in De Facto
and Omar Rodríguez-López's solo projects in order to create one cohesive composition divided into many tracks. Originally to be titled Sarcophagus, Frances the Mute sold 123,000 copies in its opening week and has sold 465,000 copies as of September 2006. The album made multiple "Best of" lists at the end of 2005. In the Q
& Mojo
Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #18 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums" and the album was named as one of Classic Rock
s 10 essential progressive rock
albums of the decade.
, audio artist for The Mars Volta until his death, had previously worked as a repo
man. One day, Ward discovered a diary in the backseat of a car he was repossessing, and began to note the similarities between his life and that of the author — most notably, that they had both been adopted. The diary told of the author's search for his biological parents, with the way being pointed by a collection of people, their names being the basis for each named track of Frances the Mute. Ward was in the process of completing it at the time of his death.
wrote all the music for Frances the Mute while on tour for De-Loused in the Comatorium
. Some musical motifs presented on the tour as jams found their place on the album. "Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus" includes two sections ("Facilis Descenus Averni" and "Con Safo") that first appeared as breakdowns in "Drunkship of Lanterns" (as heard on Live EP) and "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" respectively, and several parts of "Cassandra Gemini" previously appeared in "Cicatriz ESP" performances (as heard on Scabdates
).
Rodriguez-Lopez arranged and produced the recording sessions himself. Rather than bring his ideas to the band as a whole and working them out at group rehearsals, he met individually with each player to practice each part one-on-one. "We'll sit there and play it forever and slow—real slow—to understand what's happening. It's easy to play something fast and loud, but to play it soft and slow takes a certain amount of discipline. Then once we understand the part, everyone's free to elaborate—their personalities come out and it's not my part anymore; they get into and give it that swing that I can't give it."
Rodriguez-Lopez took the additional step of recording the band member separately before layering the various tracks to create each song. Drummer Jon Theodore was the first to record his parts, and he spent time arranging and mapping out the songs with Omar and in the process figuring out what the rhythmic structures would be stated on the recording process. "This is the first time I've ever been so methodical about recording. Normally I would go into the situation with as good an idea as I could, whether that was from performing the songs on tour or having a general road map. But this was the first instance where I considered every single hit all the way through, every figure up to and including every change. There were no question marks. So when I was tracking with the metronome it was just a question of right or wrong." An exception of such recording method was the centrepiece of the album, 32-minute "Cassandra Gemini", the middle section of which was edited from the long jam session.
Tracking this way had a mixed reception in the band; Theodore and bassist Juan Alderete responded to the individualistic approach while keyboard player Ikey Owens didn't like it at all. But, as Rodriguez-Lopez said, "People filling in ideas can become tedious and counterproductive. You find yourself working backwards. When you're in the studio 'what ifs' are your biggest enemy, so my general rule is, if it's something you can't live with—if a sentence begins with 'I can't' or 'I will not'—then we examine it. But if it's 'maybe we should' or 'I think that' then it's like, hey man, full steam ahead. Not that there isn't a lot of refinement to what we do—obviously there is— but I consider it a balance of raw energy and refinement."
Frances the Mute featured the largest array of guest musicians on any Mars Volta album to date. Once again, Flea
and John Frusciante
of Red Hot Chili Peppers
were featured, this time Flea contributing his horn skills to "The Widow" and "Miranda...". "L'Via L'Viaquez" featured Omar's childhood hero, salsa
pianist Larry Harlow, while "Cassandra Gemini" had Adrian Terrazas-Gonzales
(who has since become full-time Volta member) on woodwinds. All the tracks also included full string and horn sections, arranged by David Campbell with the help of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez.
from the vinyl
version. The rip
was of poor quality. Encoded as a 96 kbit/s
MP3
, other versions were reencoded to 192 kbit/s WMA
from the source mp3, resulting in even worse audio quality. Gold Standard Laboratories
issued a statement decrying the Internet release for its subpar sound quality
, and suggesting that fans should respect the band's request not to share the leaked music.
The first single, "The Widow", was released in early 2005 and the album Frances the Mute was released on midnight, March 1, 2005. One pressing was a three set limited edition, containing a single with a radio edit of "The Widow", and the unreleased title song "Frances the Mute." Also in the collection is a DVD that includes clips from their performance at the Electric Ballroom
in London
on July 9, 2003, "The Widow" music video, and the "Televators" music video. Finally, the last item was a 12" single pressed on marble green vinyl including "Frances The Mute" and a live acoustic version of "The Widow" played at The Wiltern
in Los Angeles on May 13, 2004, released by Gold Standard Labs. Only approximately 10,000 were pressed.
A second single from the album, "L'Via L'Viaquez
" was released in June 2005. Included on this single there was another unreleased song entitled "The Bible and the Breathalyzer".
Frances The Mute sold over 100,000 copies within the first week of release, and debuted at number four on the Billboard Album Charts
. According to Nielsen SoundScan, nearly 465,000 copies were sold in the United States. The album was the band's career best at No. 4 until their fourth album The Bedlam in Goliath came out almost 3 years later on the Billboard 200 at No. 3. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in the US for shipments of 500,000 albums on October 5, 2009.
In 2008, the edited version of "L'Via L'Viaquez" was featured on the video game Guitar Hero: World Tour.
, with its cryptic lyrics, and highly layered instrumental
s, although the progressive rock
influence is stronger on Frances the Mute than it was on De-Loused in the Comatorium. The band's musical influences are more prominent; the guitar solo on "The Widow" seems inspired by classic rock, and much of the album has a psychedelic
feel to it. Perhaps because of inspiration from such Pink Floyd
albums as Meddle
, ambient noise plays a larger role on Frances the Mute than it does on De-Loused in the Comatorium
. Notably, "Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus" ends with the recording of children's voices and passing cars (said to be made by Omar in front of the house where he used to live with Cedric and Jeremy), while "Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore" begins with 4 minutes of coquí
frogs (credited as "The Coquí of Puerto Rico
" on the album sleeve) singing while a thick soundscape is slowly built from Cedric Bixler-Zavala's voice and synthesizer
s.
has stated that:
) can be found with this track listing. Because of disputes with Universal Records
, "Cassandra Gemini" (listed as "Cassandra Geminni" on most versions of the album) was arbitrarily split into eight tracks on the CD version, taking up tracks 5 through 12, since the band would otherwise only be paid an EP
's wages for a 5 track album. The splits in the eight CD tracks (5 through 12) do not represent the five listed movements of the song, although the entirety of "Sarcophagi" is within the twelfth track.
Many fans consider the additional song "Frances the Mute", found on the single for "The Widow
", as part of the album and place it first in the running order, before "Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus". Oddly enough, the track ends with the "Sarcophagi" motif filtered through what sounds like radio static, which serves as a transition into the first track of the album proper.
On vinyl, "Cassandra Gemini" was split among two sides, in the middle of "Faminepulse". Each side of vinyl (save the final one) ends with a locked groove, repeating either a sound effect or a bar of music
endlessly until the needle is lifted. The third side, containing "Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore", opens by repeating the 39 seconds of coquí
noises that conclude "L'Via L'Viaquez"; this small portion is indexed separately from "Miranda". A limited edition 4LP version also contained the "Widow" single as the fourth vinyl; all four discs were printed on glow-in-the-dark vinyl and were packaged in a red plastic case.
and Cedric Bixler-Zavala
.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
released in the US on March 1, 2005. Though not as commercially successful as De-Loused in the Comatorium
De-Loused in the Comatorium
De-Loused in the Comatorium is the debut studio album of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta. Released on June 24, 2003 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records, De-loused is based on a short story written by lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and sound manipulation artist Jeremy...
, it received considerable critical praise. The album displays a deep jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
influence while infusing Latin flavor into many songs, as well as utilizing many of the dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
and electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
influences and techniques experimented with in De Facto
De Facto (band)
De Facto was a dub reggae band which included Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodríguez-López, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens and Jeremy Michael Ward.- Biography :...
and Omar Rodríguez-López's solo projects in order to create one cohesive composition divided into many tracks. Originally to be titled Sarcophagus, Frances the Mute sold 123,000 copies in its opening week and has sold 465,000 copies as of September 2006. The album made multiple "Best of" lists at the end of 2005. In the Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
& Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #18 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums" and the album was named as one of Classic Rock
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
s 10 essential progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
albums of the decade.
Background
Jeremy WardJeremy Michael Ward
Jeremy Michael Ward was the sound technician and vocal operator for The Mars Volta and for the dub outfit De Facto. He created many of the soundscapes heard on The Mars Volta's album De-Loused in the Comatorium...
, audio artist for The Mars Volta until his death, had previously worked as a repo
Repossession
Repossession is generally used to refer to a financial institution taking back an object that was either used as collateral or rented or leased in a transaction. Repossession is a "self-help" type of action in which the party having right of ownership of the property in question takes the property...
man. One day, Ward discovered a diary in the backseat of a car he was repossessing, and began to note the similarities between his life and that of the author — most notably, that they had both been adopted. The diary told of the author's search for his biological parents, with the way being pointed by a collection of people, their names being the basis for each named track of Frances the Mute. Ward was in the process of completing it at the time of his death.
Writing and recording process
Omar Rodríguez-LópezOmar Rodriguez-Lopez
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
wrote all the music for Frances the Mute while on tour for De-Loused in the Comatorium
De-Loused in the Comatorium
De-Loused in the Comatorium is the debut studio album of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta. Released on June 24, 2003 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records, De-loused is based on a short story written by lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and sound manipulation artist Jeremy...
. Some musical motifs presented on the tour as jams found their place on the album. "Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus" includes two sections ("Facilis Descenus Averni" and "Con Safo") that first appeared as breakdowns in "Drunkship of Lanterns" (as heard on Live EP) and "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" respectively, and several parts of "Cassandra Gemini" previously appeared in "Cicatriz ESP" performances (as heard on Scabdates
Scabdates
-CD pressing:-Source of recordings:05/12/2004 – Wiltern Theatre – Los Angeles, CA* "Haruspex"* "Cicatriz"05/13/2004 – Wiltern Theatre – Los Angeles, CA* "Caviglia"05/05/2005 – Roseland Ballroom – New York City, NY* "Abrasions Mount the Timpani"...
).
Rodriguez-Lopez arranged and produced the recording sessions himself. Rather than bring his ideas to the band as a whole and working them out at group rehearsals, he met individually with each player to practice each part one-on-one. "We'll sit there and play it forever and slow—real slow—to understand what's happening. It's easy to play something fast and loud, but to play it soft and slow takes a certain amount of discipline. Then once we understand the part, everyone's free to elaborate—their personalities come out and it's not my part anymore; they get into and give it that swing that I can't give it."
Rodriguez-Lopez took the additional step of recording the band member separately before layering the various tracks to create each song. Drummer Jon Theodore was the first to record his parts, and he spent time arranging and mapping out the songs with Omar and in the process figuring out what the rhythmic structures would be stated on the recording process. "This is the first time I've ever been so methodical about recording. Normally I would go into the situation with as good an idea as I could, whether that was from performing the songs on tour or having a general road map. But this was the first instance where I considered every single hit all the way through, every figure up to and including every change. There were no question marks. So when I was tracking with the metronome it was just a question of right or wrong." An exception of such recording method was the centrepiece of the album, 32-minute "Cassandra Gemini", the middle section of which was edited from the long jam session.
Tracking this way had a mixed reception in the band; Theodore and bassist Juan Alderete responded to the individualistic approach while keyboard player Ikey Owens didn't like it at all. But, as Rodriguez-Lopez said, "People filling in ideas can become tedious and counterproductive. You find yourself working backwards. When you're in the studio 'what ifs' are your biggest enemy, so my general rule is, if it's something you can't live with—if a sentence begins with 'I can't' or 'I will not'—then we examine it. But if it's 'maybe we should' or 'I think that' then it's like, hey man, full steam ahead. Not that there isn't a lot of refinement to what we do—obviously there is— but I consider it a balance of raw energy and refinement."
Frances the Mute featured the largest array of guest musicians on any Mars Volta album to date. Once again, Flea
Flea (musician)
Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
and John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
of Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
were featured, this time Flea contributing his horn skills to "The Widow" and "Miranda...". "L'Via L'Viaquez" featured Omar's childhood hero, salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
pianist Larry Harlow, while "Cassandra Gemini" had Adrian Terrazas-Gonzales
Adrian Terrazas-Gonzales
Adrián Terrazas-González is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who plays the flute, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet and percussion.-Discography:With Adrián Terrazas-González...
(who has since become full-time Volta member) on woodwinds. All the tracks also included full string and horn sections, arranged by David Campbell with the help of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez.
Release history
In December 2004, a full copy of Frances the Mute was leaked to the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
from the vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
version. The rip
Ripping
Ripping is the process of copying audio or video content to a hard disk, typically from removable media. The word is used to refer to all forms of media. Despite the name, neither the media nor the data is damaged after extraction....
was of poor quality. Encoded as a 96 kbit/s
Bit rate
In telecommunications and computing, bit rate is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time....
MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
, other versions were reencoded to 192 kbit/s WMA
Windows Media Audio
Windows Media Audio is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. The name can be used to refer to its audio file format or its audio codecs. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework. WMA consists of four distinct codecs...
from the source mp3, resulting in even worse audio quality. Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories
Gold Standard Laboratories or GSL was an independent record label which was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado by Sonny Kay. In 2000, it was relocated to San Diego, California, USA, and two years later, to Los Angeles. It was headquartered in L.A...
issued a statement decrying the Internet release for its subpar sound quality
Sound quality
Sound quality is the quality of the audio output from various electronic devices. Sound quality can be defined as the degree of accuracy with which a device records or emits the original sound waves...
, and suggesting that fans should respect the band's request not to share the leaked music.
The first single, "The Widow", was released in early 2005 and the album Frances the Mute was released on midnight, March 1, 2005. One pressing was a three set limited edition, containing a single with a radio edit of "The Widow", and the unreleased title song "Frances the Mute." Also in the collection is a DVD that includes clips from their performance at the Electric Ballroom
Electric Ballroom
The Electric Ballroom is a performance venue and indoor market located at 184 Camden High Street in Camden Town, London . The Electric Ballroom has been in operation for over seventy years, during which time it has been used in many different ways.The two storey building has two dance floors and...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on July 9, 2003, "The Widow" music video, and the "Televators" music video. Finally, the last item was a 12" single pressed on marble green vinyl including "Frances The Mute" and a live acoustic version of "The Widow" played at The Wiltern
Wiltern Theatre
The Wiltern Theatre and adjacent 12-story Pellissier Building are Art Deco architectural landmarks located on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center...
in Los Angeles on May 13, 2004, released by Gold Standard Labs. Only approximately 10,000 were pressed.
A second single from the album, "L'Via L'Viaquez
L'Via L'Viaquez
"L'Via L'Viaquez" is the second single from the album Frances the Mute by The Mars Volta. The song, in its unedited form, is 12 minutes and 22 seconds long, but was stripped down to receive radio play. The song, in total, features three guitar solos. John Frusciante performs the first two guitar...
" was released in June 2005. Included on this single there was another unreleased song entitled "The Bible and the Breathalyzer".
Frances The Mute sold over 100,000 copies within the first week of release, and debuted at number four on the Billboard Album Charts
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. According to Nielsen SoundScan, nearly 465,000 copies were sold in the United States. The album was the band's career best at No. 4 until their fourth album The Bedlam in Goliath came out almost 3 years later on the Billboard 200 at No. 3. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in the US for shipments of 500,000 albums on October 5, 2009.
In 2008, the edited version of "L'Via L'Viaquez" was featured on the video game Guitar Hero: World Tour.
Sound
Frances the Mute is comparable to The Mars Volta's 2003 release De-Loused in the ComatoriumDe-Loused in the Comatorium
De-Loused in the Comatorium is the debut studio album of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta. Released on June 24, 2003 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records, De-loused is based on a short story written by lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and sound manipulation artist Jeremy...
, with its cryptic lyrics, and highly layered instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
s, although the progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
influence is stronger on Frances the Mute than it was on De-Loused in the Comatorium. The band's musical influences are more prominent; the guitar solo on "The Widow" seems inspired by classic rock, and much of the album has a psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
feel to it. Perhaps because of inspiration from such Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
albums as Meddle
Meddle
Meddle is the sixth studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. It was released in October 1971.The album was recorded at a series of locations around London, including Abbey Road Studios...
, ambient noise plays a larger role on Frances the Mute than it does on De-Loused in the Comatorium
De-Loused in the Comatorium
De-Loused in the Comatorium is the debut studio album of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta. Released on June 24, 2003 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records, De-loused is based on a short story written by lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and sound manipulation artist Jeremy...
. Notably, "Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus" ends with the recording of children's voices and passing cars (said to be made by Omar in front of the house where he used to live with Cedric and Jeremy), while "Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore" begins with 4 minutes of coquí
Coquí
The Common Coquí or Coquí is a frog native to Puerto Rico belonging to the Eleutherodactylus genus of the Leptodactylidae family. The species is named for the loud sound the males make at night. This sound serves two purposes...
frogs (credited as "The Coquí of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
" on the album sleeve) singing while a thick soundscape is slowly built from Cedric Bixler-Zavala's voice and synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s.
Lyrics
Regarding the album's lyrical content, vocalist Cedric Bixler-ZavalaCedric Bixler-Zavala
Cedric Bixler-Zavala is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American musician known for his work as frontman and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta, and previously as frontman and occasional guitarist of the post-hardcore punk group At the Drive-In...
has stated that:
Track listing
The finalized track listing had five tracks and was intended to be released as such on all formats; the vinyl version and online retailer copies (such as those from the iTunes StoreITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
) can be found with this track listing. Because of disputes with Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
, "Cassandra Gemini" (listed as "Cassandra Geminni" on most versions of the album) was arbitrarily split into eight tracks on the CD version, taking up tracks 5 through 12, since the band would otherwise only be paid an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
's wages for a 5 track album. The splits in the eight CD tracks (5 through 12) do not represent the five listed movements of the song, although the entirety of "Sarcophagi" is within the twelfth track.
Many fans consider the additional song "Frances the Mute", found on the single for "The Widow
The Widow
"The Widow" is a song by The Mars Volta, from their second album Frances the Mute. The song was first performed in May, 2004 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles during The Mars Volta's three-night residence closing the tour supporting their debut LP, De-Loused in the Comatorium...
", as part of the album and place it first in the running order, before "Cygnus....Vismund Cygnus". Oddly enough, the track ends with the "Sarcophagi" motif filtered through what sounds like radio static, which serves as a transition into the first track of the album proper.
On vinyl, "Cassandra Gemini" was split among two sides, in the middle of "Faminepulse". Each side of vinyl (save the final one) ends with a locked groove, repeating either a sound effect or a bar of music
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
endlessly until the needle is lifted. The third side, containing "Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore", opens by repeating the 39 seconds of coquí
Coquí
The Common Coquí or Coquí is a frog native to Puerto Rico belonging to the Eleutherodactylus genus of the Leptodactylidae family. The species is named for the loud sound the males make at night. This sound serves two purposes...
noises that conclude "L'Via L'Viaquez"; this small portion is indexed separately from "Miranda". A limited edition 4LP version also contained the "Widow" single as the fourth vinyl; all four discs were printed on glow-in-the-dark vinyl and were packaged in a red plastic case.
Original track listing
All songs by Omar Rodríguez-LópezOmar Rodriguez-Lopez
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
and Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Cedric Bixler-Zavala is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American musician known for his work as frontman and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta, and previously as frontman and occasional guitarist of the post-hardcore punk group At the Drive-In...
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CD pressing
Japanese bonus DVD
"Frances the Mute" is presented as audio only; the rest is video.Best Buy Exclusive
The Best Buy version of the album included a download card for one bonus track:Vinyl pressing
Personnel
- Omar Rodríguez-LópezOmar Rodriguez-LopezOmar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
– guitar, production - Cedric Bixler-ZavalaCedric Bixler-ZavalaCedric Bixler-Zavala is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American musician known for his work as frontman and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta, and previously as frontman and occasional guitarist of the post-hardcore punk group At the Drive-In...
– vocals - Jon TheodoreJon TheodoreJon Philip Theodore is a drummer, formerly a member of The Mars Volta. He has become best known for his explosive, multi-textural and dynamic playing style.-History:...
– drums - Isaiah "Ikey" Owens – keyboards
- Juan Alderete de la PeñaJuan AldereteJuan Alderete is an American bassist known for his work with the band The Mars Volta. Prior to his work with that band, he was known for playing in Racer X, where he received credit as John Alderete.-Biography:...
– bass - Marcel Rodriguez-LopezMarcel Rodriguez-LopezMarcellus Rodriguez-Lopez is a multi-instrumentalist musician and younger brother of Omar Rodríguez-López.- Biography :He has been noted as to playing the bongos, congas, Drums, cymbals, Maracas, keyboards and Shekere....
– percussion - FleaFlea (musician)Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
– trumpet on "The Widow" and "Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore" - John FruscianteJohn FruscianteJohn Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
– first two guitar solos on "L'Via L'Viaquez" - Larry Harlow – piano, treated clavinet on "L'Via L'Viaquez" and "Cassandra Gemini"
- Lenny CastroLenny CastroLenny Castro is an American freelancing percussionist in the studio recording industry in the Los Angeles area.-Early life:Castro is a percussionist of Puerto Rican descent and was born and raised in New York City. His father, Hector Castro, played the keyboard in a Latin style and gave his son...
– added percussion (all tracks) - Adrián Terrazas-González – tenor sax, flute on "Cassandra Gemini"
- Salvador (Chava) Hernandez – trumpet
- Wayne Bergeron – trumpet
- Randy Jones – tuba
- Roger ManningRoger Joseph Manning Jr.Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. is an American keyboard player and founding member of bands Jellyfish, Imperial Drag, The Moog Cookbook, and TV Eyes. He has also spent several years as an integral member of Beck's backing band, and made contributions to several recordings by the band Air. He is...
– piano - Nicholas Lane – trombone
- William Reichenbach – bass trombone
- David Campbell – string, brass, piano, and percussion arrangements
- Larry Corbett – cello
- Suzie Katayama – cello
- Violins:
- Fernano Moreno
- Erick Hernandez
- Diego Casillas
- Ernesto Molina
- Joel Derouin
- Roberto Cani
- Mario De Leon
- Peter Kent
- Josefina Vergara
- The CoquíCoquíThe Common Coquí or Coquí is a frog native to Puerto Rico belonging to the Eleutherodactylus genus of the Leptodactylidae family. The species is named for the loud sound the males make at night. This sound serves two purposes...
of Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an... - Storm ThorgersonStorm ThorgersonStorm Thorgerson is an English graphic designer, known for his work for rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, 10cc, Dream Theater, The Mars Volta, Muse, The Cranberries, and Biffy Clyro.-Biography:...
- cover design
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
4 |
| 2005 | Top Canadian Albums | 6 |
| 2005 | Top Internet Albums | 4 |
| 2005 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
23 |
| 2005 | Norwegian Albums Chart | 1 |
| 2005 | Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
9 |
| 2005 | Austrian Albums Chart | 43 |
| 2005 | Dutch Albums Chart | 34 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "The Widow" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 26 |
| 2005 | "The Widow" | Modern Rock Tracks | 7 |
| 2005 | "The Widow" | Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
95 |
| 2005 | "The Widow" | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
20 |