History Music / TheMarsVolta

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: their genre is hard to define, Prog, Post-hardcore, Latin, Electronic

* OneOfUs: Both Omar and Cedric have admitted to being Doctor Who fans, which is evident when they used to use The Axons as props on stage and appeared in publicity photos with Daleks

-->'''Cedric (during some live show, possibly one of the Wiltern shows):''' Hey, listen, man, if you guys came to see us, don't throw shit on the stage. Someone over there, one of you assholes, whoever threw it - I know you’re not all assholes - I mean, what the fuck were you thinking? When I go see my favorite band, I’m not gonna throw shit at them. You go do that at, like, ThreeDoorsDown or fuckin’ LimpBizkit. I bet you guys are the ones who drive really bad too.

-->'''Cedric (during some live show):''' Hey, listen, man, if you guys came to see us, don't throw shit on the stage. Someone over there, one of you assholes, whoever threw it - I know you’re not all assholes - I mean, what the fuck were you thinking? When I go see my favorite band, I’m not gonna throw shit at them. You go do that at, like, ThreeDoorsDown or fuckin’ LimpBizkit. I bet you guys are the ones who drive really bad too.

-->'''Cedric (during some live show):''' Hey, listen, man, if you guys came to see us, don't throw shit on the stage. Someone over there, one of you assholes, whoever threw it - I know you’re not all assholes - I mean, what the fuck were you thinking? When I go see my favorite band, I’m not gonna throw shit at them. You go do that at, like, ThreeDoorsDown or fuckin’ LimpBizkit.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Try telling anyone the name Cedric Bixler-Zavala is dull-sounding. Omar Rodríguez-López is no slouch either.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Try telling anyone the name Cedric Bixler-Zavala is dull-sounding.

* MindScrewdriver: The [[http://fools-gold.org/marsvolta.html#deloused story]] the band wrote to explain the plot of ''De-Loused in the Comatorium''. YourMileageMayVary on whether it's effective.

** Also their live cover of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-H55V_oma0 "Broken English"]] by Marianne Faithfull, which takes an uptempo but dreary synthpop number and turns it into a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxrMiV4vR9E#t=3m27s Santana-esque groove]].

* EpicRocking: They have some pretty lengthy songs, but topping them all is the 32-minute "Cassandra Gemini" from ''Frances the Mute''. Also notable because many of its musical themes were taken from live jams done in the middle of their previous longest song from ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'', "Cicatriz ESP", which would extend its length from 12 minutes (buffered by an ambient section in the middle) to 40 minutes ([[BeyondTheImpossible all music]]).

** ''The Bedlam In Goliath'': The lyrics are based on sayings and events that the band encountered while using an old ouija board they found in Jerusalem, and the string of unpleasant events that they thought were due to a curse from the board.

* Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: guitar, production

* Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez: percussion, synthesizers

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Try looking this troper in the eye and telling him the name Cedric Bixler-Zavala is dull sounding.

* 2001 - Tremulant (EP)
* 2003 - De-Loused in the Comatorium
* 2005 - Frances the Mute
* 2006 - Amputechture
* 2008 - The Bedlam in Goliath
* 2009 - Octahedron
* 2012 - Noctourniquet

** ''Frances the Mute'': Based on a diary found by the band's late audio manipulator, Jeremy Ward, in the backseat of a car in his days as a repo man. It described a man's search for his biological parents. The names of those who led him to his parents were altered to create the titles of the songs. Probably as close to a RockOpera as they've come.

** ''Amputechture'', while not having any specific story, is all about organized religion [[ReligionIsWrong and the things they don't like about it]].
** ''Octahedron'' wasn't particularly a concept album besides maybe one or two songs being about reacting to the Republicans winning the election at the time, or the Salem witch trials.
** The newest album ''Noctourniquet'' is said to be a concept album, somehow relating to Solomon Grundy from DCU, and Hyacinthus from Greek myth.

* EpicRocking: They have some pretty lengthy songs, but topping them all is the 32-minute "Cassandra Gemini" from ''Frances The Mute''. Also notable because many of its musical themes were taken from live jams done in the middle of their previous longest song from ''De-Loused In The Comatorium'', "Cicatriz ESP", which would extend its length from 12 minutes (buffered by an ambient section in the middle) to approaching 40 ([[BeyondTheImpossible all music]]).

* LoudnessWar: Every single album has clipping, which in many cases is audible. ''Noctourniquet'' was so bad that even the mastering engineer [[https://twitter.com/#!/hebakadryy/status/185105490387275777 criticised it]], claiming she was forced (by either the label or the band; it's not clear which) to master it that way. Luckily there are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity programs]] that can be used to remedy this. At least some of the vinyl editions also have clipping.

* LoudnessWar: Every single album has clipping, which in many cases is audible. Luckily there are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity programs]] that can be used to remedy this. Averted on the vinyl versions, naturally, although somehow the vinyl version of ''De-Loused'' got screwed up in mastering so it still doesn't sound that great. The others are pretty much perfect.

* TextlessAlbumCover: Thus far, none of their full-length albums have had the band name or album title on the front, although the packaging will typically include a sticker with that information on it.

* HoYay: Honestly Omar and Cedric are very guilty of this.
** It's gotten to the point where Omar acknowledged it in an interview

* LoveItOrHateIt

* Lars Stalfors – sound manipulation, keyboards

* John Frusciante: guitar

* Jeremy Michael Ward: sound technician
* Paul Hinojos: sound technician, occasional guitar
* Jon Theodore: drums

* Deantoni Parks: touring drums

* Linda Good: touring keyboardist

* Thomas Pridgen: drums
* Dave Elitch: drums
* Isaiah Ikey Owens: keyboards

* LoudnessWar: Every single album has clipping, which in many cases is audible. Luckily there are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity programs]] that can be used to remedy this. Averted on the vinyl versions, naturally, although somehow the vinyl version of ''De-Loused'' got screwed up in mastering so it still doesn't sound that great. The others are okay.

** Octahedron wasn't particularly a concept album besides maybe one or two songs being about reacting to the Republicans winning the election at the time, or the Salem witch trials.
** The newest album Noctourniquet is said to be a concept album, somehow relating to Solomon Grundy from DCU, and Hyacinthus from Greek myth.

* LoudnessWar: Every single album has clipping, which in many cases is audible. Luckily there are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity programs]] that can be used to remedy this. Averted on the vinyl versions, naturally.

* Isaiah Ikey Owens: keyboards

* AwesomeMcCoolname: try looking this troper in the eye and telling him the name Cedric Bixler-Zavala is dull sounding.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: try looking this troper in the eye and telling him the name Cedric Bixler Zavala is dull sounding.

* Octahedron wasn't particularly a concept album besides maybe one or two songs being about reacting to the Republicans winning the election at the time, or the Salem witch trials.
* The newest album Noctourniquet is said to be a concept album, somehow relating to Solomon Grundy from DCU, and Hyacinthus from Greek myth.

* RecordOfLoudnessWar: Every single album has clipping, which in many cases is audible. Luckily there are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity programs]] that can be used to remedy this. Averted on the vinyl versions, naturally.