Noctourniquet
Noctourniquet | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 26, 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2009–2011 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 64:31 | |||
Label |
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Producer | Omar Rodríguez-López | |||
The Mars Volta chronology | ||||
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Singles from Noctourniquet | ||||
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Noctourniquet is the sixth studio album by American
Inspired by the children's
.Following the album's release, the Mars Volta broke up due to ongoing tension and disagreements between core members Rodriguez-Lopez and Bixler-Zavala. As a result, Noctourniquet became the final studio album of the band's initial run. In 2019, the band reunited in secret, releasing its first studio album in ten years, The Mars Volta, in 2022.
Commercial performance
Noctourniquet debuted on the Billboard 200 at #15 with 21,000 albums sold in its first week.[3] In Canada, the album debuted at #44 on the Canadian Albums Chart.[4] In its second week of sales, the album dropped 85 places to #100 on the Billboard 200.[5]
Background and recording
Much of Noctourniquet was recorded in 2009, shortly after the band finished mixing their previous studio album,
Rodriguez-Lopez subsequently returned to the studio, with bassist Juan Alderete, prior to the album's mixing, to add additional guitar and bass overdubs. Regarding their return to the studio, Alderete stated, "[Omar] wasn’t happy about the album taking that long. He was just kind of burned out on it. It’s hard to work on something you created three years ago and then go back to it again. It was hard for me to feel good while cutting it because of him sitting there not wanting to be there. Omar is a guy who is working on things that are way beyond anything that we’re doing now."[8]
Regarding drummer Deantoni Parks' contributions, Rodriguez-Lopez noted, "He sort of does away with all the clichés that I’ve come to accept over the years with drummers. [...] I gave him way more freedom than I’d given any other drummer, and still I feel like it wasn’t enough [...] I’ve had to wrestle with drummers, wrestle with musicians, to get them to understand my technique, [but] I don’t think we did more than two takes on anything, and we usually took his first take. And if we did more than that, it was merely for my own enjoyment because I was so blown away by what I was hearing."[7]
Regarding the absence of regular in-studio collaborator John Frusciante, Rodriguez-Lopez stated, "John's in a different place right now. He's in a place where he couldn't care less about putting things out, or about something being a product. He's living by different standards right now with a different philosophy, so he doesn't want to be a part of anything that he knows is going to end up being a product. A Mars Volta record definitely ends up being a product."[9]
Writing and composition
Vocalist and lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala stated that the album's title stemmed from a story he was writing, entitled The Boy With the Voice in His Knives.[10] He also mentioned on his YouTube channel that he may release the story in a form of graphic novel, with the art contributed by visual artist Zeque Penya; the plans however never came to fruition.
Regarding Noctourniquet's aesthetic, Rodriguez-Lopez noted, "For myself, it was definitely keeping things concise. At first, I had a rule that I was only gonna play four notes per song, but that kind of went away after a while. But it was definitely about limiting the guitar, and just taking all those parts and arranging them for other instruments—mainly the keyboard."[7]
Rodriguez-Lopez described the album as "the end of an era", in terms of how he dictates his bandmates' recording contributions.[11] Upon the album's release, bassist Juan Alderete noted, "We recorded a lot of it three or four years ago, so it’s hard for me to remember everything. It’s not like I have a lot of time in the studio. Omar just sits me down and wants to get it over with. This one more than ever."[8]
Release and promotion
8 of 13 songs from Noctourniquet ("The Whip Hand", "Aegis", "Dyslexicon", "The Malkin Jewel", "Lapochka", "Molochwalker", "Trinkets Pale of Moon", "Noctourniquet") were debuted live in March 2011 during the
Despite the album being ready by mid-2011, it was announced that it was expecting a release in 2012, under the explanation that there were label politics issues. In an act of response, TMV fans have taken social media to their advantage, helping promote the upcoming release on various websites. On July 15, 2011, the
"
On March 8, pre-order sales of the vinyl were made available via Sargent House/Rodriguez-Lopez Productions. This release is a double 12" opaque blue and orange vinyl, which features a wide spine jacket with two full-color 3D inner sleeves and 3D glasses. Also included is a limited edition 12" × 24" full-color (folded) poster insert.[17]
On March 13, it was announced via the band's official website and Twitter account that the release of the album would now take place a day earlier, on March 26, 2012.[18][19]
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Alternative Press | [22] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[23] |
The Guardian | [24] |
musicOMH | [25] |
NME | [26] |
The Observer | [27] |
Paste | 6.8/10[28] |
PopMatters | 8/10[29] |
Rolling Stone | [30] |
The album has a score of 72 out of 100 from Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20] Q gave the album a score of four stars out of five and said of the band, "There are so many ideas battling it out here it takes numerous listens to make sense of it, but persevere and this is perhaps their strongest set to date."[31] The Fly also gave it four stars out of five and said that the band's narratives "have been stronger before, but 'Noctourniquet' remains abject absurdity masquerading as sexy heroism."[32] The Phoenix gave it three stars out of four and said that "in a sense, the veil is lifted ever-so-slightly with [Noctourniquet]: although [The Mars Volta] still wump you with weird on sonic gauntlets like "Molochwalker" and the title track, they also hit on some great choruses and comprehensible songcraft that, unlike most of their earlier work, is commendable for something other than the effort it took to create it."[33] Beats Per Minute gave the album a 71% score and said that it was "most certainly not a pinnacle for the group, but it is a welcome rekindling of the same spirit and sonic magnitude that fueled their last undisputed gem, 2005's Frances the Mute."[34]
Other reviews are average or mixed: No Ripcord gave the album six stars out of ten and said that while it was not "completely successful, [it] finds The Mars Volta at their most pop and their most reasonable."[40] Rolling Stone gave it three stars out of five and said, "Some songs explore emulsive alienation... but TMV are at their best dabbling in shades of aggro."[30]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Cedric Bixler-Zavala, all music composed by Omar Rodríguez-López.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Whip Hand" | 4:49 |
2. | "Aegis" | 5:11 |
3. | "Dyslexicon" | 4:22 |
4. | "Empty Vessels Make the Loudest Sound" | 6:43 |
5. | "The Malkin Jewel" | 4:44 |
6. | "Lapochka" | 4:16 |
7. | "In Absentia" | 7:26 |
8. | "Imago" | 3:58 |
9. | "Molochwalker" | 3:33 |
10. | "Trinkets Pale of Moon" | 4:25 |
11. | "Vedamalady" | 3:54 |
12. | "Noctourniquet" | 5:39 |
13. | "Zed and Two Naughts" | 5:36 |
Total length: | 64:31 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "The Malkin Jewel" (live) | 5:08 |
Notes
- In Greek mythology, the Aegis is the shield or armor worn by Athena or Zeus.
- Dyslexicon is a portmanteau of the words dyslexia and lexicon.
- Lapochka is a Russian term of endearment for a young girl.
- In absentia is a legal term taken from Latin meaning "in absence" or "while absent".
- Imago is the final, adult stage of development of an insect; and also—in psychology—an idealised image of a person, usually a parent, formed in childhood, and carried unconsciously into adult life.
- Moloch is an Ammonite god associated with child sacrifice by parents.
- The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India.
- Noctourniquet is a portmanteau of the words nocturnal and tourniquet.
- "Zed and Two Naughts" refers to A Zed & Two Noughts, a 1985 film written and directed by Peter Greenaway; additionally, Zed being the letter Z, and the two naughts being O's (naught is zero), the word that can be pulled from the title is zoo, which relates to "The Boy With the Voice in his Knives", the story written by Bixler-Zavala. In the track-by-track analysis of the album, Bixler-Zavala likens the protagonist's home life as being "a zoo".
Personnel
The Mars Volta
- Omar Rodríguez-López – guitar, keyboards, synths, bass, direction, arrangements
- Cedric Bixler-Zavala – vocals
- Juan Alderete – bass guitar
- Deantoni Parks – drums
- Marcel Rodríguez-López (credited but did not play on the album; appears only on Japanese bonus track)[11]
Recording personnel
- Omar Rodríguez-López – producer
- Lars Stalfors – recording engineer, mixing
- Isaiah Abolin – recording engineer
- Heba Kadry – mastering
Artwork
- Sonny Kay – artwork, layout, design
Charts
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[41] | 18 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[42] | 66 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[43] | 90 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[44] | 44 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[45] | 61 |
Finnish Albums ( Suomen virallinen lista)[46]
|
23 |
French Albums ( SNEP)[47]
|
130 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[48] | 58 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[49] | 32 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[50] | 25 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[51] | 34 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[52] | 83 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[53] | 47 |
UK Albums (OCC)[54] | 51 |
US Billboard 200[55] | 15 |
US | 6 |
US | 7 |
US | 3 |
References
- ^ Farber, Jim (March 27, 2012). "Album Review: The Mars Volta, "Noctourniquet"". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ Pearlman, Mischa (20 March 2012). "The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet | Clash Magazine". clashmusic.com. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ Madonna At #1 Again With MDNA - Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV.com
- ^ "CANOE - JAM! Music SoundScan Charts". Archived from the original on 2005-04-17. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-mars-volta/chart-history/
- ^ BBC - BBC Radio 1 Programmes - Zane Lowe, Monday Night Feature Interview with Omar from the Mars Volta BBC Radio One - Interview by Zane Lowe.
- ^ a b c d "Mars Volta Interview Extras". Archived from the original on 2015-04-10. Retrieved 2012-04-05.
- ^ a b Bassist Redefined: An Interview With Juan Alderete No Treble - Interview by Kevin Johnson
- ^ Rankin, Dan. "Interview: The Mars Volta | Blare Magazine". blaremagazine.com. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- YouTube
- ^ a b A HIGHER VOLTAGE The Mars Volta on Blurt Online Archived 2012-03-30 at the Wayback Machine Blurt Online - Interview by Ryan Reed
- ^ Ritchie, John (2011-07-23). "The Mars Volta Fans Slam Warner Bros. Facebook Page". Musicfeeds.com.au. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ^ #OccupyWBR / #themarsvolta2012 | Facebook
- ^ Amazon.com: The Malkin Jewel: The Mars Volta: Music
- ^ "The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet - 03.27.12". Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
- ^ "MLB 12 The Show Soundtrack Revealed – PlayStation Blog". Blog.us.playstation.com. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ^ "Noctourniquet" 12" Double Vinyl PRE-ORDER Archived 2012-03-11 at the Wayback Machine Hello Merch - The Mars Volta.
- ^ Twitter / @themarsvolta: Noctourneiquet is now going... Twitter broadcast by the Mars Volta.
- ^ The Mars Volta | Noctourniquet Coming March 26th Archived 2012-03-21 at the Wayback Machine Official Homepage (www.themarsvolta.com) - The Mars Volta
- ^ a b Critic reviews at Metacritic
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Alternative Press review
- ^ "Entertainment Weekly review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
- ^ The Guardian review
- ^ musicOMH review
- ^ NME review
- ^ The Observer review
- ^ Wyeth, Wyndham (2012-03-27). "The Mars Volta: Noctourniquet". Paste. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
- ^ PopMatters review
- ^ a b Rolling Stone review
- ^ Q Magazine - April 2012, p.101
- ^ "The Fly review". Archived from the original on 2014-01-11. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
- ^ The Phoenix review
- ^ Beats Per Minute review
- ^ Spin review
- ^ "Drowned in Sound review". Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
- ^ Consequence of Sound review
- ^ Clash review
- ^ The A.V. Club review
- ^ No Ripcord review
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "The Mars Volta Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "Noctourniquet - The Mars Volta" (in Japanese). oricon ME inc. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "Charts.nz – The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "Mars Volta | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "The Mars Volta Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "The Mars Volta Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "The Mars Volta Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ "The Mars Volta Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2016.