from pitchfork:

The Mars Volta Enter the Octahedron

New album out in June

Behold! It's the new Mars Volta album! Titled Octahedron and due out June 23 on Warner Bros., the album clocks in at an uncharacteristically trim 49 minutes. Why, that's practically an EP by Mars Volta standards! Shockingly, Octahedron contains seven songs, not eight. They do all have typically cryptic titles, though.

On the album, the core Mars Volta duo of guitarist/sound wizard Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala are joined once again by multi-instrumentalist Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, drummer Thomas Pridgen, keyboardist Isaiah "Ikey" Owens, bassist Juan Alderete de la Peņa, and guitarist John Frusciante (who is also in some other band, apparently? Ice Cold Hot Salts or something?)

The Mars Volta plan to tour behind Octahedron; so far, only dates at Bonnaroo and Outside Lands have been announced.

As previously reported, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez will release Cryptomnesia, the debut album from his new band El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, which features pretty much everybody else in the Mars Volta, as well as Hella drummer Zach Hill. Oh yeah, and he also worked on the new Juliette Lewis album.

Octahedron:

01 Teflon
02 Halo of Nembutals
03 With Twilight as My Guide
04 Cotopaxi
05 Desperate Graves
06 Copernicus
07 Luciforms
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I've always enjoyed these guys. I'm excited to see a short (hopefully tight) album. Frances the Mute is their materpiece so far, IMO.

I am very excited about this release as well. I like the fact that they are releasing records at a pretty quick pace. I wish more of my favorite bands would be as diligent to write, record and release new albums.

I thought that Frances The Mute and Amputechture were horrible, but I thought Bedlam was very good, so maybe this one will be more like Bedlam.

I've enjoyed all their albums and am looking forward to this, I actually enjoyed Amputechture the most, can't quite put my finger on why.

I hope they try something a little different this time. All their albums seem to run into each other and are basically interchangeable.

I really like all of these guys' albums, except the live one - Scab Dates. I wasn't too crazy about the experimental sounds on that one. My two favorites are De-Loused and Bedlam. Omar has some interesting solo records too. My favorite of those is The Apocalypse Inside Of An Orange.

I have all the albums and I have seen the band a couple of times, I like them a lot.

Bedlam was different, but excellent. I just got it (I had a digital copy from iTunes...got that Best Buy exclusive not to long ago) and I hope this new album is up to par.

Amputechture is an amazing record for me...loved the free jazz that got added into the sound...very cool.

I love all their albums - my first and favorite is Frances.

I would love to see these guys lives - I hope they come somewhere near (and I can convince my wife to go )

Michael

Awesome

As much as I love the band, they are very difficult to see live. The shows are essentially extended jam sessions.

I'm also a fan of their earlier work, but finally saw them live on their tour last year and was completely blown away. They had actually canceled/postponed 2 or 3 other shows here for one reason or another, and my friends and I started calling them the Mars Bolta.... They finally made it here, and I don't know if it was all the pent-up energy of the band and the crowd to finally make it happen or what, but that was one HELL of a show. I was exhausted just from watching the drummer-what a beast! And that singer moves around on stage like he's the bastard spawn of James Brown and Linda Blair.

Awesome.

I agree; though I like the band, the one time I have seen them live...well, it was a horrible experience.

I'm pretty pumped about this one. I heard a rumor a while back that the new album was gonna be more on the acoustic side....sounds interesting if that's the case. De-loused and Bedlam have been my favorites so far, but I have to admit that they haven't really done anything too "new" sounding in a while so I'm hoping this one blows me away.

up!

Just picked this up from itunes - it's a hell of a lot more mellow than the other stuff.

Interesting footnote - I bought it from itunes canada for 8.91, while it's 10.99 on the US store.

Shit Sandwich.

Terrific album. Yes, there are mellower songs but not all of them - I found myself playing Desperate Graves over and over again. One of my favorite things about Mars Volta are the vocals and they didn't disappoint me at all.

Michael

Love the new album - maybe all the crybabies will move on and I can get a ticket to one of their shows this time around before it sells out - only saw them once on the Frances The Mute tour (which was amazing) Most of the Volta "purists" will HATE this new one. I like mellow Volta, crazy insane volta, english or spanish Volta - it's all good.

So far a good year for new albums - U2/Depeche Mode/Sonic Youth/Yeah Yeah Yeahs all put out great records - YYY was a grower but i'm diggin it more each time i hear it

i have always wanted to see them live. I wonder, have they ever played "Cassandra Gemmni" from Frances the Mute in its entierty?

Ive been a fan of theirs since the post ATDI EP and I like the new album. It sort of reminds me of Thrice's last album. In that if you can get past the fact that its not what you were expecting from them and appreciate the album on its own merits I think most will enjoy it.

$3.99 from Lala

US club dates I didn't know they were that big. the club in baltimore is charging 42.50 per ticket. At least judging by past shows, they'll prob play at least 2 hours
Aug 29 2009 8:00P
Outside Lands Festival San Francisco, California
Aug 30 2009 8:00P
Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, California
Sep 2 2009 7:00P
Santa Barbara Bowl Santa Barbara, California
Sep 4 2009 7:00P
Soma San Diego, California
Sep 5 2009 8:00P
Dodge Theatre Phoenix, Arizona
Sep 7 2009 7:30P
Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sep 8 2009 8:00P
The Pageant St. Louis, Missouri
Sep 10 2009 6:00P
First Avenue Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sep 11 2009 8:00P
Congress Theater Chicago, Illinois
Sep 13 2009 8:00P
Red Rocks Amphitheatre- Monolith Festival Morrison, Colorado
Sep 14 2009 8:00P
Midland Theatre Kansas City, Missouri
Sep 16 2009 8:00P
Palladium Ballroom Dallas, Texas
Sep 17 2009 8:00P
Verizon Wireless Theater Houston, Texas
Sep 19 2009 8:00P
Municipal Auditorium San Antonio, Texas
Oct 4 2009 7:00P
Kool Haus Toronto, Ontario
Oct 5 2009 8:00P
Metropolis Montreal, Quebec
Oct 8 2009 8:00P
Roseland Ballroom New York, New York
Oct 10 2009 7:00P
Electric Factory Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 11 2009 8:00P
Sonar Baltimore, Maryland