The signature riffs of the archetypical Mars Volta epic, have a tendency to subdivide time into jagged, angular chunks and phrases which, after being executed with laser-guided precision for three or so repetitions, start to sound not unlike a giant robot dancing. This is not to say that the resultant sound is displeasing; rather, the band has achieved a surprising amount of mainstream success by somehow reconciling the myriad differences between the bombast of 70s psychadelic prog and the urgency of late 90s post-hardcore.

The best moments of their full-length debut, De-Loused In The Comatorium, realized a perfect balance between those two conflicting schools. The songs had enough depth and complexity to warrant repeat listenings, while still managing to steer clear of 12-minute keyboard solos. The band’s second album, Frances The Mute, suffered from a greater dose of self-indulgence - there were half as many songs, which meant the ambient noise interludes were twice as long. There were plenty of memorable moments, but it was questionable if the time spent waiting for them was worth it.

This brings us to their latest effort, Amputechture. While their trademark sound remains mostly intact, it’s still evident early on that something is missing. Jon Theodore’s gymnastic drumming is a less integral part to the songs themselves, instead relegated mostly to superfluous fills (in fact, there are no drums at all in three of the eight songs here). Likewise, the upper extremities of Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s soaring falsetto, are reserved for occasional harmonies and octave doubling, instead of taking the main stage where they belong. Still, there’s no doubting the band’s ability to rock; one just can’t help wishing they had restrained themselves a little less.

This time around, they’ve contained the unnecessary solos and lengthy segues more than on their previous offering, but they still need to learn to edit a bit more. Cutting the first and last songs for instance, would still leave Amputechture with a solid hour of quality material. The most memorable moments are still worth the price of admission, though: the magnificent 16-minute “Tetragrammaton” is equal parts Mahavishnu Orchestra and classic Queen. Likewise, the half-Spanish, half-English “Viscera Eyes” is as close as the Mars Volta comes to a straight rocker, with its sublime chorus saturated in blaring horns, side by side with crisp guitar riffing reminiscent of Rage Against The Machine.

In the end, although the overall arch of the disc is a little lopsided, the good parts still easily outweigh the bad. While it would be pointless in just rehashing the best moments of De-Loused, it would still be nice to see more recognition of the elements that made it such a successful album. It’s still a good album from a great band, and if their live set includes a smattering of songs from Amputechture this time around, I won’t complain.

I got 18 spam comments on my comics today. Part of me (somewhere in the 8-9% range) is honored that anyone (or any bot) would consider my lowly shack on the internet worthy of such attention, but the rest of me (approximately 91%) is just annoyed. And as long as I’m on the topic of percentages that annoy me, Mastodon’s drummer plays somewhere in the neighborhood of 12% too many notes. The songs are cool and everything, but come on buddy, try leaving just one hit out, do you think the world will end? I’m betting it won’t.

Speaking of too many notes, my band has a couple shows coming up. There are the aforementioned two, as well as another one - Astronaut Down is curating the first ever NYC Prog Collective show, 11/17 at Siberia. I’m really excited about this one, because it’s our first real attempt at establishing a local community around the music we love (and coincidentally, the music we play). It’s an important step that no one has really taken yet, since prog fans are usually more prone to listening to Rush and playing Live Action Role-Playing Games, than they are to getting organized into any sort of “scene.” If all goes well, it could become a monthly event, so if you plan on seeing one Astronaut Down show this year, please make it that one.

In my ongoing quest to educate the readers of Ultrajoebot, I’ve taken it upon myself to inform you of a few upcoming life-changing events that you might not hear about otherwise.  Clear your schedules on the following dates, because we’re talking some serious soul-shattering, mind-evolving, Kafka-style metamorphosizing action here.

• Sunday, September 10, 7pm: Astronaut Down at Arlene’s Grocery
• Friday, September 29, 7pm: Funny Energy at CBGB’s Downstairs Lounge
• Saturday, October 14, 12am: Astronaut Down at The Underscore

Funny Energy is a band I used to play in when I lived in Westchester, with some other people from Purchase.  We haven’t really done anything in a couple years, but we’re getting back together for this one show, and then we’ll see how things go, I guess.  I love the songs and have a lot of fun playing with them, but I might not be able to commit enough time unless I find a way to become independently wealthy and quit my job.  You should all come to this one show at least, because they’re a great band with some fun, quirky songs, and there might just be a little accordion.