Amputechture

Amputechture
Studio album by The Mars Volta
Released	September 12, 2006 (International) September 11, 2006 (Europe) September 8, 2006 (Germany)
Recorded	November 2005 - May 2006 in Los Angeles, California , El Paso, Texas and Melbourne, Australia
Genre	Progressive rock, experimental rock, jazz fusion
Length	76:04
Label	Gold Standard Laboratories Universal Records Strummer
Producer	Omar Rodríguez-López
The Mars Volta chronology
Scabdates (2005) Amputechture (2006) The Bedlam in Goliath (2008)
Singles from Amputechture
"Viscera Eyes" Released: August 29, 2006

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Blender	[2]
Drowned in Sound	(7/10) [3]
Kerrang!	[citation needed]
NME	(5/10)[citation needed]
Pitchfork Media	(3.5/10) [4]
PopMatters	(9/10) [5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Punknews.org	[7]
Stylus	(C-) [8]
The Observer	[9]
Total Guitar	[citation needed]

Amputechture is the third full-length studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta, released on September 12, 2006 on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. The album debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 selling over 59,000 copies in its opening week and an estimated 400,000 copies as of 2009.^[10] The album marks the final appearance of drummer Jon Theodore, and is the first studio album to feature guitarist and sound manipulator Paul Hinojos, formerly of At the Drive-In and Sparta.

Overview

Production

The album was recorded in Los Angeles, CA, El Paso, TX and Melbourne, Australia in late 2005 and early 2006. It was produced by Omar Rodríguez-López and mixed by Rich Costey.

Although most of Amputechture was newly recorded, the band also incorporated older material into some of the album's tracks. "Viscera Eyes" evolved from a song originally written by Omar while in At the Drive-In.^[11] "Day of the Baphomets" uses lyrics and melody from "A Plague Upon Your Hissing", an un-released song that was recorded for De-Loused in the Comatorium.^[12]

In early July 2006, "Viscera Eyes" was officially released on the band's MySpace page. On July 13, the band also posted a link to a stream of the song in full on their website. Soon after, the full version of "Viscera Eyes" on the MySpace page was replaced by a radio edit running at 4:21. "Viscera Eyes" was also confirmed to be the album's first single.

This album is the band's first studio recording with former At the Drive-In bandmate Paul Hinojos and is also the last with drummer Jon Theodore.^[13] The album also features John Frusciante on lead guitar throughout, with Bixler-Zavala stating, "[Omar] taught Frusciante all the new songs, and Frusciante tracked guitars for us so Omar could sit back and listen to the songs objectively. It's great that he wants to help us and do that."^[14]

Themes

Amputechture marked the first time that The Mars Volta created an album without a single unifying narrative.^[15]

In an MTV interview posted on July 25, Cedric Bixler-Zavala said inspirations for the album were very diverse, ranging from the recent U.S. immigration marches to the news stories of possessed nuns. He discussed the concept, storyline, and overall mood of the album.^[16] He also explained the lyric writing process to "Time Off".^[17]

Omar Rodríguez-López stated in an interview with Switch Magazine that the word "Amputechture" (a portmanteau of amputate, technology^{[citation needed]}, and architecture) was coined by the late Jeremy Michael Ward.

The liner notes of The Mars Volta's previous album Frances the Mute feature a credit for "Amputekthure" under the "published by" credits, Cedric Bixler-Zavala's name under the ASCAP corporation. The word also appeared in the storybook accompanying De-Loused in the Comatorium.

Since the release of The Bedlam in Goliath, Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez have taken to referring to Amputechture as their 'autistic child' due to fans' reactions to the album.

Artwork

Unlike The Mars Volta's first two albums, Amputechture contains no original artwork; the background of each page in the album booklet is a section of Jeff Jordan's "Big Mutant". In addition the CD art itself is "Dwarf Dancing", also by Jeff Jordan.

The artwork was originally to be done by Storm Thorgerson,^[18] who designed the covers for their first two albums, De-Loused in the Comatorium and Frances the Mute. Storm's cover featured a picture of a nun standing in a field warding off the presence of a giant floating skull decorated in a mirrorball fashion. For reasons unknown, the band was unhappy with the outcome and used Jeff Jordan's art instead.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

All songs by Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Vicarious Atonement"	7:19
2.	"Tetragrammaton"	16:41
3.	"Vermicide"	4:16
4.	"Meccamputechture"	11:03
5.	"Asilos Magdalena"	6:34
6.	"Viscera Eyes"	9:23
7.	"Day of the Baphomets"	11:57
8.	"El Ciervo Vulnerado"	8:50

Notes

1. "Vicarious Atonement" is the theory that the atonement of Jesus Christ was legal in God's eyes and that Jesus died in the place of the humans that sinned.
2. "Tetragrammaton" is a reference to the four-letter Hebrew name יהוה (often rendered JHWH or YHWH in English) for the god of Judaism
3. "Vermicide" is any substance used to kill worms, especially those in the intestines, or the act of killing worms.
4. "Meccamputechture" is a portmanteau of Mecca (the holiest city in the Islamic faith), amputate, technology, and architecture.
5. "Asilos Magdalena" is Spanish for Magdalene asylums.
6. Viscera (or viscus), in the title of "Viscera Eyes", refers to the internal organs.
7. A "Baphomet" is an object used for idolizing, also confused with popular representations of Satan.
8. "El Ciervo Vulnerado" is Spanish for 'The Wounded Shepherd.' In Spanish 'ciervo' is the word for 'deer', although it is pronounced in almost the same way as 'siervo' (for Latin American Spanish speakers). In this case the word is being used as 'pastor' or as previously mentioned a 'shepherd'. In the Reina-Valera 1960 Edition of the Holy Bible, Jesus is referred to as 'El Siervo que fue vulnerado' or the 'Shepherd who was wounded'.

Personnel

Amputechture features almost a dozen artists, including former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante who is featured on every track except "Asilos Magdalena."

• Omar Rodríguez-López – producer, lead guitar
• Cedric Bixler-Zavala – vocals
• Jon Theodore – drums
• Isaiah "Ikey" Owens – keyboards
• Juan Alderete – bass
• Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez – percussion
• Paul Hinojos – sound manipulation
• Adrián Terrazas-González – flute, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
• John Frusciante – rhythm guitar, lead guitar
• Sara Christina Gross – saxophone on "Meccamputechture"

Singles

• "Viscera Eyes" (2006)
• "Vicarious Atonement" (PROMO only) (2006)

External links

• Interview - From The Henry Rollins Show, discussing the album
• Big Mutant by Jeff Jordan - Full version of the cover art
• Amputechture Lyrics - At The Comatorium Forum
• Omar Rodriguez Official Website

References

1. ^ Bush, John. Amputechture at Allmusic
2. ^ Blender review
3. ^ Drowned in Sound review
4. ^ Pitchfork Media review September 12, 2006
5. ^ PopMatters review
6. ^ Rolling Stone review
7. ^ Punknews review
8. ^ Stylus review September 19, 2006
9. ^ The Observer review
10. ^ Cheng, Jim (September 21, 2006). "Lifeline: quick hits". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/2006-09-20-lifeline_x.htm?csp=34. Retrieved April 23, 2010. 
11. ^ Mars Volta Share Bill, Guitarist With Red Hot Chili Peppers : Rolling Stone
12. ^ THE MARS VOLTA LYRICS - A Plague Upon Your Hissing
13. ^ The Mars Volta in split shock | News | NME.COM
14. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/mars-volta
15. ^ The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath In Stores Now!
16. ^ Mars Volta Go Conceptual Again On New LP - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News
17. ^ :: Time Off :: Welcome
18. ^ Pictures of 'Taken By Storm' - the album art of Storm Thorgerson - Photos - NME.COM