It could potentially be said that Octahedron is the closest we could come to The Mars Volta Lite. The songs are far more subdued in many points, floating in a progressive and psychedelic space but more subtly. It's a contrast between the peak of an acid trip and the quiet comedown hours later; a collection of four albums that mystify, and a fifth album that is so worn down from the high that it's time to ease up.

One of the most apparent Lite portions of Octahedron is the song and album ... read more

The Velvet Underground embrace the pop sensibilities that pervaded their music since their initial release, outputting an album that feels entirely influenced by the pop music of the decade before it but simultaneously looking forward to the rock sound that would come in the next decade. Lou Reed and company reveal themselves to be just as forward-thinking as they always were - Loaded is just a more pressing version of looking forward.

By this point, four albums in, there really was something ... read more

The Mars Volta will never be accused of losing any shred of creativity over their first four albums. The groups sound, which is still the brain child of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, is so eclectic and frenzied that it just inherently sounds busy and complicated. When this much is going on it's hard to argue that there is a specific formula, outside of a constant explosive barrage of fury and sound. That may be accomplished through forceful guitar riffs and incomprehensible ... read more

I refuse to believe that people aren't paying attention to Thanya Iyer because they dislike her, but because of ignorance of her existence. Listening to KIND, you get the sense that it's so complex, bucking the formulaic patterns of music, yet so majestic that it would be impossible to not feel something from. The illustrious vocals, the odd time signatures, and the fluid intermingling of electronics and classical instrumentation make KIND an album that transcends categorization and even in ... read more