I've been a Volta fan for quite some time now. All things considered, my musically conscious life has been a bit longer than a year, and I've been listening to Omar's whittling and Ced's howling for about a year now. It's flown by, probably the fastest year I've ever lived, and for quite a few reasons, not just The Mars Volta.
I'll spare any readers a write up on the bands past and get straight to it: this is one strong album. By the time I get to the first single it feels as if I've already listened to one full album, and I'm only halfway done. And I don't think that's a bad thing. I love it. Noctourniquet fills me whenever I'm starving for something real good. The album is strong across the board.
"The Whip Hand" is a magnificent opener, full of filthy synth-guitar and some really cool vocals (I am a landmiiiine). "Aegis" and "Dyslexicon" manage to keep the cool, electronic vibe and the future-punk genre aesthetic steady, however after them I come upon the first real snag in the album. "Empty Vessels" is more of a feels song than a hears song. It's got a real sentimental sound, and it really drags it out. For some it's a tear jerker, but for me, more often than usual it's a snore fest. Luckily, lead single "The Malkin Jewel" follows, and it brings me back up to speed.
"In Absentia" is an island in the track listing - a major change up, an amazing song, stranded between two mediocre ones ("Lapochka", "Imago"). To be fair, both of those mediocre songs bring that funk hard, but they manage just well enough to become more of a breather or a "time to get a snack" in the album than anything, akin to the boring scene in a summer blockbuster. The real trouble in the album begins here, though, I'm afraid. I've thought about the rest of the tracks on this album real hard. Upon release, they confused me quite a bit but I think I've got 'em down now:
"Molochwalker" is a very typical and yet still a very exciting song. Across the whole album, the chorus of every song has been the big deal, and if by this track you haven't noticed then you probably wouldn't find a bard if it was stuck on the bridge of your nose.
"Trinkets Pale of Moon" is a special track to me. It was the first from the album I had heard, and I enjoy the live version very much, but the studio version is such a chore. It's a very quiet track, and it really shouldn't be the one to follow "Molochwalker". It's chorus is very typical of Volta - spooky. In fact, the whole song is a bit to cliche for my taste.
"Vedamalady" is everything that the album tries to be. It's a real great ride, a funky, groovy, electronic thing, with this amazing chorus that outdoes any song before it except maybe "In Absentia". Luckily, "Vedamalady" is followed by the title track, "Noctourniquet", which is the only track here to really outdo it. These two tracks are yet another island.
The closer, "Zed and Two Naughts" is likely the most talked about track on the album. Volta have always offered, possibly among all else, powerful closers - something melodramatic and over the top. I just wish I wasn't so tired of it, so ready for something new from them. "Zed" has the most derivative everything on this album. The instrument parts are all a bore, and the chorus is really just weak. This is the one track I really can't stand on the whole album. Which is a bit disappointing, all things considered.
Still, this is a mighty listen. Noctourniquet is satisfying despite it's flaws. It might not be another Amputechture, but it's still something from the modern prog rock greats, and I still enjoy much of it.
Tier: 3 [Good Shit]
[Don't Step on Me]
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