Mars Volta : Noctourniquet

2012 release, the sixth album from the eccentric Alt-Rock band. While Noctourniquet was, in typical Mars Volta fashion, written by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala and produced by Rodriguez-Lopez, the album explores musical territories previously uncharted in the duo's 20 or so years of creating music together. The spectrum of musical and emotional textures conceived and created by Rodriguez-Lopez on Noctourniquet ranges from the opening bombast of 'The Whip Hand' to the menacing crawl of 'The Malkin Jewel' punctuated throughout by hypnotic melodies and borderline electro-ambient washes, most notably in the epic 'In Absentia. ' The bold diversity of the new material combined with Rodriguez-Lopez's assured producer's hand guiding The Mars Volta's most confident and refined performances to date make Noctourniquet an early contender for this year's most challenging and rewarding listen.