I waited ten years for a new Mars Volta record, and when it finally arrived, I began anticipating a follow-up ORL solo release. But wait – there’s more Volta! Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón is a total reworking of the self-titled album as ac[…]

It’s relatively safe to say that neither Spotify nor TicketMaster cover themselves with glory in their treatment of musicians or their fans, but I can honestly say I’ve been legit grateful for the both of them since the weekly events email from t[…]

Before the pandemic normalised my working week with most days spent WFH as standard, I’d often stream Spotify through the TV. I’m not entirely sure how I managed this trick, since the last time I tried, the TV wasn’t having any of it (or perhap[…]

Equinox dropped around an emotionally fraught and very weird time; it was released on 01 January 2013, and Cedric officially quit The Mars Volta via Twitter twenty-two days later. As a result, it completely passed me by, although many things did at t[…]

Hooray! Finally, after ‘breaking a decade of omertà,’ the eponymous new Mars Volta album is here! I’ve been hoping for this moment for so long, and yet now that it’s finally happened, I’ve been weirdly reluctant to listen as obsessively as[…]

When I started this project four years ago, I said Maybe by the time I finish, the Mars Volta will have confirmed their reunion, complete with a triple-album release and world tour starting with a week’s residency in London. I can dream!
IT’S HAP[…]

Friends, so far 2022 has been exactly as lousy as it is brilliant, both on a personal and a global scale. And while I do feel somewhat obligated to keep well-informed about current events, they’re far too packed with the constant rollback of basic […]

Despite the fact that I haven’t listened to an actual, physical CD in many years, a select few hold an almost talismanic power over me. Unfortunately, after various flat-decantings over the years, my once-alphabetised CD collection has become consi[…]

There comes an inevitable moment during every long, pointless passion project when a person begins to seriously question why it seemed like such a good idea. I passed this point during the first lockdown, when, like many others, I was both fascinated[…]

On 5 May 2017, I took another step into my fifth decade. The celebrations began with a massive brunch, the centrepiece of which was a ridiculous freakshake, because 2017. Then I met some of my chums in the pub and then had another restaurant meal for[…]