''Tremulant'' is the debut EP release by

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band

The Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms the core of the ban ...

, released on April 2, 2002, on

Gold Standard Labs Gold Standard Laboratories or GSL was an independent record label which was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado by Sonny Kay. In 2000, it was relocated to San Diego, California, United States, and two years later, to Los Angeles. It was headqu ...

. Produced by Alex Newport, the EP marks the only appearance of founding bassist

Eva Gardner Eva Catherine Gardner (born February 17, 1979) is an American bassist from Los Angeles. A founding member of The Mars Volta, she has been a studio and touring musician in bands for Cher, Gwen Stefani, P!NK, Veruca Salt and Tegan and Sara. ...

until the release of The Mars Volta's self-titled album in 2022. A remastered version of the EP was released on April 16, 2014.

Recording

Regarding the EP's recording sessions, bassist

stated in 2009, "We were in

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

somewhere, and it was a really exciting time because it was just this new music. It was a new project for these guys, so they were almost really excited about it. It was great. We did three songs, and it was so fun for me too because it was the first time I had actually been in a more professional... I had done recordings before, but it was just home studios with friends and stuff. This was a more established group. It was fun to be in a professional studio, and to play with really, really great musicians."

Song information

"Concertina", often regarded as the centerpiece of the EP, is rumoured to be a brutal condemnation of Ben Rodriguez, a former bandmate of Cedric and Omar's from

At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (drums ...

, whom Cedric and Omar regarded as a sociopath. According to interviews conducted with the band, they held Rodriguez responsible for tormenting Julio Venegas to the point where he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

. The band later re-recorded the song alongside "Eunuch Provocateur". (The re-recording of "Concertina" has yet to surface on an official release, however it can be listened to on YouTube). The backwards vocals at the end of "Eunuch Provocateur" are the lyrics from the song "

Itsy Bitsy Spider "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" (also known as "The Incey Wincey Spider" in Australia or "Incy Wincy Spider" in the United Kingdom, and other anglophone countries) is a popular nursery rhyme, folksong, and fingerplay that describes the adventures of a s ...

". Other backwards vocals in the same song can be heard saying "did mommy or daddy ever have to spank you?". These samples come from an old LP the band used that contained children's songs. Other notable lyrics in "Eunuch Provocateur" include the lines, "Dethroned by the comatorium... de-loused by the comatorium", which foreshadow the Mars Volta's debut full-length album, ''

De-Loused in the Comatorium ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' is the debut studio album by American progressive rock band The Mars Volta, released on June 24, 2003, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. Based on a short story written by lead singer Cedric Bixl ...

''. Additionally, the title of the EP itself is drawn from the concept story of ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'', referring to the "tremulants", creatures that dwell inside the mind of Cerpin Taxt, the main character.

Track listing

Production

*Recorded in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

from October to December 2001. *Produced by Alex Newport and

. *Album production design and layout by Sonny Kay and Omar Rodríguez-López.

Personnel

* Omar Rodríguez-López – guitar, percussion, electronics *

Cedric Bixler-Zavala Cedric Bixler-Zavala (born November 4, 1974) is an American musician. He has been the lead singer and lyricist of the progressive rock band the Mars Volta since its inception in 2001. He was the lead singer and only constant member of the post-ha ...

– vocals, percussion * Ikey Owens – keyboards * Jeremy Ward – sound manipulation *

Jon Theodore Jon Philip Theodore (born December 30, 1973) is an American drummer. He has been the current drummer for Queens of the Stone Age since 2013, and is also known for being the drummer for the Mars Volta from 2001 to 2006. Known for his explosive, ...

– drums *

– bass

References

{{Authority control The Mars Volta albums Post-hardcore EPs 2002 EPs Gold Standard Laboratories EPs Albums produced by Alex Newport