Landscape Tantrums

''Landscape Tantrums'' is a demo album of ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' by the band The Mars Volta. It was released on April 23, 2021, as part of the ''La Realidad De Los Sueños'' box set. Because ''Landscape Tantrums'' was the first attempt at recording what would become ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'', the tracks differ in various ways from the finished versions. The band recorded the album themselves before enlisting the help of producer Rick Rubin who went on to co-produce their first album along with guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López. The name, ''Landscape Tantrums'', is taken from a lyric in "Cut That City", their first officially released song from ''Tremulant''.

Overview

''Landscape Tantrums'' is The Mars Volta's first recording of their debut album ''De-Loused in the Comatorium''. It was recorded in 2002 and features a collection of unmastered demo tracks. Released on April 23, 2021, it was included in the ''La Realidad De Los Sueños'' box set that was published on the same day. Rick Rubin, who co-produced the band's first album, is absent from this recording. The description of the album given upon its release states that the tracks were lost for two decades and that Rodriguez-Lopez didn't merely view them as demos or a "dry run" at the time. The statement also mentions the band's turmoil upon the album's recording and that its completion was nothing short of a miracle of which the group "sketched out the peaks" of what would become their debut album in half a week.

Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt is lacking vocals in this version and is purely instrumental. The tracks Tira me a las arañas and Cicatriz ESP are notably absent from the album. The latter of which is especially intriguing considering an earlier version of the song, then titled "Cicatrix," was recorded during the Tremulant EP era. Other primitive versions of certain tracks of the album have also been circulating online for years under the name "Summer Demos."

Reception

''Landscape Tantrums'' was reviewed by only one professional critic, that being Sputnickmusic, who gave a below average review of the album. They described the demos as "inferior o ''De-Loused in the Comatorium''in almost every conceivable way. The tracks in this state lack meat and weight. Instruments seem to float in the sonic vacuum with a lack of immediacy and purpose. Cedric in particular is drowning in vacuous vocal effects for the majority of these demos, which in turn has a detrimental effect on the emotional trajectory of various crescendo-building moments. . ."

Mxdwn.com gave a more positive review stating that the album is a novelty for its place in the history of the band and the post-hardcore scene and that it is an album meant to be enjoyed by fans of the group. The site also acknowledges the unpolished state of some of the tracks. However, Spin.com suggests the unpolished state and abrasiveness might actually be more appealing to listeners.

Track listing

Personnel

The Mars Volta

* Omar Rodríguez-López – guitar
* Cedric Bixler-Zavala – vocals
* Jon Theodore – drums
* Ralph Jasso – bass
* Linda Good – keyboards

Recording personnel

* Omar Rodriguez-Lopez – recording
* Jonathan DeBaun – recording

References

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2021 albums
2020s demo albums
The Mars Volta albums