The Mars Volta provokes Bedlam on new album

It's hard to imagine a more polarizing act working today than The Mars Volta. For every critic who declared 2005's Frances the Mute "practically a compulsory purchase," there was another who was prepared to terminate his relationship with band masterminds Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Then there are the fans, who range in devotion from cultish zealotry to urine-throwing hatred.

So get ready for the sparks to fly when The Mars Volta releases its new album, The Bedlam in Goliath, on Jan. 29. Considering that the title is probably the most lucid of TMV's career, there could yet be hope for a release that won't pit brother against brother in the indie music scene. John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers contributes his righteous axe to the proceedings.

Goliath's track list:

1. Aberinkula
2. Metatron
3. Ilyena
4. Wax Simulacra
5. Goliath
6. Tourniquet Man
7. Cavalettas
8. Agadez
9. Askepios
10. Ouroboros
11. Soothsayer
12. Conjugal Burns

Pray that "Conjugal Burns" isn't as painful as it sounds...

In TMV live news, the group announced on its MySpace blog a special New Year's Eve show at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The band declares that costumes "are required," and promises "una serata con amici e sorprese presentata in un modo straordinario."

Courtesy of Babelfish, that Italian phrase approximately translates to: "one evening with friends and surprise introduced in an extraordinary way." Please let that mean an At The Drive-In reunion.

Tickets for the gig are on sale here.

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