De-Loused in the Comatorium

Untitled

De-Loused in the Comatorium is the first LP and concept album by the progressive rock band The Mars Volta. Based on a short story by lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and sound manipulation artist Jeremy Michael Ward, it is the hour-long tale of Cerpin Taxt, a man who tries to kill himself by overdosing on morphine. The attempt lands him in a week-long coma during which he experiences visions of humanity and his own psyche. Upon waking, he is dissatisfied with the real world and jumps to his death. The story of Cerpin Taxt is based on the death of El Paso, Texas artist (and Bixler-Zavala's friend) Julio Venegas. Coincidentally, one month before the album was released, the band's sound manipulation artist, Jeremy Michael Ward, died of an apparent heroin overdose.

De-Loused became both critically and commercially their biggest hit, eventually selling in excess of 500,000 copies despite next-to-no promotion, and was featured on several critics' "Best of the Year" lists . The album was ranked number 55 on the October 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar albums of all time.

The music contained in De-Loused is distinguished by its enigmatic lyrics, Jazz rhythms, odd time signatures, and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's frenetic guitar riffs, which are often harshly dissonant. The title of this album is taken from the lyrics of the song "Eunuch Provocateur" on the band's previous release, Tremulant.

Track listing

1. "Son et Lumière" – 1:35
2. "Inertiatic ESP" – 4:24
3. "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" – 7:31
4. "Tira Me a las Arañas" – 1:29
5. "Drunkship of Lanterns" – 7:06
   • Incorrectly listed as 6:20 on jewel case inlay
6. "Eriatarka" – 6:20
   • Incorrectly listed as 7:06 on jewel case inlay
7. "Cicatriz ESP" – 12:29
8. "This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed" – 4:58
9. "Televators" – 6:19
10. "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" – 8:42
11. "Ambuletz" – 7:03
    • Bonus track on the Japanese, UK, and Australian special edition releases of the album (even if not included in the track listing of the Japanese version)

Australian edition bonus disc

These songs are the same songs that appear on Live EP.

1. "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" (live BBC session) – 9:27
2. "Drunkship of Lanterns" (live BBC session) – 9:38
3. "Cicatriz ESP" (live) – 16:03
4. "Televators" (live) – 7:18

Personnel

• Cedric Bixler-Zavala – vocals
• Omar Rodriguez-Lopez – guitar
• Jon Theodore – drums
• Jeremy Michael Ward – sound manipulation
• Isaiah Ikey Owens – keyboards
• Lenny Castro – percussion
• Flea – bass
• John Frusciante – guitar, synthesizer on "Cicatriz ESP"
• Justin Meldel Johnson – stand-up bass on "Televators"

Singles

• "Inertiatic ESP" (2003)
• "Televators" (2003)

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
2003	The Billboard 200	39

Song Title Translations/Meanings

• Son et Lumiere is a French phrase meaning "sound and light."
• "ESP" is an abbreviation for 'Ectopic Shapeshifting Penance-propulsion,' a phrase coined by the band (as opposed to the traditional 'extra-sensory perception').
• "Tira Me a las Arañas", translated into English, literally means "Throw Me to the Spiders", although the correct spelling should read "Tírame a las Arañas".
• Cicatriz means "scar" in Spanish and Portuguese.
• On the Track "Cicatriz ESP" the voice of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante can be heard several times, although these backup vocals are not credited, also there are some lines on the official lyrics that aren't on the song, despite appearing on the demo.
• "This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed" refers to the warning found on amps and other electricals: "This apparatus must be earthed".

See also

• Concept albums

External links

• De-Loused in the Comatorium Storybook (via tmvfr.info)
• Mix Online article - Technical report/interview on the making of De-Loused in the Comatorium.