The Mars Volta – Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon (2023) [FLAC 24bit/44,1kHz]

The Mars Volta – Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 47:27 minutes | 503 MB | Genre: Acoustic, Latin
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Clouds Hill

A few months after their self-titled seventh album announced the return of Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala as The Mars Volta, the group present a potent reimagining of that reunion opus. Much more than a simple “unplugged” reading of The Mars Volta’s 14 songs, this acoustic rendition furthers the mission of the source music, which drew into sharper focus the traditional Latin influences that have always inspired their music. This is, says Rodríguez-López, The Mars Volta’s version of a “folk record”, tracing the melodies and rhythms of the parent album back to their traditional Caribbean roots and challenging listeners to hear the group in an entirely new light.In 2022, the Mars Volta ended a decade-long hiatus with a self-titled LP that moved them into a more tropical zone of soft rock, jazz, funk, and Latin. A year later, they offered up Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón, an acoustic re-imagining of that same album. Described by guitarist Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López as their version of a folk record, the stripped-down arrangements lean more heavily on the El Paso band’s Latin and Caribbean roots. Though unplugged, it is after all a Mars Volta album and therefore not without a progressive bent and plenty of experimental flourishes. Filling the gaps between the primary palette of nylon-stringed guitar, piano, and double bass are dark-toned pump organs, vibraphones, flutes, and all manner of clattering percussion, delivered with the eccentric flair on which the band has built its reputation. One added benefit of going acoustic is more breathing room for vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, who eagerly fills up the space, sliding nimbly between English and Spanish over arrangements that only elevate his crisp, high tenor. The “unplugged version” has become a common trope in rock music; more often than not, it appears as a listless bid to extend a parent album’s commercial lifespan for another year or two. Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón, while quite possibly achieving that aim, feels like something more fully realized and artful, and carries more weight than a mere catalog curiosity. – Timothy Monger

Tracklist:

1-01. The Mars Volta – Blacklight Shine (acoustic) (02:58)
1-02. The Mars Volta – Graveyard Love (acoustic) (03:43)
1-03. The Mars Volta – Shore Story (acoustic) (03:22)
1-04. The Mars Volta – Blank Condolences (acoustic) (03:28)
1-05. The Mars Volta – Vigil (acoustic) (03:35)
1-06. The Mars Volta – Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon (acoustic) (01:52)
1-07. The Mars Volta – Cerulea (acoustic) (03:54)
1-08. The Mars Volta – Flash Burns From Flashbacks (acoustic) (03:28)
1-09. The Mars Volta – Palm Full Of Crux (acoustic) (03:41)
1-10. The Mars Volta – NoCaseGain (acoustic) (02:49)
1-11. The Mars Volta – Tourmaline (acoustic) (03:29)
1-12. The Mars Volta – Equus 3 (acoustic) (03:52)
1-13. The Mars Volta – Collapsible Shoulders (acoustic) (02:38)
1-14. The Mars Volta – The Requisition (acoustic) (04:33)

Download from FileJoker: