Octahedron (2009) Album Review

Expert Review Summary
Music critics combined give Octahedron a score of 2.6875 out of 4
based on (16) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Excellent
4
Music critics combined give Octahedron a score of 4 out of 4
(0)
2
Music critics combined give Octahedron a score of 2 out of 4
(2)
1
Music critics combined give Octahedron a score of 1 out of 4
(1)
Poor
0
Music critics combined give Octahedron a score of 0 out of 4
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Craveonline
It's a beautiful, understated album by one of the most complex and fiercely talented bands modern music has ever seen.
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PopMatters
In the end, Octahedron is a solid album that probably has two slow songs too many.
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Antiquiet
It's a celebration of mutations with familiar flare, and in understatement, the band has somehow found new strengths and fire without arriving as repetitious.
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The New York Times
The panache of the singing, and the radiant complexity of the music--an achievement shared by Mr. Rodriguez Lopez and a handful of regular collaborators, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante--drive the album relentlessly forward.
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Paste Magazine
A haunting album full of twilight poetry.
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Sputnikmusic
In the end, Octahedron will simply divide those who like The Mars Volta and those who don’t again.
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Spin
Given its typically foreboding title, Octahedron would not appear to be a cure for this disorder.
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Boston Globe
"Octahedron" does not sound like the Mars Volta's past few records, but it certainly feels like a Mars Volta record, especially in the way it swoops up a listener for an excursion to the psychedelic frontier.
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Drowned In Sound
It's a recommended affair, at times truly scintillating, but it doesn't quite deliver to the extent where all caution can be tossed to the breeze.
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musicOMH.com
The contrast couldn't be greater.
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Entertainment Weekly
Octahedron is rife with hushed passages, acoustic filigrees, and dreamy vocals that herald either a radical retooling or, more likely, a period of transition for these experimentalists.
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Rolling Stone
Bixler-Zavala is no Maxwell; he's more about sharp pain than voluptuous ache. By the end, he invokes Gordian knots alongside a fractallike Omar Rodriguez-Lopez guitar solo. Dude sounds like he's back home again.
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Clash Music
Unfortunately things don't really hold at this high point, and while 'Octahedron' as a whole is passably interesting, it just doesn't reach a level of experimentation that we've come to expect from the band.
Read more about Octahedron on Clash Music

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Music Album Reviews: Octahedron
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ALBUM RANKINGS:

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    9,611
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    1,882
    of 1,059
    136
Ratings and rankings are based on all avaliable critic reviews and awards.
Overall Rating:
2.6283
Octahedron is ranked overall as 2.6283 out of 4 stars
Avg Critic Score:
2.6875
Octahedron is ranked overall as 2.6875 out of 4 stars

Critic Reviews

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