Known first for their innovative approach in music, The Mars Volta, have teamed up with legendary record producer Rick Rubin to release their sixth studio album, Noctourniquet. Produced entirely by Rubin and the band, the 13-song set was recorded during a three-month period this past summer at his Los Angeles studio. “Rick’s approach is a sonic, analog-based approach,” says guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. “His gear is from the seventies, not the eighties. He went to high school in the seventies, too. He’s very retro in that way.”
Rubin, who’s also worked with artists like Johnny Cash, Nine Inch Nails and John Frusciante, says that making the record was as inspiring as the band’s previous projects. “They have always sought to push the art of creative music production to the limits,” he says. “They have not played it safe, so to speak, and have consistently moved things forward by listening to their intuition, which has served them very well. The Mars Volta have always had the ability to go the extra mile. For me, they are an extension of the way a band like Pink Floyd or even Led Zeppelin would approach writing and recording music. They are a very special group of people, and an impressive musical force that is both musical and visual at the same time.”
Rubin says the band members were thrilled that he would be producing their new album and that he was honored to have been chosen. “They were very welcoming and kind,” he recalls. “They were into experimentation and collaboration. They were very hands-on. They were really into pushing me and collaborating with each other. I would sit there in awe watching the dynamic between these two people, who are quite different and who also, in many ways, have some big challenges ahead of them.”
Noctourniquet was originally recorded at Rubin’s new studio, “The Duck House,” which the producer refers to as an “analog wonderland.” “It’s full of all kinds of analog equipment and old stuff from their father’s studio,” he says. “It was like Disneyland for me. Everything that’s on the record is exactly as it was on the board when I arrived there.”
“We recorded in an analog world, but we still used modern technology,” adds Rodriguez-Lopez. “It was more of an idea of a different kind of record in the same way that Rubin’s production is different. It was very analog, but then we had a lot of modern technology. In a way, we were trying to do two different things at the same time. We were trying to push the boundaries of what a band could do with analog gear and then, at the same time, what a band could do with modern technology.”
Rubin says that being able to produce with the band at his house in Laurel Canyon was a rare and unique experience, particularly since their recordings were never meant to be a permanent studio. “When I first started working with them, they wanted me to come and fix their studio,” he recalls. “They had just purchased a lot of old analog stuff. They were living upstairs, and their bedroom was the studio. I came up there to work with them. I spent a lot of time with them and became friends with the band. It was an interesting little situation to be in, but they kept telling me, ‘When we’re done touring, we’ll take you downstairs for a couple of days and we’ll record.'”
Rubin says he had a vision for the band before he had actually heard their music and that those visions changed a bit as their music became better known. “I knew they were special, but they didn’t have any kind of recording equipment yet,” he says. “I got to know them and watch them. I listened to their ideas for their next record, and I thought they had some really good ideas. They definitely have that special ingredient that sets them apart. I saw a lot of myself in The Mars Volta and, to a certain extent, I saw myself in Omar. It was a very special moment for me.”
“Rick was always part of The Mars Volta and they knew he would be their producer,” says Rodriguez-Lopez. “To be honest with you, I don’t think the band would have ever been considered as it is without him.”
“For me, it was very inspiring,” continues Rubin. “Their music and their lyrics made me very emotional and passionate. It felt like a gift. They were doing something that they were completely in control of and they had so much vision. They wanted to make something new that still fit their musical and emotional style.”
Rubin had begun working with Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore in 2001, when Rubin was planning to record a solo album. At that time, Theodore was drumming for the hardcore band Helmet, which is the other LA band that Rubin has produced and toured with since the late nineties. The Mars Volta’s first studio album, De-Loused in the Comatorium, was released by American Recordings in 2002. The band also released its self-titled album in 2008 and The Bedlam in Goliath album in 2010 with Rubin.
Rubin says he believes that the members of the band have always wanted to be musicians. “When you are onstage, you have a lot of time to yourself and you are able to think about things,” he says. “They have always been into learning. They have been very involved with music since they were kids. Omar and his brother Marcelo have always been involved with a lot of music. Rodriguez-Lopez, their father-figure, took them to a lot of concerts and introduced them to a lot of music. Omar and Rubin were even roommates back in the late eighties. Marcelo was more involved with skateboarding and football. He wasn’t like Omar or Omar’s dad, who was always into music and learning more and more about it. Both Omar and Rodriguez-Lopez began playing drums around the age of fifteen.
“They learned about music in their father’s band, Bosnian Rainbows, who opened for Frank Zappa in the 1970s,” Rubin continues. “That band was very important to me. Omar and Rodrigo grew up with that music.”
Rubin says that Rodriguez-Lopez was the band’s musical director early on, with Theodore being the band’s “focal point and center.” He notes that the drummer has his own strong musical style and has his own way of communicating. “I could see it as a sort of artistic development and I thought they needed to make a record together,” he says.
As for the writing process, Rubin explains that the band had written the songs on the album and had all of the parts already written. “We played them for four or five days, and then they were done,” he says. “It’s easy for us to go in and record what they’ve already played. We all have that great memory and love of The Mars Volta, which is something that only those three can give to one another.”
Rodriguez-Lopez believes that one of the key elements that makes the band’s music so powerful is the intensity of their playing. “Their work ethic is very good, but even their intensity in the studio is amazing,” he says. “They are so determined to make it perfect. I think that’s one of the reasons why they’re still going strong after all of these years. The fact that they love what they do is a big part of why we make music.”
When asked if he is sad that The Mars Volta is in a transitional period, Rubin says he feels privileged to have been around the band as they’ve developed and have been able to record with them. “I feel really lucky that they’ve put this record out now,” he says. “I feel like it’s my responsibility to listen to the record and try to be objective about it. It’s all about them and what they want. When you’re dealing with a project like this, it’s very personal for them. It’s important to put as much of ourselves into the process as possible, so I will listen to it. I’m excited about the record. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’ll do my best to be a part of it, wherever it goes.”
Rodriguez-Lopez says the band wanted their next record to be more “song-oriented” than the previous two. “We were trying to make something that was more structured, but at the same time, very melodic,” he explains.
“This time around, we decided to make music that wasn’t influenced by our day-to-day lives,” says Rubin. “I wanted to make sure that our albums didn’t just reflect what we were doing or how we were feeling. I wanted us to create something that sounded a bit different, a bit more timeless. It’s all kind of tied together. It’s more emotional and more melodic. It’s important to have a good balance between all those elements. I wanted to have it be a natural progression from one record to another. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a departure from what we had done before. I wanted to make sure that there was something that they could say was new and different
