30 Seconds to Mars "30 Seconds to Mars"

 
30 Seconds to Mars "30 Seconds to Mars" 9/10

Alright, here is my inaugural review!  I spent a lot of time deliberating; should I review a classic?  Should I go obscure?  Should I go to a favorite band or genre?  Well, here we get none of that, and all of it at the same time.  I don't think anyone would accuse me of being a big fan of 30 Seconds to Mars.  There was a BIG drop off, in my opinion, from the debut record, to the follow up, and it just degenerated after that.  It is a classic case of a band maybe buying too much into their own hype, as well as wayward producers polishing an outfit to make it more radio friendly.

That is NOT the case with this record.  Man, this record is rife with big production, but completely in service to the songs.  You can hear all of the post-production textures all over every part of every instrument, but it somehow does not become overbearing.  Sometimes production techniques of a particular era can make an album sound dated; in others they just meld perfectly with the zeitgeist of the songs and album.  This album is that latter.

Following a successful acting career (one that continues) Jared Leto went into the studio with his brother Shannon.  30 Seconds to Mars is essentially the two of them writing, playing, and overdubbing together.  Jared does the bulk of the legwork with this one; playing guitar, bass, synth, and vocals, with Shannon doing percussion.  While actor-turned-rockstar is almost always a cautionary tale, this is one where it is not only convincing, but pays off in dividends.

30 Seconds to Mars creates and atmosphere with this album; one that hits that gas from the get go and never lets up.  Blending space rock, prog, heavy metal, punk, emo, this is a kitchen sink record that wears its influences on its sleeve without ever feeling like a retread.  Anyways, on to the tracks!

1) "Capricorn (A Brand New Name)
This is a great intro track to any album.  It sets the tone for what you are about to get.  Big guitars, tight drums, ethereal synths, multi-track vocal harmonies.  You hear the masterful layers of effects laden guitars, synths, and deep bass tracks.  Spacey lyrics that summon the listener to join for the psychonaut journey this record beckons.

2) "Edge of the Earth"
More textures come on.  Jared comes out singing like he is calling us from the rings of Saturn.  And then when we get to the prechorus we get brought back to Earth.  Only to be slungshot back into space.  This song feels like all of the indulgences of a Tool song, without the pretense.  They are going to throw acoustic guitars at you, drum machines, 3-4 guitar dubs, all without getting too busy and over complicated.  Asking us to look into the new future; this song feels so certain about absolute uncertainty.  

3) "Fallen"
This is such a deceptive song.  It starts out feeling like cannon fodder space rock.  Simple lyrics, simple parts.  Almost throw away.  But then the pre-chorus kicks in.  It gets *too* quiet.  You know a bomb is about to come.  Sure enough, the chorus just explodes.  It quickly turns into a psychedelic anthem, going from mid tempo to big, heavy, downtuned guitar.  The chorus gets turned on its head for effect, but no matter how many stop-starts this song pulls out, the effect is never lost.  "Fallen" just feels larger than life.

4) "Oblivion"
This starts with a delayed staccato guitar part reminiscent of The Cure's early 80s period.  The guitar keeps up through the song.  But it just builds and builds.  the versus keeps adding more and more kids into the pool, until the chorus finally blows up.  It doesn't sound like The Pixies at all, but definitely feels like a call back to their loud-quiet-loud songwriting dynamic.  It is always fascinating when a band can draw from a style like that and reapply it elsewhere.

5) "Buddha for Mary"
Well, buddha starts off with what sounds like a space ship taking off, followed by an onerous bassline, and voices run through an old vocoder.  This song is everything that is cool about space rock.  Wonky, twisting, turning, dramatic, weird, and trippy.  This song will pull you back from your voyage to Mars to listen to a punk rock tail about a cautionary lady named "Mary."  She will make you obsess over her just before she breaks you. She is that beautiful and cryptic woman you meet when you are in your early 20s.  It is impossible to tell if this song is a cautionary tale, or a license to just go for it and see where it takes you.  This song is pretty much everything that 30 Seconds to Mars gets right.

6) "Echelon"
The intro here does feel a bit dated.  It definitely borrows some drum machine programming and onerous Moog parts to European EDM of the late 90s.  This song does feel like the first chink in the armor is this disc; not quite pure filler, but a bit phoned in.  It isn't without the charm of the early 30 Seconds to Mars sound, but it sounds like it just never quite finds its footing.

7) "Welcome to the Universe"
Here we get out first guest musician.  Elijah Blue Allman, son of Cher Greg Allman and frontman of fellow LA rock outfit, Deadsy, lends himself to some guitarwork.  Elijah always plays very deep, downtuned, dark, deliberative parts.  This song is no different.  At the time this album was recorded, Deadsy's debut record "Commencement" was all the buzz.  Missteps plagued Deadsy while 30 Seconds to Mars eventually found an audience beyond stoners and post-industrial scene kids.  This song, however, showcases the unique heavier sound that was coming out of the city of angels in the early millennium.  

8) "The Mission"
The song feels like a call back a bit to early Billy Idol.  Just a big 80s drum part over a steady bass line.  Even a bit of a Duran Duran backing vocal part.  the rhythm even feels a bit like "Rio."  So I guess it is sort of a prog rock version of a Billy Idol and Duran Duran cross over?  Either way, a very interesting track full of bits and pieces to drag you to and fro.  Bonus points for the outro: a metal breakdown that finds its way into doomier and doomier territory.  

9) "End of the Beginning"
Buzzing guitars call you in to find out where this track is going to lead.  Out of nowhere, it hits full power, creating an interesting dynamic.  The song likes to pull back and forth, almost call and response, between its big riffs and its more mellow and trippy elements.  Once you get to the chorus, everything that works comes together to create a wall of sound.

10) "93 Million Miles"
This song is the fuel up stop to get you ready for the rest of the album.  The mellow start just creates a warm space to relax, and coast before you reach your final destination.  This song does feel more like a vehicle to call back to where we have been, but caution us about where we are going.  The mellow parts are still full of an existential dread, and the heavy parts harken back for a space to settle down.

11) "Year Zero"
Like any good guru or space cowboy, Jared Leto pulls it back in for you to send you off.  If you are on a bad trip, or too stoned, Uncle Jared is here to feed you.  You are going to get a razor sharp guitar riff and a chorus, reassuring you "we'll never fade away."  Big guitars and a positive, almost overly confident instructor pull you back in.  As the chorus and guitars get bigger, we get another, slightly off tempo, lead vocal in pulling us in.  

This record reminds me of everything that was exciting about heavy music in the early 2000s.  There were bands reared on 80s post-punk, goth rock, industrial, and heavy metal that weren't afraid to push their boundaries.  While 3rd generation nu-metal bands began to take the airwaves, a lot of this sound went on to unfortunately be overlooked.  Somehow with a revisit 20 or so year later, it still sounds as fresh as it did in that dashboard CD changer.