Tremulant
The Mars Volta; "Eunuch Provocateur"; Purchased from eBay
Just like Californication, this record was a musical high-water mark for me. All too brief at just three songs, this EP by The Mars Volta cracked open my teenage brain and poured in a world of possibilities. It wasn’t just music—it was a cryptic invitation to explore sci-fi epics, occult mysteries, and existential angst. There are too many memories that could be matched with this music, so a description of its outsize influence will have to suffice.
I didn’t just listen to this record; I literally studied it. Its lyrics sent me to the thesaurus, chasing definitions and dissecting meanings. The sci-fi allusions captivated me immediately. Vague nods to Dune and Blade Runner weren’t just words; they were doorways to something vast and strange. There was a cryptic mysticism at play too—whispers of esoterica and suicide that felt like an invitation to ponder big, unsettling questions.
I discovered Tremulant around the same time as Relationship of Command, and the contrast between the two was astonishing. Both featured some of the same musicians, but they felt like they had come from entirely different worlds. Relationship of Command was angular and urgent, a fist pounding on the table—it had something to say even if it was word salad; Tremulant was sprawling and enigmatic, like a fever dream unfolding in slow motion. It revealed the possibilities of long-form songs, of soundscapes that didn’t just support the lyrics but told their own stories.
At the time (and as I’ve written before), I didn’t understand punk music, but Tremulant was punk-adjacent, a jagged shard of energy that didn’t shy away from experimentation. It infused the urgency of punk with the cavernous echoes of dub, a genre I was just beginning to explore. The result wasn’t merely a blend of styles but a new language, one that dared you to interpret its cryptic grammar.
At 15, I was at the perfect age for Tremulant to hit me like a lightning bolt. My electric bass had become my constant companion, and I was hungry for music that challenged me—music that demanded more than passive listening. It opened a portal to a different kind of creativity, one that didn’t rely on hooks or traditional structures but instead invited you to immerse yourself in its world. This EP wasn’t meant to be understood fully on first listen—or even the tenth. It rewarded patience and curiosity, offering layers to peel back and puzzle over.
Tremulant wasn’t just a musical milestone—it was a foreshadowing. Its cryptic allure and sprawling soundscapes opened the door to a lifelong fascination with music that demands engagement and exploration. This EP planted the seeds for my discovery of more intricate and mystic compositions, the kind that weave sound into philosophy and invite deeper introspection. It wasn’t just the end of a chapter—it was the beginning of a journey into the boundless possibilities of sound as both art and inquiry.
Verdict: Keep
What was the first musical piece that broke your brain open?