I’ve been hooked on The Mars Volta since De-Loused in a Comatorium blasted them into the music scene in 2003. De-Loused was the perfect rock album for the 21st century, an ominous, violent, and defiantly postmodern fusion of punk’s manic energy and the majestic weirdness of Pink Floyd. Unfortunately, with each passing album they sound more and more like ADHD kids who just happen to have access to a multi-million dollar recording studio. Thankfully, their latest, The Bedlam in Goliath, is a return to form. I’ve had it on repeat since at least yesterday. Bedlam manages to distill TMV’s influences–dub, post-punk, Latin jazz, and Pac-Man beeps–into something listenable. No more 32-minute King Crimson wankoffs.

Predictably, Pitchfork doesn’t like it.