''Tremulant'' is the debut EP release by

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band

The Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms ...

, released on April 2, 2002 on

Gold Standard Labs Gold Standard Laboratories or GSL was an independent record label which was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado by Sonny Kay. In 2000, it was relocated to San Diego, California, United States, and two years later, to Los Angeles. It was headqu ...

. Produced by Alex Newport, the EP marks the only appearance of founding bassist

Eva Gardner Eva Catherine Gardner (born February 17, 1979) is an American bassist from Los Angeles. A founding member of The Mars Volta, she has been a studio and touring musician in bands for Cher, Gwen Stefani, P!NK, Veruca Salt and Tegan and Sara. Ea ...

until the release of "Blacklight Shine" in 2022. A remastered version of the EP was released on April 16, 2014.

Recording

Regarding the EP's recording sessions, bassist

stated in 2009, "We were in

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

somewhere, and it was a really exciting time because it was just this new music. It was a new project for these guys, so they were almost really excited about it. It was great. We did three songs, and it was so fun for me too because it was the first time I had actually been in a more professional... I had done recordings before, but it was just home studios with friends and stuff. This was a more established group. It was fun to be in a professional studio, and to play with really, really great musicians."

Song information

"Concertina", often regarded as the centerpiece of the EP, is rumoured to be a brutal condemnation of Ben Rodriguez, a former bandmate of Cedric and Omar's from

At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (dru ...

, whom Cedric and Omar regarded as a

sociopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...

. According to interviews conducted with the band, they held Rodriguez responsible for tormenting

Julio Venegas ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' (commonly referred to as ''De-Loused'') is the debut studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on June 24, 2003, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. Based on a short st ...

to the point where he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. The band later re-recorded the song alongside "Eunuch Provocateur". (These re-records have yet to surface on an official release, however they can be obtained legally fro
the Comatorium
s trading forum). The backwards vocals at the end of "Eunuch Provocateur" are the lyrics from the song "

Itsy Bitsy Spider "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (also known as "Incy Wincy Spider" in Australia and Great Britain, and several other similar-sounding names) is a popular nursery rhyme and fingerplay that describes the adventures of a spider as it ascends, descends, and rea ...

". Other backwards vocals in the same song can be heard saying "did mommy or daddy ever have to spank you?". These samples come from an old LP the band used that contained children's songs. Other notable lyrics in "Eunuch Provocateur" include the lines, "Dethroned by the comatorium... de-loused in the comatorium", which foreshadow the Mars Volta's debut full-length album, ''

De-Loused in the Comatorium ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'' (commonly referred to as ''De-Loused'') is the debut studio album by American progressive rock band the Mars Volta, released on June 24, 2003, on Gold Standard Laboratories and Universal Records. Based on a short st ...

''. Additionally, the title of the EP itself is drawn from the concept story of ''De-Loused in the Comatorium'', referring to the "tremulants", creatures that dwell inside the mind of Cerpin Taxt, the main character.

Track listing

Production

*Recorded in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

from October to December 2001. *Produced by Alex Newport and

. *Album production design and layout by

Sonny Kay Sonny Kay is a visual artist and musician. Biography Kay was born in London, England on March 13, 1972, and raised in various locations including the UK, Barcelona (Spain), and Johannesburg (South Africa). His family relocated first to Los Angel ...

and

Omar Rodríguez-López Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López (born September 1, 1975) is an American guitarist and songwriter. He has formed or played in several bands, including the Mars Volta, At the Drive-In, Antemasque, and Bosnian Rainbows. He was the bassist for the ...

Personnel

– guitar *

Cedric Bixler-Zavala Cedric Bixler-Zavala (born November 4, 1974) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and lyricist of the progressive rock band The Mars Volta and the only constant member of the post-hardcore group At the Drive-In, for which ...

– vocals *

Isaiah Ikey Owens Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "th ...

– keyboards * Jeremy Ward – sound manipulation *

Jon Theodore Jon Philip Theodore (born December 30, 1973) is an American drummer. He is best known as a former member of the Mars Volta and as the current drummer for Queens of the Stone Age. After contributing to Bright Eyes' 2020 album, ''Down in the We ...

– drums *

– bass

References

{{Authority control The Mars Volta albums Post-hardcore EPs 2002 EPs Gold Standard Laboratories EPs Albums produced by Alex Newport