I can't say I'm the epitome of music criticism; in fact, I generally despise the entire process. I won't pretend I understand why someone considers numbers useful in relative comparison of two dissimilar sounds - it doesn't mean anything. I guess I believe reviews should illuminate rather than sell, but that's an art few (myself not included) possess.

With that in mind, I'm trying to see how to approach The Mars Volta's latest album "The Bedlam in Goliath." Have you ever been woken by a bear, inexplicably wearing a taupe robe and a silver watch, mauling your walls in attempt to rip them open and muttering something about British Romanticism? Assuming the answer is no, that might give you a picture at what summarizing the album is like.

This is the band's fourth LP, released on Jan. 29, and represents everything the lead singer Cedric Bixler- Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez have been striving for. "The Bedlam in Goliath" would most likely be the band's most accessible album, though that's about as pointless as saying "Ulysses" is more accessible than "Finnegan's Wake."

I'd prefer not to give "The Bedlam in Goliath" a genre, but if I was pressed to do so, I'd call it prog-latin-punk-free-style jazz fusion with heavy occult influences. I wish I could be more elucidating, but The Mars Volta have made a habit of making their music inconceivably difficult to pin down. You're just going to have to listen to it.

Since the LP refuses to be user-friendly, I'd recommend starting with tracks three and four ("Ilyena" and "Wax Simulacra") and possibly following up with track ten ("Ouroborous"). At that point, if you don't particularly like the album, I can understand. However, if you say you hate it, I might be a tad confused.

Assuming that you did in fact chose to listen to the album, there are a few things worth highlighting. First of all, this time around, The Mars Volta opted out of ambient noise and eerie background passages. In "The Bedlam in Goliath," the band makes an attempt at creating constant movement, rarely pausing. The only real exception is "Tourniquet Man," the sixth track of the album.

The source of the constant movement seems to be the new replacement drummer Thomas Pridgen's desire to destroy his drum set through sheer force. In comparison to the band's previous work, the drums play a more central and slightly less rhythmical role. Another change in the sound of the new LP is that Rodriguez-Lopez demonstrates an astronomical amount of restraint in his guitar work. While his solos still approach the incomprehensible, their length and atonality has been truncated in exchange for precision. This fact aside, those fans of his solo albums will still find evidence of his influence, though in a different manner.

In the past paragraph or so, I've mentioned all things that have changed. In spite of these differences, the album somehow remains faithful to the sound defined in the band's preliminary album "Deloused in the Comatorium." This is true, for the band still maintains sonic manipulation as their identifying trait, and Cedric-Bixler's lyrics refuse to become anything close to coherent to anyone but himself. I have to admire his determination, considering that most critics merely assault him for being esoteric to the point of neurosis. I personally find it appealing, but that's just me.

So, if you have a penchant for the occult, music or just a lot of free time, be sure to find your way to "The Bedlam in Goliath."