A few months after their self-titled seventh album announced the return of Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala as The Mars Volta, the group present a potent reimagining of that reunion opus. Much more than a simple “unplugged” reading of The Mars Volta’s 14 songs, this acoustic rendition furthers the mission of the source music, which drew into sharper focus the traditional Latin influences that have always inspired their music. This is, says Rodríguez-López, The Mars Volta’s version of a “folk record”, tracing the melodies and rhythms of the parent album back to their traditional Caribbean roots and challenging listeners to hear the group in an entirely new light.