One would think that with such a history like mine, a fascination with all things Tool would be easy to feed into and satisfy. Not so much. It may still happen but it really can't last forever. One more though? I hope. Allow me to elucidate. When I was a sophomore in high school, I heard an album called Undertow and was completely blown away by every mysterious second of it. It was enraged, heavy and beautifully crafted with a creativity so seldom found in mainstream rock. Not crisp because some record company paid a techie with a hard-on for rock n roll to over-produce a bit of music, but because they were musicians with pure talent and ingenuity. Undertow was dark and hopeless in ways that my parents actually feared. I was taken by it. Shortly thereafter, I found Opiate, Undertow's predecessor. I enjoyed it but it ultimately served more as a preface for what was to evolve.
Then came AEnima; an album which took years to hit me. I mean, I loved it instantly but the messages contained within had to surface along with aspects of my coming maturity. Some of these songs are timeless enough that I still think of them as contemporary art & philosophy that can easily apply to my life. Nearly each song has been applicable to me at some point or another. The most recent of which is "H." Lyrics within are a frightening reflection, or maybe interpretation, of what transpired between my wife & I as she started a new life while I was still trying to cling to her old one. The snake reference has haunted my dreams once or twice. Yet to be able to shout this song when I'm alone has proven to be therapeutic from time to time. I can also listen for the musical value alone... now. Musically speaking, AEnima to this day can completely dominate my attention. I indulge and put on headphones or turn it up at home to allow the fullness of sound to flood my whole being. Shake me to the core. Passionate.
But I would not want you any other way.
Lateralus came and it was progressively more positive & spiritualized than AEnima. Hopeful. Recovering. The music... oh that stunning music. It was hard to imagine that it could actually get better. More & more use of odd time signatures and synth at just the right parts. Again, every song touched me to the roots of myself. The highlight of this album for me is a triptych. Disposition, Reflection and finishing with Triad. And to experience these live!? It has the best 20 minutes of audio & visual sensory overload. Carried right away.
To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical,
And you will come to find that we are all one mind
Capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
I'll start by saying that 10,000 Days has, without a doubt, the very best artwork I have ever seen. Its totally fucking cool. You have to see it for yourself. I have, of course, given 10,000 Days time to grow on me. The connection I felt to their music thus far may have been dramatically amplified by the fact that there are 2 concepts that I have become very interested in. Healing & evolution. I feel I'm underway with them on my own now but I am certain that the initial spark of interest with these ideas were catalyzed in part by this band and their three previous releases. Though this newest work is proving to be no different, it doesn't quite carry with it a newness and furthered maturity. LSD was curious how this one would go because after an album like Lateralus, really where CAN you go from there? The messages are still wonderful, but nothing really new & mind-blowing. The music comes across as it always has; with solid integrity, hard hitting passion, and pure talent. The difference this time is that it has become a tad predictable. I love it! don't get me wrong! It's just that I think the band has finally reached their maturity as artists. Perhaps the last three are together as one work of art. This new one, a stand alone. This is likely to be an album that is fantastic, yet a reasonable place for Tool to call it enough and move on.
But is was so loud, he sure could yell.
One thing I will mention is that I've noticed the past 2 records each have some track specifically dedicated to ranting about some poser or some lawyer or both. 10,000 days is no exception. The track is titled 'The Pot'. While I certainly understand the purge of anger and frustration that must be felt while writing and performing these tracks, The Pot leaves much to be desired. Rant, rant, rant, you must have been high, rant some more. Fair enough though, I really didn't care for 'Hooker with a Penis' from AEnima either. Truth is I don't listen to these albums for those tracks anyway. The band is far more capable of using their music for touching on the spiritual & metaphysical concepts that I find much more fulfilling. I have a favorite track already. It is the second to last track. Its called '
Right in Two'. Its a song about how the angels are baffled by humans & what they've done with their gifts. I'll leave it there in the hopes that you'll read it. I'm not disappointed by 10,000 Days by any means, but I'm no longer yanked from my reality to smother myself with a music so refreshing that I can almost feel it wash over me. I rate AEnima & Lateralus 5 out of 5 stars for sure. Undertow, 4 out of 5.
I rate this album 4 out of 5 stars.
Days without Tobacco: 16
