YAAR (Yet Another Album Review)
Then again, I don't think I've done more than one of these since I started using LiveJournal...
TOOL: 10,000 Days
Released May 2nd, 2006
I haven't been listening to the radio lately, or keeping tabs on what artists have been doing. I watch a lot of TV, but TOOL isn't one of those bands that gets plastered all over cellphone commercials like Yellowcard and Black Eyed Peas. So, if ddarkwolfe hadn't IM'd me on ICQ a week ago, I never would have known about it.
So I acquired a preview copy and have been listening to it over the past week, and it's amazing. 10,000 Days combines the best elements and sound mix from their last two albums, Aenima and Lateralus, while keeping their style completely unique and incomparable to any other artist out there today. It has a perfect balance of radio-single rock mixed with an ambient, progressive atmosphere that makes most of the songs on the album listen-able to just about anybody who likes hard rock, even moreso than Lateralus did. Their first single, "Vicarious," is actually in 5/4 time, but the rhythmic structure has traces of "Parabola" and "Forty-Six & 2." The second song on the album, "Jambi," starts with an incredibly sharp guitar hook that grabs your attention and holds onto it throughout the entire song. Unlike Lateralus, though, Justin Chancellor's bass takes more of a back seat to Adam Jones' guitar, though his bass lines still stand out to accent and highlight the foreground music in every song while maintaining a deep, solid rhythm core with Danny Carey's drums. Maynard pushes himself to his limits, spreading his vocals all over his available range with underlying harmonies and double-talking (on "Rosetta Stoned")...even fooling people into thinking someone else is singing on "The Pot."
Just like Lateralus, though, I'm able to listen to the entire album end-to-end without getting tired of it. The dynamics are so varied throughout each track that, despite most of them being 7+ minutes in length, they really hold my attention. Even the non-musical tracks (which is a matter of opinion) are nice to listen to, like "Lipan Conjuring" and "Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman)." The first one is just a chant and a drum beat, and it falls in a spot on the album that doesn't really have any ties to any of the other tracks, so my first instinct is to just skip it...but after listening to it a few times, it's grown on me in such a way that the album really isn't complete without it. The second one actually does tell a story, which assists in getting the gist of the next track, "Rosetta Stoned." The lyrics in the beginning are damn near impossible to decipher without a lyrics sheet, but towards the end it starts making some sense, and listening to "Lost Keys" helps in figuring out what the first part of the song was about.
This album has a deeper meaning behind it than their previous works, though. In 2003, Maynard's mother died...the songs "Wings for Marie (pt. 1)" and "10,000 Days (Wings for Marie pt. 2)" are about Judith Marie Keenan, and talk about the spiritual journey she's making. The first time I heard "Wings for Marie (pt. 1)," I cried. I wouldn't expect a band like TOOL to make me cry, but damn it, they did. It's surprising that a band known for their genre-breaking, metal-influenced, drug-induced compositions that normally involve subjects like violence, hatred, remorse, drug abuse, false martyrdom, and black humor could go to such lengths to make an incredibly sensitive piece of work that really strikes a chord with anyone who's ever lost a family member. Considering the last two songs Maynard wrote about his mother, TOOL's "Jimmy" (Aenima) and A Perfect Circle's "Judith" (Mer de Noms), were much heavier and darker, this is an incredible change of pace and style for them. Even taking into consideration "Disposition" (Lateralus), it's not something I would have expected from them.
"Vicarious" is the first radio single, and it's definitely worthy of radio play, despite being over seven minutes--but, they managed to pull it off with "Schism," so why not do it again? They're really the only band out there who can get away with it that doesn't get played only on the classic rock stations (like The Who, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, etc.). My bet on the next single is "The Pot," because just like "Vicarious" it has all the right sounds for being a radio single while not deviating from the TOOL sound. "The Pot" starts out with Maynard's voice (yes, it really is Maynard singing the whole song), followed by a very unconventional R&B-style bass line, which almost gives the song somewhat of a "dance" feel. The rhythmic structure is reminiscent of "Prison Sex" (Undertow), at least with the drums and guitar, though the bass line gives it a brand new flavor that again I wouldn't have expected to hear from TOOL. The song even talks about something that most U.S. Citizens deal with daily, "the pot calling the kettle black," hence the name. Plus, the length clocks in at just over six and a half minutes, so it's still not too long but not pop-rock-radio short either. And of course, right in the middle is a classic TOOL musical breakdown which identifies its composers.
My favorite track on the album overall is "Jambi," though. The guitar riff in the opening is incredible, and the time signature changes and almost chaotic polyrhythmic drumming really hold my ear through the entire song. And after listening to the song several times and understanding what it's about, it has a slightly deeper meaning for me. I find that I listen to this and "The Pot" the most when I'm just driving short distances (or as short as I can make a 7-minute drive), though I still listen to the whole album end-to-end when I'm not restricted by time. It would be nice if "Jambi" eventually made it to the radio, though, considering it's the only other song on the album that's not tied to anything else, and is right around the 7-minute mark.
Anyone who enjoyed either Aenima or Lateralus would have absolutely no quarrel with this album. Even people who've only ever heard "Sober" on the radio a dozen times could find something to like on 10,000 Days. Once I can afford it, I'm buying my own copy (birthday present, anyone?). End of story.
I'd give it five stars, but that's boring and I don't really like "rating" an album. If it comes out in DVD-audio, I'm getting it. Or SACD. Or even HDCD, which Lateralus was (thankfully). Let's just say, I "highly recommend" this album to anyone who likes rock music of any kind, especially along the progressive spectrum.
TOOL: 10,000 Days
Released May 2nd, 2006
I haven't been listening to the radio lately, or keeping tabs on what artists have been doing. I watch a lot of TV, but TOOL isn't one of those bands that gets plastered all over cellphone commercials like Yellowcard and Black Eyed Peas. So, if ddarkwolfe hadn't IM'd me on ICQ a week ago, I never would have known about it.
So I acquired a preview copy and have been listening to it over the past week, and it's amazing. 10,000 Days combines the best elements and sound mix from their last two albums, Aenima and Lateralus, while keeping their style completely unique and incomparable to any other artist out there today. It has a perfect balance of radio-single rock mixed with an ambient, progressive atmosphere that makes most of the songs on the album listen-able to just about anybody who likes hard rock, even moreso than Lateralus did. Their first single, "Vicarious," is actually in 5/4 time, but the rhythmic structure has traces of "Parabola" and "Forty-Six & 2." The second song on the album, "Jambi," starts with an incredibly sharp guitar hook that grabs your attention and holds onto it throughout the entire song. Unlike Lateralus, though, Justin Chancellor's bass takes more of a back seat to Adam Jones' guitar, though his bass lines still stand out to accent and highlight the foreground music in every song while maintaining a deep, solid rhythm core with Danny Carey's drums. Maynard pushes himself to his limits, spreading his vocals all over his available range with underlying harmonies and double-talking (on "Rosetta Stoned")...even fooling people into thinking someone else is singing on "The Pot."
Just like Lateralus, though, I'm able to listen to the entire album end-to-end without getting tired of it. The dynamics are so varied throughout each track that, despite most of them being 7+ minutes in length, they really hold my attention. Even the non-musical tracks (which is a matter of opinion) are nice to listen to, like "Lipan Conjuring" and "Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman)." The first one is just a chant and a drum beat, and it falls in a spot on the album that doesn't really have any ties to any of the other tracks, so my first instinct is to just skip it...but after listening to it a few times, it's grown on me in such a way that the album really isn't complete without it. The second one actually does tell a story, which assists in getting the gist of the next track, "Rosetta Stoned." The lyrics in the beginning are damn near impossible to decipher without a lyrics sheet, but towards the end it starts making some sense, and listening to "Lost Keys" helps in figuring out what the first part of the song was about.
This album has a deeper meaning behind it than their previous works, though. In 2003, Maynard's mother died...the songs "Wings for Marie (pt. 1)" and "10,000 Days (Wings for Marie pt. 2)" are about Judith Marie Keenan, and talk about the spiritual journey she's making. The first time I heard "Wings for Marie (pt. 1)," I cried. I wouldn't expect a band like TOOL to make me cry, but damn it, they did. It's surprising that a band known for their genre-breaking, metal-influenced, drug-induced compositions that normally involve subjects like violence, hatred, remorse, drug abuse, false martyrdom, and black humor could go to such lengths to make an incredibly sensitive piece of work that really strikes a chord with anyone who's ever lost a family member. Considering the last two songs Maynard wrote about his mother, TOOL's "Jimmy" (Aenima) and A Perfect Circle's "Judith" (Mer de Noms), were much heavier and darker, this is an incredible change of pace and style for them. Even taking into consideration "Disposition" (Lateralus), it's not something I would have expected from them.
"Vicarious" is the first radio single, and it's definitely worthy of radio play, despite being over seven minutes--but, they managed to pull it off with "Schism," so why not do it again? They're really the only band out there who can get away with it that doesn't get played only on the classic rock stations (like The Who, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, etc.). My bet on the next single is "The Pot," because just like "Vicarious" it has all the right sounds for being a radio single while not deviating from the TOOL sound. "The Pot" starts out with Maynard's voice (yes, it really is Maynard singing the whole song), followed by a very unconventional R&B-style bass line, which almost gives the song somewhat of a "dance" feel. The rhythmic structure is reminiscent of "Prison Sex" (Undertow), at least with the drums and guitar, though the bass line gives it a brand new flavor that again I wouldn't have expected to hear from TOOL. The song even talks about something that most U.S. Citizens deal with daily, "the pot calling the kettle black," hence the name. Plus, the length clocks in at just over six and a half minutes, so it's still not too long but not pop-rock-radio short either. And of course, right in the middle is a classic TOOL musical breakdown which identifies its composers.
My favorite track on the album overall is "Jambi," though. The guitar riff in the opening is incredible, and the time signature changes and almost chaotic polyrhythmic drumming really hold my ear through the entire song. And after listening to the song several times and understanding what it's about, it has a slightly deeper meaning for me. I find that I listen to this and "The Pot" the most when I'm just driving short distances (or as short as I can make a 7-minute drive), though I still listen to the whole album end-to-end when I'm not restricted by time. It would be nice if "Jambi" eventually made it to the radio, though, considering it's the only other song on the album that's not tied to anything else, and is right around the 7-minute mark.
Anyone who enjoyed either Aenima or Lateralus would have absolutely no quarrel with this album. Even people who've only ever heard "Sober" on the radio a dozen times could find something to like on 10,000 Days. Once I can afford it, I'm buying my own copy (birthday present, anyone?). End of story.
I'd give it five stars, but that's boring and I don't really like "rating" an album. If it comes out in DVD-audio, I'm getting it. Or SACD. Or even HDCD, which Lateralus was (thankfully). Let's just say, I "highly recommend" this album to anyone who likes rock music of any kind, especially along the progressive spectrum.