Posted in: Rock by Jennifer L Hall on July 1st, 2008 | 1 Comment
I describe what I like in music and my apprehension for checking out the band Tool. But as I am introduced to their music, I am spellbound.
I have always considered myself to having a very keen sense of good music. I can appreciate someone’s art as it is presented, but maybe the song reminded me of a sad memory, or a feeling that made me not like it for a personal collection. A lot of the music I really like and get in to, I don’t really know the words, only the music. I get into the music and the singing more than I do in to lyrics. And it still hits me hard in my soul, pumping through my blood.
Literally, how does it make me feel emotionally. Certain uses of the instruments, melting together to form this powerful chord, can make me feel happy, dancing around the room, or they can make me feel freakin sexy, wanting to take me strip my clothes off. Some music just makes me want to bust the doors wide open and raise my arms up and imagine myself being set on fire.
And now, sheesh I’m embarrassed that I haven’t listened to them earlier, Tool has been introduced to me. I thought they were one more of those cheesy “I’m gonna yell and scream my angst with these shitty ass, anyone can play them, power chords”. But oh no… The music Tool puts together is sacredly animalistic. It expresses the human soul beautifully and accurate. I have no clue what they are really singing in words, but the vocals sound almost frantic but confident to survival. The bass player kicks ass keeping the original melody while tribal like guitars bring in the pain. On the album 10k, Tool brought in what sounded like Native American talent which sounds like its cheesy, but its not. Tool uses trance like riffs in some of their slower songs, but these are no dance parties. Their music just makes me feel alive.
Kelson July 7th, 2008 at 1:54 am
10k days was an interesting album. Defined by it’s attention to human sorrow and suffering. The entire album is about the 10000 days that Maynard James Keenan’s mother was paralyzed before her eventual death. The song “wings pt. 2″ is Maynard speaking to God to tell him not to hold his life against his mother who was deeply religious while MJK is an outspoken atheist. in my opinion their best work came in Lateralus, mostly on the song Lateralus. the entire song is based around the Fibonacci sequence. The syllabic verse is 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 8, 5 during the chorus and the entire song is just beautifully crafted.