Tool



The middle bit’s ok but it’s about 6 minutes too long. I gave that intro 10 seconds then fast forwarded to where it actually starts.

You're missing out man. That intro introduces motifs that come back in a different form once it kicks in. The whole thing is superbly written.
 
Ok, I’ve listened to it in full on my way to work and here’s my review:

I wanted to like this. I really did. I didn’t want the SMB jury to say “you’d decided it was shite before you’d listened” so I gave it the full play. So....
The first couple of minutes either sounds like a toddler has been let loose in a music shop and he’s wandering about touching things, or a lot of really stoned musicians tuning up.
The singer has an unpleasant tone to his voice, and I struggled to make out the lyrics. This wasn’t helped by the sound quality, which sounded like the microphone was in as different building to the singer, never mind a different room. In fact, the whole production seemed muddy, like it was recorded on an old biscuit tin. I had to check the leads several times to see if it was my equipment, but sadly it seemed to be confined to this track (or possibly this particular recording). After a while it perked up a bit and was positively SOAD-like in places, but the unusual time signatures were discombobulating and made my head hurt.
After what seemed like an eternity, it dribbled it’s last and finished much as it had begun.
So let’s cut to the chase. I didn’t like it. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t think I’ll rush to hear another Tool song again in my life. I’m sure the muso metalheads love the technical aspects, but it all seems a bit verging-on- the-self-indulgent-wankery of prog to my ears. 4 hours later and I can’t remember the tune, a hook, or any singalong parts, which is always a bad sign. 2/10
 
Are you ever going to get a hearing aid or are going to go your whole life listening to shite that sounds like someone farting on a Commodore 64?

Come on man Phil, it sounds like each member of the band is playing a different song. The thing plods on to a completely pointless climax of nothing... like most of the shite you listen to ;)

Oh and beep!


Very generous I’d say.
 
Come on man Phil, it sounds like each member of the band is playing a different song. The thing plods on to a completely pointless climax of nothing... like most of the shite you listen to ;)

Oh and beep!

It's a grower. The more you hear it, the more it makes sense. It's actually a very cleverly composed piece. One thing I love about this band is that they almost seem to be trying to push the listener away, so you have to push through the barriers they put in your way to get to the point of it. Once you get there, the reward is massive but it takes time.

For the same reason, it's why I hate most popular music I hear. Most songwriters use the standard manual of songwriting to create music that listeners will like on first listen - catchy melodies, singable choruses, easy-to-tap-along-to rhythms, earworms that you can't get rid of after only hearing it once or twice - but those songs are often ones that you can only hear so many times and then they start to bore you. If you know the "tricks" and methods they use and can spot them in a song, the songs will bore you faster.

With Tool, it's like they've read the manual cover to cover and dissected every aspect but then are deliberately twisting those methods or outright doing the exact opposite of the lessons of the standard methods so that it's almost impossible to fully appreciate their music on first listen. It's almost like they're actively trying to make it so that the listener can't easily identify with the music.

When I first heard this album, I knew there was something special there because the standard of musicianship is clearly so high and there was clearly something different about it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I gave it another chance and another and another but because there's very little in the was of earworm fodder, very little in the way of catchy melodies or choruses, it took me many many listens before that moment where everything clicked together in my mind; you know that moment where you can listen to a piece of music in your mind without even putting the CD on? Once you get to that point with Tool, it's some of the most rewarding music I've ever heard.

Well worth giving another go, and another go, and another go, and another go, until you fully absorb it.

Ok, I’ve listened to it in full on my way to work and here’s my review:

I wanted to like this. I really did. I didn’t want the SMB jury to say “you’d decided it was shite before you’d listened” so I gave it the full play. So....
The first couple of minutes either sounds like a toddler has been let loose in a music shop and he’s wandering about touching things, or a lot of really stoned musicians tuning up.
The singer has an unpleasant tone to his voice, and I struggled to make out the lyrics. This wasn’t helped by the sound quality, which sounded like the microphone was in as different building to the singer, never mind a different room. In fact, the whole production seemed muddy, like it was recorded on an old biscuit tin. I had to check the leads several times to see if it was my equipment, but sadly it seemed to be confined to this track (or possibly this particular recording). After a while it perked up a bit and was positively SOAD-like in places, but the unusual time signatures were discombobulating and made my head hurt.
After what seemed like an eternity, it dribbled it’s last and finished much as it had begun.
So let’s cut to the chase. I didn’t like it. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t think I’ll rush to hear another Tool song again in my life. I’m sure the muso metalheads love the technical aspects, but it all seems a bit verging-on- the-self-indulgent-wankery of prog to my ears. 4 hours later and I can’t remember the tune, a hook, or any singalong parts, which is always a bad sign. 2/10

And this is exactly what I was talking about in that last message to Mini I just typed. ^

The band almost seem to put blocks in the way to make you dislike the music, but if you push through those barriers it's some of the most rewarding music I've ever heard.

Interesting, your appraisal of the singer. One thing this band do is treat the singer as an equal instrument to the rest of the band, whereas in most popular music the vocal is the centrepiece and everything else is slightly in the background in comparison.

This equality is matched in their stage shows - instead of the singer being front and centre, he stands at the back near the drummer while the guitar and bass take front-left and front-right on the stage. Think of his voice as a classical instrument who's just one piece of a whole orchestra instead of being the focal point of your attention. It's not a "lead and backing" situation, it's four equal instruments: guitar, bass, drums and vocal.
 
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I can’t be arsed with difficult music though.

:lol:

I can’t be arsed with difficult music though.

Try this one from the Aenema album (the album directly before Lateralus, which that previous song was from). It's got similar themes but is a little bit more towards the instantly gratifying end of the spectrum rather than the "push the listener away" end.


Touring and new album out next year finally/hopefully :cool:
No UK dates as yet so off to see them in Florence.
Thats modern listening for you ,10 seconds then people get twitchy.Bands take 10 years writing stuff and the listener want Agaadoo at the end of it
Love tool, took years to appreciate them though

Are any of you guys also into the band Failure?

They remind me of a cross between Tool and Alice In Chains at times...

 
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:lol:



Try this one from the Aenema album (the album directly before Lateralus, which that previous song was from). It's got similar themes but is a little bit more towards the instantly gratifying end of the spectrum rather than the "push the listener away" end.







Are any of you guys also into the band Failure?

They remind me of a cross between Tool and Alice In Chains at times...


Perfect circle covered one of their songs?
 
As far as i can see, all of the announced gigs are festivals. Are they likely to also do stand alone gigs?

I'd really like to see them (again), but don't fancy any of the festivals.
 
Ok, I’ve listened to it in full on my way to work and here’s my review:

I wanted to like this. I really did. I didn’t want the SMB jury to say “you’d decided it was shite before you’d listened” so I gave it the full play. So....
The first couple of minutes either sounds like a toddler has been let loose in a music shop and he’s wandering about touching things, or a lot of really stoned musicians tuning up.
The singer has an unpleasant tone to his voice, and I struggled to make out the lyrics. This wasn’t helped by the sound quality, which sounded like the microphone was in as different building to the singer, never mind a different room. In fact, the whole production seemed muddy, like it was recorded on an old biscuit tin. I had to check the leads several times to see if it was my equipment, but sadly it seemed to be confined to this track (or possibly this particular recording). After a while it perked up a bit and was positively SOAD-like in places, but the unusual time signatures were discombobulating and made my head hurt.
After what seemed like an eternity, it dribbled it’s last and finished much as it had begun.
So let’s cut to the chase. I didn’t like it. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t think I’ll rush to hear another Tool song again in my life. I’m sure the muso metalheads love the technical aspects, but it all seems a bit verging-on- the-self-indulgent-wankery of prog to my ears. 4 hours later and I can’t remember the tune, a hook, or any singalong parts, which is always a bad sign. 2/10
You tube stuff can be woeful quality wise and as much as i think some of their stuff is some of the best my ears have heard i skip others.Sometimes i've totally got a song of theirs then its missed the other 9 times .To me that says there's massive amounts of complexity and depth to it and you have to pick your moment i think .I hate prog rock,perhaps this is prog rock but there's no lost worlds and capes and gardens of evermore etc so i've missed the connection.You're correct it has no sing a longs or hooks or rarely anyway ,thats why i hate musicals . They're fairly niche and no ones saying otherwise
 
:lol:



Try this one from the Aenema album (the album directly before Lateralus, which that previous song was from). It's got similar themes but is a little bit more towards the instantly gratifying end of the spectrum rather than the "push the listener away" end.







Are any of you guys also into the band Failure?

They remind me of a cross between Tool and Alice In Chains at times...


Will have a listen later on.
 
Didn't realise they were back together, they were a favourite back in the 90s.

Yeah, they have a couple of albums out since they reformed - one in 2015 and a new one this year.

I only heard them for the first time this year. I really like it.

Guitarist from Queens of the Stone Age was in both Failure and the original Perfect Circle line up.

You can hear that at times.

Dammit I just set fire to my moustache while trying to type and light my rolly at the same time.

Guitarist from Queens of the Stone Age was in both Failure and the original Perfect Circle line up.

Just read the Wiki page for Failure, and apparently one of them was in a band called Lusk with Paul D'amour the original bassist in Tool.

Small world!
 
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