Seltzer

Lateralus is brilliant, and better than Aenima IMO.

__________________

xcait311

TooL and APC are my favorite bands... I just bought Puscifer's cd (V is for Vagina)... it's so different but still f*cking brilliant. Maynard is the most creative and intelligent person on the face of this Earth... I love deep and dark sh*t.

all i wanna know is why isn't tool on itunes??!?! wtf???

Rainard Jalen

His main input in the band is that of adding melody and lyrics. The real intelligence of the band lies in the creative interplay and polyrhythmic arrangements of Carey, Chancellor and Jones. And the only virtuoso is Carey. Maynard's just the charismatic frontman who the crowds relate to.

As a fan you don't know that? I'm surprised. Basically, Tool are supposed to be "anti-industry": they believe their music ought to be heard as one cohesive whole, as if you were watching a movie. Not to be disassembled and taken apart track by track. They don't intend the music that way, and feel that being on iTunes, where people can purchase individual tracks, is counter to how they are supposed to be digested and understood.



Whether or not that's a load of bull, I leave for others to judge.

DamianC

One of my best memories was seeing Tool last year for my second time on my birthday when I turned 25 last year! Ohhh the glory!!

Billy_Martin

Tool is above and beyond APC...

APC's first album was a great listen, after that they became and overrated super group.

Tool has released quality work ever since their first EP.

Rainard Jalen

That's a ridiculous thing to say. Tool isn't even particularly inaccessible! There's way more "difficult" music than Tool out there, and certainly more "intelligent" music in term of lyrical content. Furthermore, I have never found the generality of fans of this band to demontrate any particular "smartness"; pseudo-intellectual arrogance and pretentiousness, maybe. And also sheer ignorance of what else is actually going on in contemporary music.

Billy_Martin

I completely agree with you on that. I have seen Tool five times in concert and there are some really stupid Tool fans (Oklahoma City).

__________________

Miltamec Soundsquinaez

I wouldn't venture to say that tool is a 'smartperson group', as someone had mentioned. Which seems to suggest that if you listen to them, you're smart. I believe what makes them most accessible is the sheer honesty that speaks to fans. Maynard probably displays more emotions in his songs than by far most singers. From Jerk-Off, where he screams that he wants to 'shoot you in your f*cking head', far from an intellectual sentiment, but very raw emotionally, to lighter songs like Lateralus, where he sings, 'swing on the spiral of our own divinity.' What he and the band display in their music is a great deal of emotional complexity, which I believe we, as humans are very much that way. So, I think the honesty is what plays so well, from Maynard to Adam, ripping through a solo on Undertow, or much subtler work on H. Carey is an uber-aggressive drummer, but when he speaks, he is a very gentle soul. So, I think you can see that they unapologetically embody and display the range of emotions, that we, as humans feel, and I think that this is to be seen as virtuous, and something that everyone aspires to do, and is capable of doing. To attempt to make music that is reserved for a sophisticated 'elite' group of individuals with a higher I.Q. than the rest of us would be considered pretension, and honesty is not above any of us.

Rainard Jalen

I wasn't suggesting that Maynard is any sort of pseudo-intellectual. On the contrary, he isn't. He just writes about things that personally take his interest, obviously. I think Maynard's lyrical work was always quite honest, though I must say that I never felt much sincerity was emanating from that awful 10,000 Days LP, with its cliché-laden nonsense.

Miltamec Soundsquinaez

I don't really see what you consider cliche laden about it. Maynard does delve into politics on The Pot, but other than that he sings about people watching too much T.V. on Vicariously. On Wings for Marie he continues to disagree with organized religion, while at the same time mourning his mother's passing. On Rosetta Stoned he talks about an LSD induced alien abduction. Danny Carey tries out a drum kit, they sing about de-evolution, and they still play in unusual time signatures. I admit it is probably their worst album, but I'm not really sure what you want them to do, create an album that somehow creates everlasting peace and harmony on this planet?