What’s the best part about Tool‘s Lateralus? What makes it the number two in my Tool Top 10? That catchy riffs with Adam and Justin intertwining? Maynard’s Fibonacci inspired (deliberate or otherwise) lyrics? Danny’s polyrythmic drumming? The cathartic last minute of the song? The laser show during the live set? All of those things appeal to me, but my favorite parts of Lateralus are both guitar solos, and they are… Read More »My Tool Top 10: #2 Lateralus
Blair posted the Tool Newsletter for the month of September. Not really much to report except that Danny & Justin have been fishing, and that perhaps I should too. As much as I love the great outdoors, there is no time for fishing, as I have a Tool Top 10 to complete!
I’ve been a little busy of late, so my Tool Top 10 has been on the backburner, however now that things are settling down, it’s time to work towards the top 3! I don’t think my top 3 will come as a surprise to many of you, though perhaps the order may. Anyway, number three is fittingly Third Eye. There were plenty of eye opening moments for me on Aenima.… Read More »My Tool Top 10: #3 Third Eye
Ettan posted this interesting Youtube video the other day, which features Travis Shinn talking about the effort required to compose and shoot the liner note photos for Tool‘s 10,000 Days. Well worth your time if you have a few mionutes spare:
Lateralus has almost the perfect opening track. The Grudge is one that features great work from all four members of the band, and is most commonly the track I recommend to new fans to listen to in order to see what Tool really sound like. When I heard it I felt like Justin was truly a member of the band for the first time. The bass work in the track… Read More »My Tool Top 10: #4 The Grudge
Stinkfist is the second Tool song I ever heard (or at least remember) and was the first to really drag me in. I’d heard Sober on the radio before, but hearing Stinkfist played on afternoon on Triple J by Adam Spencer seemed to do it for me. The mix of the distorted and clean vocals are what sticks in my mind, and the next day I was down at the… Read More »My Tool Top 10: #5 Stinkfist
Undoubtedly one of the highlights of Aenima, Pushit is a powerful piece of love gone wrong, and is a popular one with many Tool fans. In fact I imagine quite a few would argue that #6 isn’t high enough! Not to mention the fact that I didn’t choose the Salival version (I do indeed prefer the original). Musically the song shows almost all of the colours of Tool. It has… Read More »My Tool Top 10: #6 Pushit
Maynard posted a photo on Instagram today which seems to hint at happenings in the Tool and A Perfect Circle worlds: Not sure what the photo is about, but the caption for the pic reads: For my 666th IG photo, I’d just like to say… Music is happening on ALL fronts. Always. #lightenupfrancis #shitupandletmework #tool2014 @aperfectcircle @tool @puscifer Let’s be honest – it’s a little early to get too excited,… Read More »Maynard drops Tool & APC hint
Eulogy is a show case for Maynard’s talents. The singing pushes the boundaries of his vocal cords. I’m yet to hear a good live bootleg where Maynard really nails this – those high notes are just too high to hit consistently. And the lyrics are extremely quotable. Where you look at them as a reference to Bill Hicks, L Ron Hubbard or someone else, it’s easy for many of us… Read More »My Top 10 Tool Songs: #7 Eulogy
Most of you who know me well know that I like heavy music, so it would possibly come as no surprise to many to see Hooker With A Penis entering my Tool Top 10 list. It features Adam’s guitar cranked to 11, and Maynard’s rage level cranked just as high. Lyrically it’s not one that is open for a great deal of interpretation – Maynard’s rant about artisitic integrity is… Read More »My Top 10 Tool Songs: #8 Hooker With A Penis