T minus 1 week until 10,000 days...

IceBus said:
Pitchfork makes me embarassed to have ever been involved in music journalism.
Click to expand...
Trouble is though - and this is coming from a Tool fan since the early nineties, is there is much in what he says in the review.
 
Sic said:
you are actually a Pitchfork marketing contractor aren't you? we know that Pitchfork exists, and we know they'll review it...c'mon now.
Click to expand...

Haha, I just find their reviews funny.
 
Listened to it 4 times now & there's still questions in my mind - it just doesn't seem that much of a progression to me.
 
I think it's the only album that i have ever heard that has the same ending to two different songs: Wings for Marie (Prt 1.) and 10, 000 Days (Wings Pt 2).

Genius.
 
I just nipped into town in my lunchbreak to get 10,000 Days, jumped back in the car, wound the windows down (it's a sunny, balmy 20c in N.Hampshire) and stuck it on the stereo as I drove out of the car park.. I hadn't heard any of the new stuff before and when Vicarious started playing I was reet impressed :) Unfortunately it's only a five minute drive back to work so I'll have to listen to the rest of the album here at work on my laptop, not the same!

I've been a Tool fan for years, APC (MdN) did it more for me but both still cool. As for other non-standard bands, I'm a lifelong Dream Theater fan and a bit Opeth man too :)

The only bummer is that the packaging isn't going to fit in any of my cd stands :p
 
IceBus said:
I think it's a cunning ploy to make you leave it in your CD player constantly.

Still no opinions from CBS and Carzy?
Click to expand...

I have opinions, yet it is not the moment to voice them yet. I think I am brewing up quite a good analysis - yet dont want to give it until perhaps... Monday.
 
cleanbluesky said:
I have opinions, yet it is not the moment to voice them yet. I think I am brewing up quite a good analysis - yet dont want to give it until perhaps... Monday.
Click to expand...

Look CBS, sorry to ruin it but the answer is 42.
 
cleanbluesky said:
You have deep pockets
Click to expand...

I've been looking to buy some art for my room for a while anyway, and it's a limited one off run. I really loved the album art so I thought it seemed like a good idea. There goes my tax rebate though ;)
 
Okay, here are my comments on 10,000 days...

I started listening to Tool as a result of APC, and they soon became my favourite band, ever. When I first heard Lateralus it went on to be my favourite album ever.

10,000 days is a massive disappointment. There are so many problems with it when compared to Tool's other works that it is a shock.
The biggest disparity is that the lyrics are almost completely impersonal, apart from one song, Wings and 10,000 days on which the lyrics are different from usual Tool form but excellent.
Although the lyrics on Vicarious may be more interesting and soul-searching, as an attempt to admit to some of the darker impulses a person may have...
All other songs are sung about occaisional social spats, or other things happening in society and if Maynard really thinks that no-one has noticed the human propensity to war, or morbid curiosity then he is mistaken - and to be honest I cant give a **** if he wants to sing about it.

10,000 days and Wings stand out from the rest of the songs, because it is the only song that deals with a personal issue - the life and death of Maynards mother. Its no secret that Maynard isn't a Christian, but this song is sung from a Christian perspective, perhaps as a result of his mother's faith outliving his cynicism. The lyrics are absolutely excellent and stunningly honest.

There is little no real interesting innovation and to me it sounds a lot like Tool trying to play 'Toolish songs'. The singing is restrained at almost all times. There are no wonderful "burn, parasitic little tick" style vocals and hardly any dynamics or change of emphasis within the songs (like Third Eye (live))...

The production on this album is excellent, although no better than Lateralus - the musicianship is often excellent if perhaps no where near as well orchestrated as in moments on Lateralus (such as Disposition).


There are some excellent moments on this album, but they are few and far between. I do think that I am going to be playing it a lot in my album becasue it does make quite good driving music.

The biggest disappointment is that the lyrics and songs contain no insights, hardly discuss anything esoteric or spiritual. Even as recently as Thirteenth Step, Maynard could pull this out - and moments such as 'The Vanishing', 'A Stranger' and 'Gravity' still haunt me where 10,000 days fails to.

But with APC most likely no longer, and Puscifer unlikely to produce a full album I wouldn't be surprised if we were lucky enough to see another Tool album within 2 years. I am prepared to wait that long and longer for redemption. I expect that in the mean time 10,000 days will grow on me, but it will never be regarded as well as Aenima or Lateralus.
 
Have to say after one listen I diagree with the above. I honestly think this may be as good as Lateralus/Aenima (dare I say it, *maybe* even the best Tool album yet.) However, I'm reserving full judgement till I've listended to it another few times - I haven't fully taken it in yet.
 
cleanbluesky said:
Okay, here are my comments on 10,000 days...

I started listening to Tool as a result of APC, and they soon became my favourite band, ever. When I first heard Lateralus it went on to be my favourite album ever.

10,000 days is a massive disappointment. There are so many problems with it when compared to Tool's other works that it is a shock.
The biggest disparity is that the lyrics are almost completely impersonal, apart from one song, Wings and 10,000 days on which the lyrics are different from usual Tool form but excellent.
Although the lyrics on Vicarious may be more interesting and soul-searching, as an attempt to admit to some of the darker impulses a person may have...
All other songs are sung about occaisional social spats, or other things happening in society and if Maynard really thinks that no-one has noticed the human propensity to war, or morbid curiosity then he is mistaken - and to be honest I cant give a **** if he wants to sing about it.

10,000 days and Wings stand out from the rest of the songs, because it is the only song that deals with a personal issue - the life and death of Maynards mother. Its no secret that Maynard isn't a Christian, but this song is sung from a Christian perspective, perhaps as a result of his mother's faith outliving his cynicism. The lyrics are absolutely excellent and stunningly honest.

There is little no real interesting innovation and to me it sounds a lot like Tool trying to play 'Toolish songs'. The singing is restrained at almost all times. There are no wonderful "burn, parasitic little tick" style vocals and hardly any dynamics or change of emphasis within the songs (like Third Eye (live))...

The production on this album is excellent, although no better than Lateralus - the musicianship is often excellent if perhaps no where near as well orchestrated as in moments on Lateralus (such as Disposition).


There are some excellent moments on this album, but they are few and far between. I do think that I am going to be playing it a lot in my album becasue it does make quite good driving music.

The biggest disappointment is that the lyrics and songs contain no insights, hardly discuss anything esoteric or spiritual. Even as recently as Thirteenth Step, Maynard could pull this out - and moments such as 'The Vanishing', 'A Stranger' and 'Gravity' still haunt me where 10,000 days fails to.

But with APC most likely no longer, and Puscifer unlikely to produce a full album I wouldn't be surprised if we were lucky enough to see another Tool album within 2 years. I am prepared to wait that long and longer for redemption. I expect that in the mean time 10,000 days will grow on me, but it will never be regarded as well as Aenima or Lateralus.
Click to expand...

I think that's very harsh and I can't really agree with it either. I think the lyrics are a great change - particularly those in 'Right In Two', 'Vicarious', 'The Pot' and 'Wings/10'000 Days'. 'Right In Two' is very well lyrically constructed and 'The Pot' is just hilarious. I would hardly describe 'Rosetta Stoned' as being about a regular social spat or a regular occurance in society. Lateralus was a very intellectual album, whereas 10,000 Days is just very witty in a down to earth way. Esoteric is great if you are talking about spirituality which has to be more personally discovered, but the issues in '10,000 Days are by their very nature more suited to a direct and uncompromising lyrical style. I got very choked up the first time I heard 'Wings/10,000 Days' and I can't say that's ever happened to me with a Tool song before.

I didn't want a rerun of Lateralus and I'm glad we haven't gotten one. TBH I don't think anyone can do the lyrical content of Lateralus better than it has already been done on that album, and I think there would have been a real danger of Tool stagnating if they'd retread that ground. I'm glad to see a forward progression and them trying new ideas/sounds. There's piano and sampled drums and that's new - 'Intension' takes them into almost Radiohead/NIN territory.

Maynard covers a lot more lyrical ground in this album, there are a lot of really harsh brutal screams hidden in the mix that I didn't hear until about the 4th time around and the ways he's using his voice are far more varied than Lateralus which was mainly either soft and reflective or flat out brutal. The amount of changes in 'Jambi' and '10,000 Days' are different to 'Third Eye' but equally as powerful imo.

I think 10,000 Days is a great album and totally different to Lateralus and AENima and therefore hard to compare, but do I like it any less than them? No. I also have a feeling this album will continue to grow on me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom