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10,000 Days By Andrew Danesi There was once a time, way back in the day when a band got together and wrote a cohesive collection of songs and ideas and put them into a nifty little package. This convenient package was called an album. It was usually filled with pictures and photos of the band, or art work depicting the bands ideas and concepts. In today's day and age it seems this idea has almost died out completely, save for a few bands such as Coheed and Cambria, Hawthorne Heights, and The Mars Volta. These bands are trying very hard to bring back the idea that buying an album is worth your hard earned greenbacks. One band, however, has always done this, Tool. If you are a fan you already know what I am talking about. Every Tool album is a grouping of ideas and concepts that all seem to flow perfectly with one another, and their latest work is no exception. 10,000 Days is nothing short of awesome, even awe-inspiring. The disc starts out with the radio single "Vicarious," which seems to come right out of their last album Lateralus. The opening guitar riff and drum patterns sound very reminiscent of "Schism" and "Parabola." The song itself is very intense and has a very straightforward message, with lyrics as blunt as "...I need to watch things die... from a distance vicariously I live while the whole world dies." The song's similarities to Schism end once you hear the breakdown section in the song. Yup that's right folks, a straight-up, hardcore breakdown, complete with a 4/4 timing. It's probably that Meshugga influence Adam Jones had been talking about on the band website for so long. The real stand out tracks are "Wings for Marie (Part 1)" and the title track "10,000 Days (Wings Part 2)." These two tracks are really one song running at about 18 minutes in length. The song is believed to be about Maynard James Keenan's mother, who passed away. The song vocals are practically buried into the music, almost as if Keenan didn't want everyone to hear all of what he has to say. Listening closely to "Wings for Marie," you can hear the pain in his voice and lyrics, as he sings it as if it were a prayer or a hymn. Its second half, "10,000 Days (Wings Part 2)" sounds like a funeral march. They even threw in a thunderstorm in the background to set the scene. Adam Jones guitar work is his best yet, incorporating more atmospheric timbers and holding out notes for as long as the Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor wall of rhythm allows. The other stand out track on the album is "Rosetta Stoned," a stark contrast to the calm spiritual resonance of "10,000 Days." This song's lyrics are barely audible due to Maynard's lightening fast, rhythmic vocal styling, making him sound like a mad man shouting into a telephone. Rosetta Stoned is, again, part of a bigger piece which starts with the track titled "Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)," which is an instrumental with dialogue spoken over it. I won't give anything away, but I will say it is worth looking up the lyrics on the 'net because the story the two tracks tell is quiet interesting and humorous as well. Remember when I mentioned that albums usually were a package that were a feast for the eyes as well. Well taking a page out of the Led-Zeppelin album making rule book, this disc comes complete with a set of built-in glasses which are used to view the stereoscopic imagery in the CD booklet. There are even four portraits of each band member in a different setting (I know all of you Tool fans out there who haven't purchased the disk yet must be thinking the same thing - WOW.) I've also learned that there is some type of puzzle in each of the images, which include artwork by Alex Grey, who did the artwork for Lateralus and their last tour as well. Overall, this album is probably their best yet. I can safely say this album can go up on the top shelf next to Dark Side of the Moon, Led-Zeppelin IV, and The Beatles White Album. Tool never falls short of bringing out true emotions with their music. Whether they're trying to scare you, make you chuckle, or mourn the loss of someone you wish you knew; they truly know how to make you stop and think, even if just for a brief 75 minutes. |
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