NEW TOOL ALBUM: 10,000 DAYS. 5.3.06
Tool fans can skip this paragraph. This is just a bit of prep for the folks who have never purchased a Tool album. First off, when you buy something from Tool, you spend the first hour examining the packaging and figuring out visual puzzles inside the jacket. I don't listen to the music when I do this, but I suppose you could. The 10,000 Days album happens to be adorned with makeshift magnifying glasses. That's how Tool rolls, just so you know. Their music is just as time-consuming, so feel free to stop reading this review if you don't like the idea of clearing your weekend schedule just to listen to an album.
Ok, so here we are. As I mentioned up there, 10,000 Days came with magnifying glasses. I sure hope this is how you use them. Guitarist Adam Jones did the Art Direction yet again, and though this album carries over the eastern fractal designs of Lateralus, the band photos are done in a peculiar indoor setting that resembles my grandmother's bedroom. I couldn't help chuckling at this, as it triggered memories of all the horribly corny crap that prog rockers have done over the years. Whatever it is that Adam was going for here, I didn't pick up on it, though my first impression of the sealed album package with the reading glasses was that it was some kind of 19th century occult work, and these band photos seem to work with that vibe. Some of the doo-dads in the photos are definitely cut from that cloth, with books undoubtedly written by Crowley and the like.
There's music inside this thing too! What a treat. Except that I have to say, my initial impression is that it's a bit of disappointment. Three things are immediately different about Tool on this album: 1) Maynard is doing more things than ever with his voice, which may or may not be good depending your preference; 2) Maynard's lyrical content is way off... not as thoughtfully written by any means; 3) As we could've easily predicted, Tool's sound is edging ever closer to the realm of dark, worldly ambience. Worldly sounds like a horrible term; here, it basically means more interesting percussion and voices as instruments rather than tools for verbal communication. I'm all for this migration, but I think they could do it a hell of a lot better than they did it on this album. They've done it before on Lateralus, with live versions of "Pushit", etc.
The opening track is "Vicarious", which is also the one getting the radio spins. The track is more energetic and direct than anything on Lateralus, which I guess might be one of the reasons I'm surprised by the rest of the album. The energy of "Vicarious" is followed the track "Jambi" (mekka lekka hi mekka hiney ho?), which seems to be the bridge between older Tool stuff, a la Undertow, and what they've become on 10,000 Days. The distorted guitar drone is accompanied by lyrics and vocal melodies that I honestly find to be a bit awkward; the way the lyrics are delivered (along with the cheesy vocal delay) conjure up visions of some hot-off-the-presses rock band rather than the juggernaut that is Tool. Nevertheless, the song ends up pretty heavy, and after these two songs you're eager to hear what else Tool has to offer.
Now, rather than go through the rest of the album, I'll just tell you that it's after these two songs that I start to wonder what's going on. The lull that ensues is somewhat trance-inducing, but I can see how someone who isn't a Tool fan would just call this a spell of boredom rather than a trance. I really can't recall a definitive point after the first two songs... there are the usual peaks of heavy guitar and crashing percussion, along with riffs that reference past Tool songs, but I can't remember wanting to rewind any part of this album to hear this lyric or that drum pattern. The songs aren't tied together well enough to call 10,000 Days a "concept album", but at the same time, the individual songs aren't memorable on their own. Over-simplified guitar riffs and rhyming lyrics (Maynard, what's up dude?) aren't going to get it done for Tool fans; perhaps the APC crowd will take to this album though.
If this is the turning of a major page for the band, then it's not a bad album... it's just that Tool is the kind of band you'd expect would have sussed out their new musical approach before releasing an album. I would expect the next to be a kind of reincarnation of the band, with a keen focus on dark, ambient instrumental music. I'd be cool with that. But where I would've happily digested another album like Aenima, I don't think I'd be lining up to buy the second coming of 10,000 Days. So, here's to transition periods.
6.21.06 Edit: A more recent post provides more information on this topic.