album reviews

pick of the litter
Tool
10,000 Days

(Volcano, 2006)

   I’ve never really been a fan of Tool. In fact, the past couple of years, I have scoffed as my friends have argued the band’s greatness.

   They spent tireless hours trying to convince me of the genius that is Maynard James Keenan, Justin Chancellor, Adam Jones and Danny Carey. Skeptically, I listened to each of Tool’s albums and even saw them live, but despite the enthusiasm everyone else seemed to have, they never hooked me.

   So, in March, when whispers started about Tool’s new release, 10,000 Days, I turned the other way. As each bit of new information was leaked, I rolled my eyes, figuring the band would do no more to impress me than past albums had

   Nevertheless, after listening to the album, the band managed to pique my interest.

    As “Jambi” started, my ears perked up, and my mind forced me to turn the volume up. Right off the bat, the intense, deep, howling guitar commands attention as rolling drums quickly mimic a fast-paced heartbeat.

   Keenan’s deep-throated vocals shoot from soothing to raspy then tense to calm. Late in the song, Jones changes the guitar to wailing, high-pitched strained notes

   From there on out, the CD held me in, refusing to let go of every ounce of my attention.
I found myself listening to songs over and over. “Rosetta Stoned” also drew me in. Keenan starts the song with fast, almost inaudible words that run together. His voice is scratchy and harsh, and in the background a spacey sound weaves in with the guitars. Suddenly, Keenan breaks into delicate, harmonious vocals broken up by the strident speaking. The song lasts for more than 11 minutes but never gets boring

   “Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman)” begins with a two-and-a-half-minute introduction that consists of a piercing, drawn-out noise. Jones plays three slow notes repetitively. At the 2:37 mark a female starts speaking about a patient who won’t tell anyone what’s wrong. A doctor responds to the woman, but other than that, the song consists of the same three-note guitar progression and the long, shrieking sound. It serves as nothing more than the whimsical lead into “Rosetta Stoned.”

   10,000 Days shocked me and put me in a state of awe, and Tool fans won’t be disappointed. The hype surrounding the album is more than worth it. Tickets for the mini-warm-up tour Tool planned for May sold out within minutes of going on sale. On their Website, the band told fans not to worry because it’s planning a larger tour that will hit more of the U.S. and be held in larger venues.

   Listening to the CD made me think, “why haven’t I liked Tool before now?” So I went back and listened to all of their old albums. The conclusion I came to is that 10,000 days is slower, more deliberate and artsy. The band seems to have reached a new maturity in their music that makes them more appealing to me, and I really look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

-Cassie Hood hoodc@mscd.edu

 

   I’ve never really been a fan of Tool. In fact, the past couple of years, I have scoffed as my friends have argued the band’s greatness.

   They spent tireless hours trying to convince me of the genius that is Maynard James Keenan, Justin Chancellor, Adam Jones and Danny Carey. Skeptically, I listened to each of Tool’s albums and even saw them live, but despite the enthusiasm everyone else seemed to have, they never hooked me.

   So, in March, when whispers started about Tool’s new release, 10,000 Days, I turned the other way. As each bit of new information was leaked, I rolled my eyes, figuring the band would do no more to impress me than past albums had.

   Nevertheless, after listening to the album, the band managed to pique my interest.
   
   As “Jambi” started, my ears perked up, and my mind forced me to turn the volume up. Right off the bat, the intense, deep, howling guitar commands attention as rolling drums quickly mimic a fast-paced heartbeat.

   Keenan’s deep-throated vocals shoot from soothing to raspy then tense to calm. Late in the song, Jones changes the guitar to wailing, high-pitched strained notes.

   From there on out, the CD held me in, refusing to let go of every ounce of my attention.

    I found myself listening to songs over and over. “Rosetta Stoned” also drew me in. Keenan starts the song with fast, almost inaudible words that run together. His voice is scratchy and harsh, and in the background a spacey sound weaves in with the guitars. Suddenly, Keenan breaks into delicate, harmonious vocals broken up by the strident speaking. The song lasts for more than 11 minutes but never gets boring “Lost Keys (Blame Hoffman)” begins with a two-and-a-half-minute introduction that consists of a piercing, drawn-out noise. Jones plays three slow notes repetitively. At the 2:37 mark a female starts speaking about a patient who won’t tell anyone what’s wrong. A doctor responds to the woman, but other than that, the song consists of the same three-note guitar progression and the long, shrieking sound. It serves as nothing more than the whimsical lead into “Rosetta Stoned.”

   10,000 Days shocked me and put me in a state of awe, and Tool fans won’t be disappointed. The hype surrounding the album is more than worth it. Tickets for the mini-warm-up tour Tool planned for May sold out within minutes of going on sale. On their Website, the band told fans not to worry because it’s planning a larger tour that will hit more of the U.S. and be held in larger venues.

   Listening to the CD made me think, “why haven’t I liked Tool before now?” So I went back and listened to all of their old albums. The conclusion I came to is that 10,000 days is slower, more deliberate and artsy. The band seems to have reached a new maturity in their music that makes them more appealing to me, and I really look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

-Cassie Hood hoodc@mscd.edu

Taking Back Sunday
Louder Now
(Warner Bros., 2006)

   Taking Back Sunday’s latest release, Louder Now delivers a more epic sounding, emotionally gripping and powerful version of a post-hardcore band already known for developing itself as a hit-making machine. And after hitting as many speed bumps as they have, it’s even more amazing that they’re going stronger than ever, stepping outside of boundaries and creating music that is admirable, meaningful and lasting.

   Louder Now, their first major label release, is one of the most musically captivating
albums to hit the shelves this year. Urgent, cultivated and danceable, the album bursts with snappy guitars, catchy-as-hell choruses and fearless songwriting skills that flex their muscles with stylistic fervor.

   The band’s signature style of vocal layering offers a familiar feel, incorporating a more panicked, lyrical delivery that demands the listener to stop what they’re doing and pay attention. Vocalist Adam Lazarra declares a level of enthusiasm more intense than the dancing old man on Six Flags commercials, but in an emotional, sincere, rock ‘n’ roll type of way.

   The band takes on a new level of musicianship through the introduction of the violin, viola, cello and other nontraditional instruments to create a more refined and mature sound. On the album’s softer songs, it’s easy to get lost in the hypnotism of the drums, melodies and instrumentation, forging a more dramatic and complex feel to the album overall. The band carefully placed the softer songs between the louder, more aggressive ones, offering a level of dynamism reflective of the difference in emotion between them.

   Taking Back Sunday launched their tour in support of the album March 31 in Boulder, and gave a performance that spoke volumes to the band’s level of pride and ambition for the album. They were poised, self-assured and on top of their game when testing the new songs on a sold-out crowd at the Boulder Theater.

   Taking Back Sunday is doing great things, and if that means they become one of the most copied bands by kids whose bands are years behind them musicianship-wise, it’s only a testament to the staying power the band has. They are ahead of the pack, progressing, maturing, leading the way and maintaining a level of brilliance other bands just don’t seem to have. May the best band outlive the scene.

-Sarah Conway sconway6@mscd.edu

 

Morrissey
Ringleader of the Tormentors
(Attack/Santuary, 2006)

   Morrissey said his new album, Ringleader of the Tormenter, was going to be a bit harder and more of a pure rock ‘n’ roll collection, than his last. While it has a very similar feel to Morrissey’s last album, You are the Quarry, it leaves something to be desired at first listen. On the other hand, Tormentors picks up where the last left off.

   Throughout the album Moz (as his fans affectionately call him) uses more vocal effects
than usual and then backs them up with what sounds like a children’s choir on several cuts. The vocal effects have a splendid result, especially the cathedral-big, deep-in-the-well-of-my-solitude super-reverb, but seem strange on some cuts.

   The ex-Smiths front man delivers on those songs that promised to rock. The first track, “I Will See You in Far Off Places,” has a strong beat and expert bass line bringing power to the synth-laden, Middle Eastern central riff. It calls to mind Eric Serra’s soundtrack for the film “The Fifth Element.”

   “You Have Killed Me,” is a down-tempo, but ballsy tune. Among Morrissey’s best, it’s reminiscent of his early solo hit, “Every Day is Like Sunday.

   Most evident among the angst-dripping tunes is “Dear God, Please Help Me,” which follows up on Quarry’s “I Have Forgiven Jesus,” coming from Moz’s unique well of despair and strewn throughout with overt sexual references.

   “Life is a Pigsty,” one of Morrissey’s more repetitive whiners, continues the slow bit of Tormentors, but the rest of the record is strong and rocking. Look for Morrissey’s talented side on “I’ll Never be Anybody’s Hero Now,” “I Just Want to See the Boy Happy” and “To Me You are a Work of Art,” which evokes the spirit of Quarry’s “Let Me Kiss You.”

   The combination of heavy vocal effects and the children’s choir is at least interesting on “At Last I am Born,” but is, at best, disappointing.

   Morrissey continues his criticism of the U.S. with references in “I Will See You in Far Off Places,” although with tongue planted more firmly in cheek this time. Overall, he seems more upbeat on this record—even more so than on the last. Could he finally be happy?

   Lyrically weaker than Quarry, Tormentors still has a number of high points. Look for ome stellar guitar moments nestled in the gaps throughout the album. The musicianship on the disc is excellent, though a couple tracks leave some depressingly unfilled
gaps.

-Dan Schneider dschne17@mscd.edu

M-1
Confidential
(Scotti/Koch, 2006)

   M-1 of the acclaimed hip-hop duo Dead Prez continues the legacy of the group’s mission
to instigate revolution with the release of his debut solo album, Confidential. It could be the dual disc with the album on one side and a DVD feature on the other, but there is (and always has been) something genuinely innovative about this Jamaica-born Brooklyn
rapper.

   Peace and freedom are virtually nonexistent words in the lyrical gab of hip-hop artists,
but this isn’t the case on Confidential. From the intro, the adrenaline-pumped production
on this album is sure to raise blood pressures.

   Gunshot-like drums, high-powered horns, gothic organs and bluesy guitars dramatically
embellish each track. Right down to his paranoid hoarse whisper on “Confidential,” much can be expected from the incomparable level of intensity and passion delivered by M-1 throughout the album.

   The album’s most notable tracks include “5 Elements,” “Been Through,” which features
the powerful young vocals of Re’, and “’Til We Get There,” a track that speaks to the hopes of building and maintaining peaceful lifestyles among a violent generation.

   Major cameos on the album include Dead Prez’s other half, stic.man, on “Early,” Q-Tip on “Love You Can’t Borrow” and Styles P on “Comrade’s Call.”

   A central and contentious element of the album is that many tracks end with M-1’s narrative analysis of controversial issues like invasion of privacy by the Bush administration
and the life of revolutionary leader Assata Shakur.

   On the flip side of the disc is a DVD feature where fans can find an extended interview
with M-1. Aside from his occasional banter, the focal point of the DVD gives the stories behind Confidential. M-1 walks through the defining point of each song and shares his personal sentiments. As a highlight, the DVD also features the music video for “’Til We Get There.”

Capable of arousing controversy, Confidential is a thought-provoking project designed to blend music and subversive education. Though other reviews say Confidential is a less confrontational album than previous releases from Dead Prez, M-1 is well known to work beyond the norm and has simply taken a fresh approach to delivering his message.

   It is evident that M-1’s responsibility is to share his experience as opposed to conforming to the aggressive nature of hip-hop, which makes sense when he states on “Land, Bread & Housing,” “…better a revolutionary than a rapper anyway.

For more information on Confidential, M-1, or to view the “’Til We Get There” music video visit www.kochrecords.com. M-1 is also on MySpace at www.myspace.com/m1rbg.
- Celia Herrera cherre12@mscd.edu