Tool is a band that I started listening to in high school, and has remained a band that I listen to often. I'm not sure if it's something the rest of the ensemble would be into, but I thought they were worth putting up. I'm a bit worried that maybe you guys would find the videos repulsive? If it's too much, let me know and I'll take them down. I didn't think they were bad though.
I'm not really into metal...rock and punk were more my style. However, Tool is a strange bird. Their guitar riffs are heavy, but their lead singer, Maynard James Keenan can really sing. He doesn't need to scream or yell, he's got a good singing voice. The thunderous guitar riffs even have their strange melodic quality after a while that can draw you in. For this reason they've been called "trance rock" or "trance metal" at times. Of course, the content of their songs is dark and generally disturbing.
Tool's wikipedia entry
Most of their songs are of human interest...the dark sides of life, death, religion, human failings, and sexuality. The band's mantra has always been "think for yourself." Some critics have called them "the thinking man's metal" because they touch on ideas that not a lot of other bands do. Some of their songs may seem like a creepy gothic metal-art-rock, but their videos really seem that way. They came in at the height of the alternative music craze, which made them popular with their album Undertow in 1993. The bleak and soul charing photos within the album helped set their tone and style. Their second album was Aenema, which came in 1996 after the alternative craze had ended...and it didn't do as well as their first album. In 2001, they released their third album was Lateralus, which became their biggest selling album...probably because of the lack of good hard rock on the American music scene at that time. They've had numerous shorter releases, including a "pre-album" called Opitate in 1991, but I've listed their main, easy-to-find releases.
As for the band members...they generally live normal lives and are pretty reclusive for "rock stars." Much that has been written about them is rumor and crap. They do not worship the devil...none of their imagery is satanic. If you want to read more about their lives....read here under biographies.
Vocals: Maynard James Keenan
Guitar: Adam Jones
Drums: Danny Carey
Bass: Justin Chancellor
I've uploaded a sample of their music to YSI: Tool Selections
Here's also some links to their visually creative, but highly disturbing videos. The quality on them is not the best, but I think they're still kind of creepy. Imagine "Corpse Bride" gone wacko. Click on the photos for the videos. You'll need to be able to play real media files.
Prison Sex
This is probably one their most disturbing and brilliant videos. It's strange, ugly, and heartwrenching at the same time. The song and the video are basically about child abuse. The singer, Maynard James Keenan, has been vocal about his dislike for his step-father...and you can probably follow the logic from there after seeing the video. Like most artists, he probably used it as material for the song and as an outlet for the abuse he suffered. The image of the broken doll that represented an abused child stayed with me a long time after I first saw it. It's pretty abstract, but I might still advise some caution if you're overly sensitive and good at decoding symbolism.
Stinkfist
This is one of their more fun videos...it's just creepy and weird to be creepy and weird. It actually uses live actors and is a brilliant piece of abstract art, at least I do. The symbolism is a bit more straightforward, the easiest of which is "the opening of one's eyes to the truth, and shedding the lies that cover you." Watch as the main character has his eyes opened (when he inexplicably turns obsese) and sees all sorts of strange creatures.There are other metaphors...but they probably don't need to be explained here.
Edit: There's actually a slightly better quality streaming video at singingfool. Have to sit through a short commerical though.
There are other videos, but you can see them from the website listed above.
Limited Discography:
Aenema
Lateralus
wow, i've never listened to music of this style. i don't know if this kind is more guy-oriented, since most girls prefer those light ones...
ReplyDeleteWhoa, the album covers are kool, and the videos are about the most abstract and disturbing MVs i've ever seen, maybe you really should put a big 'Caution!' sign there. But I kinda like this, the same way i like all dark, disturbing but true, heartfelt things. Gonna try their songs, thanks for the YSI upload!
ReplyDeleteRock being guy-oriented? Hmmm...I kinda think the rock scene would be much duller without all the massive screaming shrieking female fans..for the rockers at least. Haha, just a thought. I do think that girls (and women) go for rock too, although often for different reasons from guys...glamour, sex appeal, the sheer life force of it..or maybe the reasons aren't that different for either gender after all? Personally, it's the darkness the anger the angst the frustration and the sweetness that totally draw me in..lol.
ReplyDeleteI know Tool has a huge female following in the US. I think it's because they're not macho or misogynistic with loads of groupies hanging off their arms. All they care about is the music and their art.
ReplyDeleteThey're one of the few bands that doesn't really have that male aggression quality to it even though the music can be loud.
Or at least they don't make the music for one sex or another. I think it's just what your taste is. I know this would probably be very different from what you guys were used it, which is why I put it up :-).
Hmm, I tried their songs. I have to say Keenan's voice is great! Stinkfist is a bit 'noisy' for me. I find the rest neutral. It'll take some time before I get into their music though.
ReplyDeleteThe videos are fascinating! Prison Sex is stopmotion clay animation which appealed to me alot. I looked up the Wikipedia link and it says most music videos are done by 'Jones'. Jones who? Tool's guitarist Adam Jones?? Didn't know they had multi talents lol. The content is pretty dark but I'll call it 'rock art' ^^
Yeah, all their videos were done by Adam Jones, the guitarist. In an interview, he said he felt more comfortable as a visual artist than a musician. He's worked on movies too, like Jurassic Park in make up effects I think. They're all pretty multitalented.
ReplyDeleteThe videos for "sober" and "aenema" are stop motion too, but the quality was bad. They're on the toolshed website though.
Wow really impressive! I'll check out sober and aenema.
ReplyDelete