Music Reviews: Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam & Tool - 10,000 Days
So I went out and bought some new CDs last week. Yes, you heard that right, I bought music. From the store. With money.
Even though I own an iPod, I really like listening to a non-compressed CD in a dark quiet room with big juicy headphones on. Call me crazy, but you really can tell the difference between and mp3 and a CD track, especially on the sound of the snare drums and cymbals. So when a CD comes out that I know will be good, and I know I will need to give the sound the justice it deserves, I will go out and buy it. It’s kind of like going to see a movie versus renting it (or downloading it, for that matter). There are some movies that you just have to see in the theatre, like Star Wars or King Kong, and there are some CDs that you have to buy to listen to, like Nine Inch Nails or Radiohead. This is not to say that they are lesser CDs, it just means that I can live with myself if I don’t own them.
Now, the two CDs that I bought this week are must-owns. Here’s a short review of each:
Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam
So, the new Pearl Jam CD has been called a “return to form” by a lot of reviewers. It seems that the prevailing opinion on Pearl Jam is that their last few albums were crap. I for one think the crazy experimental Pearl Jam was just as good as the rest. I love Binaural and No Code, I think they have great songs on them and as a whole, the albums stand up well. And they don’t sound that much different than this new one – the only difference is that the new CD is much more accessible and fast paced. I think all of the little pieces that made me enjoy the other albums came together on this one.
If you compare this CD to Ten or Vs, they are completely different. I think these two are their best so far followed closely my Vitalogy (which was great, but had its moments of “meh…”). Where this one stands out that it combines the energy of Vs with the edge they developed over their last few albums, and that edge is what I always characterized with Pearl Jam. Whenever I hear "Alive" or "Even Flow", I think of how great those tunes could have been with a bit more of a fine touch to them. This is what they’ve managed to do with the new CD all while combining the “Anti-Bush” sentiment of Riot Act.
Standouts are “Army Reserve” which has a great groove in its main riff, as well as some good old fashioned Vedder screams and “Comatose”, a “Spin the Black Circle” rocker. As with any great album, there are some great slow tracks as well, like “Come Back” which has a slow-jam feel and “Parachutes” which feels like it could have been on a Pink Martini CD.
Overall, the album is well done and worth buying.
Tool – 10,000 Days
Okay, Tool may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly is mine! I’m not a big fan of all things heavy and loud, although in my youth, I have been known to listen to a few questionable bands (Limp Bizkit anyone?) but always with an underlying appreciation for what they were doing different. I liked the Bizkit because of Wes, their guitarist who always managed to make a regular rap-metal song different. I had a soft spot for Korn because they were the first to really tune their sound down low and experiment with it. I still enjoy the Deftones because they are more than just a metal band. And Tool has always done things a bit differently as well.
For anyone that hasn’t learned to appreciate this band – a position I completely understand – let me give you a bit of a primer. Tool is like mathematical Led Zeppelin with a good chunk of dark Black Sabbath, psychedelic Pink Floyd, and pure loudness.
Reviewing a Tool CD is hard because it isn’t very accessible, and it is definitely not easy to convince a non-listener that they should listen. As a matter of fact, if you are thinking of becoming a Tool fan, talk to me first. I’ll get you some essential listening and explanations on why what you are listening to is so awesome. It is also tough to review because you cannot listen to the tracks as single songs, true appreciation can only happen if you listen to the whole thing. And you can’t listen to it just once; you have to listen to it, in its entirety at least five times before you begin to get into it. That takes a big time commitment. Thankfully, they make their albums with five years between them, which is just enough time to digest it properly. I’ve always bought their albums shortly after their release and I have never found myself waiting for the next one. In fact, I still listen to the album of ten years ago, Aenima, with as much wonder as I did when I bought it, and I haven’t even begun to figure out their last (and best) album, Lateralus.
As such, I was a bit unprepared for this one, which is a shame because there is a lot more going on with this album than any of their last ones. It is also a lot harder to listen to because there aren’t any solid easy listening singles. Almost every tune feeds into the next one, and thematically they are all tied together. Sitting down with this one on my day off last week for a first listen was almost painful because so much was being pushed into my head at once. Now, after a week of digesting, I think it is one of their best. It definitely has some of the best tracks ever, but one or two weaker ones hurt the flow a bit.
“The Pot” is a great song with some really interesting vocal sounds. “Vicarious”, the first single, is possible the best Tool song ever, and the 17 minutes of “Wings” (a song about Maynard’s recently passed mother – split into two parts) is the most personal and emotional song Tool has ever written.
As usual, the CD is full at 78 minutes, which I love. I always feel better about buying a disk that uses all the space to its fullest. I feel like I am getting my money’s worth. Rather than run through 11 tracks, the band takes their time and develops the songs and the themes to their fullest. It is something that can seem a bit bloated if it isn’t done right, and Tool definitively does get it right by not repeating the same verse-chorus-verse structure, but rather by moving the songs forward with new ideas throughout. I know a lot of people will bristle at this comparison, but I always think of classical music when I listen to Tool simply because they never use a verse-chorus-verse formula in their songs, but rather use themes, time changes, key changes, and new ideas to build a song.
Of course, the drumming is out of this world. If you are a fan of bands that have great drummers, then you are missing out. I’ve never heard any band have such consistently mind-blowing drumming. I have no idea how they do it. The vocals are great as long as you appreciate Maynard’s style. The bass has a very different sound than previous Tool albums. I think it sounds more “prog-rock” than before, but it is featured only when it fits. The guitar work is great, and genius in its simplicity.
So, if you are willing to invest the time to understand the CD while blowing out your ear-drums, pick this up!
D.
Even though I own an iPod, I really like listening to a non-compressed CD in a dark quiet room with big juicy headphones on. Call me crazy, but you really can tell the difference between and mp3 and a CD track, especially on the sound of the snare drums and cymbals. So when a CD comes out that I know will be good, and I know I will need to give the sound the justice it deserves, I will go out and buy it. It’s kind of like going to see a movie versus renting it (or downloading it, for that matter). There are some movies that you just have to see in the theatre, like Star Wars or King Kong, and there are some CDs that you have to buy to listen to, like Nine Inch Nails or Radiohead. This is not to say that they are lesser CDs, it just means that I can live with myself if I don’t own them.
Now, the two CDs that I bought this week are must-owns. Here’s a short review of each:
Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam
So, the new Pearl Jam CD has been called a “return to form” by a lot of reviewers. It seems that the prevailing opinion on Pearl Jam is that their last few albums were crap. I for one think the crazy experimental Pearl Jam was just as good as the rest. I love Binaural and No Code, I think they have great songs on them and as a whole, the albums stand up well. And they don’t sound that much different than this new one – the only difference is that the new CD is much more accessible and fast paced. I think all of the little pieces that made me enjoy the other albums came together on this one.
If you compare this CD to Ten or Vs, they are completely different. I think these two are their best so far followed closely my Vitalogy (which was great, but had its moments of “meh…”). Where this one stands out that it combines the energy of Vs with the edge they developed over their last few albums, and that edge is what I always characterized with Pearl Jam. Whenever I hear "Alive" or "Even Flow", I think of how great those tunes could have been with a bit more of a fine touch to them. This is what they’ve managed to do with the new CD all while combining the “Anti-Bush” sentiment of Riot Act.
Standouts are “Army Reserve” which has a great groove in its main riff, as well as some good old fashioned Vedder screams and “Comatose”, a “Spin the Black Circle” rocker. As with any great album, there are some great slow tracks as well, like “Come Back” which has a slow-jam feel and “Parachutes” which feels like it could have been on a Pink Martini CD.
Overall, the album is well done and worth buying.
Tool – 10,000 Days
Okay, Tool may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly is mine! I’m not a big fan of all things heavy and loud, although in my youth, I have been known to listen to a few questionable bands (Limp Bizkit anyone?) but always with an underlying appreciation for what they were doing different. I liked the Bizkit because of Wes, their guitarist who always managed to make a regular rap-metal song different. I had a soft spot for Korn because they were the first to really tune their sound down low and experiment with it. I still enjoy the Deftones because they are more than just a metal band. And Tool has always done things a bit differently as well.
For anyone that hasn’t learned to appreciate this band – a position I completely understand – let me give you a bit of a primer. Tool is like mathematical Led Zeppelin with a good chunk of dark Black Sabbath, psychedelic Pink Floyd, and pure loudness.
Reviewing a Tool CD is hard because it isn’t very accessible, and it is definitely not easy to convince a non-listener that they should listen. As a matter of fact, if you are thinking of becoming a Tool fan, talk to me first. I’ll get you some essential listening and explanations on why what you are listening to is so awesome. It is also tough to review because you cannot listen to the tracks as single songs, true appreciation can only happen if you listen to the whole thing. And you can’t listen to it just once; you have to listen to it, in its entirety at least five times before you begin to get into it. That takes a big time commitment. Thankfully, they make their albums with five years between them, which is just enough time to digest it properly. I’ve always bought their albums shortly after their release and I have never found myself waiting for the next one. In fact, I still listen to the album of ten years ago, Aenima, with as much wonder as I did when I bought it, and I haven’t even begun to figure out their last (and best) album, Lateralus.
As such, I was a bit unprepared for this one, which is a shame because there is a lot more going on with this album than any of their last ones. It is also a lot harder to listen to because there aren’t any solid easy listening singles. Almost every tune feeds into the next one, and thematically they are all tied together. Sitting down with this one on my day off last week for a first listen was almost painful because so much was being pushed into my head at once. Now, after a week of digesting, I think it is one of their best. It definitely has some of the best tracks ever, but one or two weaker ones hurt the flow a bit.
“The Pot” is a great song with some really interesting vocal sounds. “Vicarious”, the first single, is possible the best Tool song ever, and the 17 minutes of “Wings” (a song about Maynard’s recently passed mother – split into two parts) is the most personal and emotional song Tool has ever written.
As usual, the CD is full at 78 minutes, which I love. I always feel better about buying a disk that uses all the space to its fullest. I feel like I am getting my money’s worth. Rather than run through 11 tracks, the band takes their time and develops the songs and the themes to their fullest. It is something that can seem a bit bloated if it isn’t done right, and Tool definitively does get it right by not repeating the same verse-chorus-verse structure, but rather by moving the songs forward with new ideas throughout. I know a lot of people will bristle at this comparison, but I always think of classical music when I listen to Tool simply because they never use a verse-chorus-verse formula in their songs, but rather use themes, time changes, key changes, and new ideas to build a song.
Of course, the drumming is out of this world. If you are a fan of bands that have great drummers, then you are missing out. I’ve never heard any band have such consistently mind-blowing drumming. I have no idea how they do it. The vocals are great as long as you appreciate Maynard’s style. The bass has a very different sound than previous Tool albums. I think it sounds more “prog-rock” than before, but it is featured only when it fits. The guitar work is great, and genius in its simplicity.
So, if you are willing to invest the time to understand the CD while blowing out your ear-drums, pick this up!
D.
