The Soothing Sounds of TOOL

Is it possible that Tool is actually an easy listening band? It's weird, I don't normally like anything metal or too aggressive, and there are tons of crappy bands who churn out this sort of LA heavy rock that I just can't stand.

But Tool is in a different category to me. They are intelligent, deep, almost alien, and do not neatly fit into the "metal" category, despite the intense razorburn guitar sound and mammoth production style. I actually find them soothing. Maynard's voice has a lilting quality to it that is oddly comforting, and the wash of bass and guitars working with his voice, over a strange math-rock rhythm, just makes me feel like I'm listening to music that improves my brain.

All Hail Tool!

They are on my best of the decade list, which you can see here:

Free Quality Link Directory

Radiohead: In Rainbows, an Appreciation

So I've chosen Radiohead's In Rainbows as the #1 album of the past decade. Not a huge suprise to many rock fans, at least those who have moved into this century with us and are listening to modern rock bands like RH to begin with. However, many best-of lists have put Kid A at the top, and I love that record, but going back and listening to both I think that In Rainbows deserves the top honor.

Kid A was a revolution for many music fans, not only a great record but also a moment in music when a band that had been given the reigns of rock decided to take us all in a deliberately different direction. Kudos to RH for that, and the album is gorgeous, spacious, colorful, and very at home in the new century.

But In Rainbows represents something more... it is a synthesis of everything RH did on Kid A, combined with lessons learned from the ensuing decade, and their excellent followups Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief. While Kid A was a lab experiment, In Rainbows represents the Masters thesis, using the full palette of what RH can do on one album. Guitars are back, mixed in with the digital bloops and blips, and sometimes disguised as them. The luxurious production is there, and so is the wonderous rythymic stew that RH do so well. The opening track "15 Steps" is so perplexing from a rhytymic perspective, that I often amuse myself with the puzzle of trying to count along with the beat and know exactly when the guitars and vocals are coming in.

Mainly the songs are better on In Rainbows, just a better set of writing, lyrics, melody, etc. It's almost as if RH is inching back to a place where they can make a true followup to OK Computer, with a full embrace of rock, mixed in with Thom Yorke's sad Arias and musings on emptiness, presented as a group of songs rather than a breakthrough in studio wizardry.

Either way it's like comparing your favorite cake with your favorite pie... all RH to date, going way back to Pablo Honey, have been top-notch accomplishments, and each one represents a step forward in one way or another.

For more on my top 10 album picks for the past decade, Look here for reviews of those albums

And here are the urls i am working on these days... ...http://www.squidoo.com/toptenalbumsofthe00s.http://www.squidoo.com/buy-beatles-usb.http://www.squidoo.com/n-scale-model-train.http://www.squidoo.com/model-train-repair.http://www.squidoo.com/scale-model-train-layouts.http://www.squidoo.com/z-scale-model-trains.http://www.squidoo.com/make-money-stuffing-envelopes-at-home

Additions to Best of the Decade List of Albums

In scanning iTunes I came across some honorable mentions that are important to include. Again, no particular order... I'm not even comfortable ranking the top 10, but I did do that, so here are some more that come somewhere after 10:

Creeper Lagoon: Take Back the Universe...

Ranier Maria: A Better Version of Me

Ryan Adams: RocknRoll

Badly Drawn Boy: About a Boy

Bright Eyes: Cassadaga

Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

Belle and Sebastian: Dear Catastrophe Waitress

The New Pornographers: Electric Version

The Postal Service: Give Up

Stars: In Our Bedroom After the War

Zwan: Zwan

Film School: Film School

Kanye West: Late Registration

My Morning Jacket: Z

The White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan

Band of Horses: Cease to Begin

Eddie Vedder: Into the Wild (Soundtrack)

M.I.A.: Kala

Ryan Adams: Easy Tiger

Wu Tang Clan: 8 Diagrams

happy new year again! Here's the link to my original top 10 list:
Best Albums of the Decade

Best of the 00s

I've gotten some good response and feedback on my top ten list for the decade. So much so that I've created a Squidoo lens to really fill out the info, show the album covers, and provide links to Amazon to buy the records. If you want to see what I've done, go to this site:

Best Albums of the 00s Decade

I'm particularly proud of the write-ups on Amy Winehouse and Tool, both of whom made albums this decade which maintain a special place in the heart of my iPod. Tool in particular is a band that deserves a more full discussion. I saw them in New York once and it was a mind-altering experience. I have never been hit as hard by a band as I was by Tool, with the possible exception of Nirvana, who were also pretty damn loud.

Anyway, I've gotta do some specific blog posts on each of these albums, and I will, as I'm trying to get back to the purpose of music appreciation for which this page was created. Until then, enjoy this list, and the site with the detail on each album.

http://www.squidoo.com/toptenalbumsofthe00s

Until next time, have a great decade...