TOOL

Where to begin with Tool? Tool has had a profound effect on me as a music fan since I was but a child. I vaguely remember being around the age of four wandering aimlessly around my grandmother's home looking for something to do when I heard the sound of the TV. At my age I wasn't accustomed to the sounds of progressive metal so I was instantly glued to the screen. What I saw was the music video for Tool's 'Sober.' One of their earlier music videos, 'Sober' featured clay stop-motion animation that, to my young eyes seemed welcoming and of the norm. If you have ever seen this video though you know that for a young child, Tool probably isn't recommended listening or a good visual stimulation. Too young to really register what lead singer Maynard James Keenan's biting vocals were about, I simply sat there taking everything in. After about a minute my grandmother walked in the room, saw the MTV logo in the corner and instantly began punishing me. Not til many years later did I stumble back on to Tool and their song 'Sober' but I was instantly hooked.

Tool is a progressive metal band formed in 1990. They have released four studio albums that have each garnered critical acclaim and established a fanbase unlike many you can find. although I have never been to one I also hear the live shows are something that have to be seen to be believed. To say that seeing Tool is a goal for me is a real understatement. Each bandmate has their own specific sound and technique that when combined with frontman Keenen's vocals creates something that sounds truly dark and rife with raw emotion. Maynard James Keenen's ability to convey emotions of lust, hatrid, and contempt all while belting it out in a style that still holds it's heart is astounding. They never spend less then 3 years on an album and it shows; nearly every song off every album is good enough to listen to til you're burnt out on it, a sensation that with Tool doesn't last long. Some key tracks include.... Honestly if i tried to give you key tracks i'd have too long of a list to really get you started with this band. Instead start with the album AEnima, it's my favorite for multiple reasons. The last track 'Third Eye' is mashed with activist/comedian Bill Hicks and it's really something I cannot describe, you have to listen to it to grasp it. It's a personal favorite.

So if you need something dark but you don't want to listen to pounding, repetitive bass lines and guitar work you can find with most ugly metal bands, go for Tool. To say they are some of the best is yet another understatement.

Takk...

Thanks or Takk... in the band Sigur Ros' native Icelandic tongue is the title of their fourth full length album. If you're not familiar with Sigur Ros then the best genre description I can give them is Icelandic ambient post-rock. Their songs are rarely under six minutes in length and most of their sound is heavily instrumental with lead singer Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson's falsetto voice belting out his foreign lyrics in a haunting tone. Sometimes assisted by full orchestras and with Jónsi's signature use of a cello bow on his Les Paul Sigur Ros' music has an enormous quality to it that raises the stakes in most categories.

But on to the album...

Takk... as i stated before is Sigur Ros' fourth studio album released in 2005. It's really quite beautiful. Their sound is earth shattering and the ability that they show off is incredible. My first experience with this band was with Takk... and ever since then I have been hooked. This album helped change who I am as a music fan in that it broke down my barriers for what I thought good music could be. The first track I ever heard is entitled "Glósóli." It starts off slow with a nice bass line, shortly after the rest of the band joins in and you know you're in for something else. Over the course of eight plus minutes the tempo and volume increase and increase till the climax where they let loose and begin bashing away at their instruments in ways that, like I said, warped my perspective. All the other tracks are jewels, not a bad one in the lot. Some key tracks to check out though would be "Hoppípolla" "Sæglópur" "Mílanó" "Gong" and "Heysátan." If you want something new in a band and you just wanna chill out this is the band for you, and this album is most definitely one of their best.