what do you *LIKE* about Vicarious?

[auralassassin]

Nothing but positive opinions needed here. We know that people don't like it. We know WHY. There are plenty of other threads talking trash on this song... what do you LIKE about Vicarious?

[amitface]

The chorus, the vocals, the drumming, the palm muting part echoing Maynards "why don't we just admit it.." ... The ending is brutal. I love the song, even if it's different.

[-Jesse]

I love the blend of the vocals into the music and the riffs make me salivate.

[auralassassin]

I like the part at about 1:50-2:00 into the track when it breaks down into just Maynard, Bass and that drum roll...

I also don't think people are giving the riff a good fair shake... even the drop D power chords there for a second... that shit is HOT.

[e. blue cum]

i love every bit of it.. the la la lies.. the why don't we just admit it.. the drums.. the 3:24 breakdown.. the guitar work is adam at his best, the bass is punchy and cocky.. the rhythm is unmatched, even meshuggah couldn't top this grooviness.. the lyrics are so raw but somehow they're perfect, they express so well some atmosphere of global chaos.. the production is excellent and each instrument fits perfectly, rather than having the drums bog down claustrophobic vocals while the bass and guitar nod to the side.. and each member contributes just as much to make the song as great as it is.. no holding each other down to stand out (..as did adam in the intro to Ticks and Leeches..) and be obnoxious.. the structure is something new, it's as if it's divided into 3 parts.. i've heard it many many times and i love it more each time..

[amitface]

Danny's double bass and tom work kills me .. throughout the song, the fills just melt into the song. good stuff.

[spiralout11235]

The vocals, the drumming, the high notes Maynard hits at the end, the ending, the lalalas, the lyrics, the progressive feel of the song.

[vyparhz]

the fact that the complexity of simplicity causes people to think its a hoax and the real Tool album will jump out of the shadows and go BOO!

and how everything works together instead of having focus on singular instruments. it took me a while to realise its actually a 7min song as well, it all blends together so fast seems like its only 4-5mins. interesting!

[khemystri]

Love the lyrics.... The chorus is satsfying enough...
but the rest is even better.

The first lines have incredible imagery.

I love the la la la la lie....
the build ups at 3:30 and at 5:00 just drill it home!!!!

If only a little more overdubbing early on in the tune....
I enjoy hearing Maynard harmonize with himself (Schism)....
and I miss that "Maynard falsetto" a little as well.

The high part at the end is INCREDIBLE....
(repeat repeat repeat til May 2nd)

[steve99_9]

what do i *LIKE* about Vicarious??.....hmm...everything

[peterpiper]

I like the guitar work alot. There is a hint of Schism & The Patient in them. But the cool thing is that the riffs aren't the same. Next, I love the breakdowns towards the end of the song. The part where Maynard sings, "Part Vampire. Part Warrior."

But the best part of the song as a whole is the ending. The ending sounds like the end of the world or something - incredibly powerful!!

[auralassassin]

the best part of the song as a whole is the ending. The ending sounds like the end of the world or something - incredibly powerful!!

thats a good metaphor, too. I really like the journey we go on here...

in the beginning he's talking about all of this negative shit, and how w/he feed off of it like vampires. in the end, right when the shit hits the fan, I expect that it can only either, get better or explode into absolute chaos... this leaves me nothing but hope for the next track.

can't fucking wait.

[Vicarious Liability]

what do i *LIKE* about Vicarious??.....hmm...everything

No kidding. I was beginning to think I'm the only person here who thinks this song is amazing.

[destructing david]

The tuned percussion, well I'm going with electronic pitched percssion but still, you know what I mean. Very cool.

The harmonised vocals. Something don't really hear that clear in Tool very often.

The riff itself I think kills. Definately shows they wrote the riff, not the time signature.

Plenty more I'm sure to come too as it sinks in.

dd

[Myriad: Days To Come]

the polyrhythms... oh lord the polyrhythms. especially when maynard throws in his rhythmatic approach to the song

[Hman]

The intro-climax into the main riff. That fucking rocks.

[CallofCthulhu]

Nothing but positive opinions needed here. We know that people don't like it. We know WHY. There are plenty of other threads talking trash on this song... what do you LIKE about Vicarious?

The fucking end, amazing. Like the last 40 seconds

[lexiconoclast]

what has always attracted me and hooked me in the first place. the harmony m regularly chooses to generate with the music invokes something nostalgic in me. they make me almost remember something from the 70's either music i heard as a kid, or something perhaps that i dreamt... so in this song as well,
the harmonics on the lines

shot by his own son

and

stare like a zombie

actually fuck something up in me physically that i cant even articulate effectively

[Spongebob]

i really like the part at 2:40, it starts to build into something cool, following from the start of the song up to this point, building up some strength and really going somewhere cool, BUTthen for some reason instead of going into a cool reflective interesting part they threw in this: "why can't we just admit it" part.

[auralassassin]

*eye roll*

yea, that was good. I happen to like how they follow it after that, though.

[Siel Yardman]

well i love the ending...last 50 secs. my favorite
but i love the entire piece.

i like maynards vocals...at first listen was upset because they were hard to decipher. then once i listened closer(key is listen) i found that it was beautiful. now i hear the vocals as much as the rest of the instruments.

danny owns on this song and justins bass makes me want to play a bass. adam doesn't disappoint either. his style is tool in my opinion. guitar is what i love and he defined tools style with his guitar. although many will argue it's simple...i say design in general, be it graphic, logos, architectural, interactive....simple is hard to pull off and stay within a unique border...also an original one. adam has accomplished this since opiate.

[Clutch it like an AEnima]

ohhh when i hear maynards vocals..........now thats Inspirado......you can manufacture Inspirado........it comes from the heart

[Lipan Conjured]

Nothing but positive opinions needed here. We know that people don't like it. We know WHY. There are plenty of other threads talking trash on this song... what do you LIKE about Vicarious?


"Cause I need to watch things die!!!!
from a good safe distance!
Vicariously I live...
While the whole world dies!!"

[Panesthesia]

I think Danny shows off some of his best drumming here. I'm very impressed with that.

[chalk_line]

I like that i can listen to it over and over..
the lyrics grab your attention, the guitar is crisp and clear and down your throat,
the drums blew me away the first time i heard it ,
this is a great song, no this is an exceptional song,
i guess i like everything about it..

[Natalie Portman]

The music. not the vox at all.

[auralassassin]

The music. not the vox at all.

I like this song, because the Elitists hate it--thats how you measure success; in parody, satire, and dissent.

Like I said in the first post, noone gives a flying FUCK what you DON'T LIKE. Go to another thread with that shit. Two people had to offer their smart ass comments already. ONLY GOOD HERE. There are plenty of other places to be bastards. Go away.

This is the most hardcore Tool vocal EVER. So much emotion, but you can tell he's holding back--almost like an explosion is always on the cusp... big tings gwan!!

[TheJuiceOfSatan]

I love the song, when i first heard it, i loved it no doubt. I think the reason why people hate it is they get on here and read other peoples negativity and it taints their opinion. I, on the other hand, dont let that happen cuz i listen to stuff that most people dont like anyway.
This song is good, everyone does their thing and they do it well. It sounds like tool, so perhaps this is just some kind of prelude to the rest of the album sounding almost completely different. Who knows, other than the people who have heard it in its entirety. I love the last minute where mayanrd starts wailing "vicarariously, i live as the whole world dies!" that shit gives me chills and the drumming is just mind blowing, especially the little 10 second thing at the end.

[auralassassin]

I love the song, when i first heard it, i loved it no doubt. I think the reason why people hate it is they get on here and read other peoples negativity and it taints their opinion. I, on the other hand, dont let that happen cuz i listen to stuff that most people dont like anyway.
This song is good, everyone does their thing and they do it well. It sounds like tool, so perhaps this is just some kind of prelude to the rest of the album sounding almost completely different. Who knows, other than the people who have heard it in its entirety. I love the last minute where mayanrd starts wailing "vicarariously, i live as the whole world dies!" that shit gives me chills and the drumming is just mind blowing, especially the little 10 second thing at the end.

I think the part where Maynard almost starts chanting reminds me of "The Grudge"

which is why I don't understand why those who are detracting, yet list the Grudge as an example of what to do, have a leg to stand on.

This song is amazing. Period,

[Siel Yardman]

I think the part where Maynard almost starts chanting reminds me of "The Grudge"

which is why I don't understand why those who are detracting, yet list the Grudge as an example of what to do, have a leg to stand on.

This song is amazing. Period,

amazing doesn't even describe it...i dont know a word that does in english. but i'm sure there is one.

[auralassassin]

amazing doesn't even describe it...i dont know a word that does in english. but i'm sure there is one.

"TOOL!"

That's all that needs to be said.

[Siel Yardman]

yes...THE defining word is tool.

[Carbonatedgravy]

This is an abstract thought, but here it goes. One of my favorite things about the song is the slightly paradoxical nature. The less people disturbed and bothered by the subject matter, the more right and ultimately powerful the song is. A lot of people are going to hear/read the lyrics and say, "Whatever. This doesn't apply to me," and then go out and rent Bum Fights or download the latest decapitation video. Or they could simply accept it and not care. If everyone looked at this song and said, "Damn, this is right. I need to change my thinking," then the song doesn't really retain its value.

I love the song because the commentary about typical reaction to violence is so truthful, at least to me. I'm not calling you a liar if you disagree with the message of the song, but I'd hope that you'd consider that even if it doesn't apply to you, it applies to a lot of people. It sure as hell applies to me. I find violence fascinating and mesmerizing, and on a logical level I hate myself because of it.

That's why I like the song, but to add another comment in response to some of the other things I've seen here, I don't really find that this totally follows Stinkfist. It may be true that in recent history there's a progression of depictions of violence getting worse and worse, but that doesn't really have to do with people needing more and more to be stimulated. It's just that censorship is changing. We're still not half as bad as ancient Rome.

[A Tad Bit Catatonic]

I love the song, when i first heard it, i loved it no doubt. I think the reason why people hate it is they get on here and read other peoples negativity and it taints their opinion. I, on the other hand, dont let that happen cuz i listen to stuff that most people dont like anyway.
This song is good, everyone does their thing and they do it well. It sounds like tool, so perhaps this is just some kind of prelude to the rest of the album sounding almost completely different. Who knows, other than the people who have heard it in its entirety. I love the last minute where mayanrd starts wailing "vicarariously, i live as the whole world dies!" that shit gives me chills and the drumming is just mind blowing, especially the little 10 second thing at the end.

Fuckin A - from the part where he goes into "Credulous at best" - Tool at their finest, and yeah I get chills and start swinging my arms around on that last part. Vicariously I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More of the genius we have all come to expect, I am not let down 1%.

[ArizonaBay]

A point about the lyrics. Vicariously I live while the whole world dies. It reminds me of the historian Eric Hobsbawn saying that he believes one of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century is that technology allows us to carry out acts of terrible death and destruction from a distance so it becomes impersonal. A pilot dropping bombs does not see the bodies so is cut off from tragedy of his actions. I think there may be an elemt of this kind of feeling in these lyrics.

[auralassassin]

A point about the lyrics. Vicariously I live while the whole world dies. It reminds me of the historian Eric Hobsbawn saying that he believes one of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century is that technology allows us to carry out acts of terrible death and destruction from a distance so it becomes impersonal. A pilot dropping bombs does not see the bodies so is cut off from tragedy of his actions. I think there may be an elemt of this kind of feeling in these lyrics.

Yea, I'm thinking more and more that this might be a blatant inquiry into Iraq, but I might be wrong :D

[Carbonatedgravy]

A point about the lyrics. Vicariously I live while the whole world dies. It reminds me of the historian Eric Hobsbawn saying that he believes one of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century is that technology allows us to carry out acts of terrible death and destruction from a distance so it becomes impersonal. A pilot dropping bombs does not see the bodies so is cut off from tragedy of his actions. I think there may be an elemt of this kind of feeling in these lyrics.

I don't want to get off on a tangent unrelated to the song, but in this case I don't know that depersonalization really makes a difference, or at least a negative one. It's no healthier to develop a taste for killing and actually thrive off of the tragedy and get excited by the piling of the bodies. The song doesn't necessarily, at least on every level, discuss desensitization. It's kind of the opposite. We're as sensitive as ever to violence, but in a disturbing way. We find the tragedy thrilling and dramatic. That personalization just makes it more interesting. That's why there are all the personal stories in the lyrics.

[auralassassin]

Another good point... the worst part of all this, is that Tool will sit back and laugh at us--and never explain any of this shit.

Even the most STRAIGHT FORWARD(rolls eyes) lyrics are able to be intepreted in thousands of ways... this clearly shows that they aren't as straight forward as possible.

[unclezoso]

Here's a list of things that I like in this song:

- the alarm clock (wake up and turn off your tv!)
- chorus melody is catchy
- maynard's voice. he sounds really bitter
- danny's drumming all the way trough
- the line "universe is hostile, so impersonal"
- adam's crazy shredding part in the end
- progressiveness, complexity
- the fact that I was disappointed after the first listen but now I love it

[A Tad Bit Catatonic]

Here's a list of things that I like in this song:

- the alarm clock (wake up and turn off your tv!)
- chorus melody is catchy
- maynard's voice. he sounds really bitter
- danny's drumming all the way trough
- the line "universe is hostile, so impersonal"
- adam's crazy shredding part in the end
- progressiveness, complexity
- the fact that I was disappointed after the first listen but now I love it

Amen... and let me add a few more things.

- the rest of that line "devour to survive - so it is, so it's always been"
- the organic "machine gun" lyrics and their phrasing
- the skull splitting crescendo to "Vicariously, I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
- and, what the fuck is Danny doing in that last part?? It is pummeling - I cannot even take half of it in.

[Volrath]

The drumming, it's so fucking incredibly badass that i wonder how he's going to top it on the rest of the album.

[Grimey]

I like the feel of the intro, it is very 46 & 2.

I like the end, but.... it's nothing close to the outros of say Aenima.. Parabola.. Eulogy... and a load more.

I like how Danny rides the bell, symbol bell that is. ((I can't wait to find out which kit he is touring with this summer/used in the album)).

I like some of the riffs and how Maynard harmonizes with them eg. 4:07. It does sound more APC than TOOL in parts, but I still like it regardless.

I like the tempo, it's a nice change.

I really like the basic melody of the lyrics, it's really original. ((I don't like the lalallalie part at all though))

It sounds like Tool are going back to their roots, ala Opiate. The riffing and pace/tempo is something we are much more familiar with in that album than in the others. I'm not saying that 10,000 days is the rest of Opiate (that album did disserve more though), it just seems to have similar characteristics / traits. This song seems a lot less spiritual than I had hoped... It will be interesting to find out how the rest of the album will be themed. So far i'm demi - likeing this evolution of my favourite band, i have no choice.

[Isac Khrondor]

I like the second half of the song, the ending is allright too.

I like that stop start, choppy bit aswell.

[britishempire]

I like it all, it's a good song.. the only thing is, it's not what I expect from Tool, really. It's much more "APC" and lacks some of the subtle things that made Tool so good in the past.

It's more direct and obvious, leaving little room for personal interpretation.

[Orph8998]

the begining...it sounds like old dredg
fucking cool
then blah....
then the last guitar riff is pretty sweet
oh, and the lyrics...except its a bad title

[britishempire]

the title is great...

[Alcawhorlick]

ohhh when i hear maynards vocals..........now thats Inspirado......you can manufacture Inspirado........it comes from the heart


This is so true!
Assuming that you meant "can't" manufacture inspirado, which I think you did.

I like the whole song. The first few lyrics of the song especially. But the rest is good too.
I actually expected to be disappointed with the vocals and lyrics, in the same way I was with Schism. But this is excellent. Straightforward lyrically for a Tool song and intelligent and interesting. Seems to be a nice album opening song.

[greekxj]

The emotion in maynards voice thats starts right around the 2:20 mark. I think the song kicks ass. I am not dissapointed one bit. This is just a teaser for the album. I think its gonna be awesome and cant wait. As a true tool fan i trust the band and know it will be just right. Cant wait to see em live again!

[jitbox]

I like the fact that it sounds like Deceptacon by Le Tigre.

[Chalingo]

I like the whole song. The ending is great, the bass at the very end is so fast. Danny kicks ass. Catchy chorus.

[eddie75]

THis song exceeded my expectations. I love the change of tempo through out the song, and love the way Danny and Justin come togehter on it. I didn't like Maynard's vocals at first, but after listening to it I've come to love them.

[kyyuulle]

the climax of "VICARIOUSLY, I..."

fuckin perfect

that part is going to be so good live with all the build up

[k~nug]

1. Its on a 6 string. Not that I don't like drop b, but it seems every band has to go 'low' to feel heavy. Im sure tool may have 1 or 2 like on lateralus, but I appreciate the single being in a key that I still like playing in.

2. There is soo much talk about maynard sounding more like APC here, but I have to totally disagree. In fact songs like the patient were much more 'apc like' than Vicarous. I love the new lryical style. I also appreciate the less mysterious decoder ring lryics. (not that I don't enjoy those types).

3. The obvious technical advances Adam has made with his guitar playing.

4. the mix. I like it alot.

5. the fact that a lot of people hate it makes me like it more. When the album finally comes out I think most of those people will go 'oh...' and proceed to open mouth, insert foot.

6.the song itself. Its like a blend of every album up to this point. I hear Lateralus, Undertow Aenima, and Opiate in this song. Very nice.

[vec]

The vocals go perfectly with the theme of the song. Its like maynard isn't putting full emotion into his singing, because hes to busy watching.

[MentalSanityOff]

Know what's a good example of living vicariously in this song?

nascar.
There are 2 reasons a person watches nascar.
1 is you just finished beating your wife.
The other is to watch people crash and die.
Seriously

[grasmaaier]

I love the way he sings VIIIIIIICARIOUSSSLYYY-IIIIIIIII

[a big stupid dumbass]

I love how full the entire song is. Incredible way to start of the new album, although I haven't heard the rest of it. Musically, it seems very tight and well versed. I love the whole flow of the thing and the way the climax hits when the token maynard scream presents itself near the end. Vicarious feels like a plenum of thoughful creative release to my ears. ~great thread idea

[dracomordag]

out of the first 40 posts, 33 were made by 2006 people

21 of those 33 were april join dates

lol @ ogtools




anyway, the part from 5:00 to 6:30 pwns

[waffel]

5:30 throughout the end is fucking awesome.

[auralassassin]

0:00 to 7:09 pwns.

Cosigned.

[HanInCarbonite]

I love how Adam's guitar creeps in at the tail end of the verses. Also the drumming and bass have that signature TOOL sound. Maynard did a good job but it is a bit rough. He has such a great singing voice (e.g. Parabol) I hope to hear more of on the new CD.

[tool25]

i love the whole song, except the lyrics. i just cant get over how generic they are

[auralassassin]

i love the whole song, except the lyrics. i just cant get over how generic they are

There's no room for dissent. This thread is for the Tool circle-jerk.

Take ANY negativity out of here. Don't even compare and contrast anything that could have negatives or be considered negative against this song. This is our Utopian thread, complete with hugs, kisses, unicorns and fluffy white clouds...

[k~nug]

There's no room for dissent. This thread is for the Tool circle-jerk.

Take ANY negativity out of here. Don't even compare and contrast anything that could have negatives or be considered negative against this song. This is our Utopian thread, complete with hugs, kisses, unicorns and fluffy white clouds...


yes. God knows there isn't enough negativity on this board, god forbid we have a single fucking thread talking about positives. psh, so retarded we are.

[eulogy508]

I like the guitar riff and drums at the end

[FlamingEye]

i like the whole thing. I love how it's harder and how maynards vocals are different and he screams more. I even like the la la lies part. The rest of the cd is going to be amazing. This song just made me a thousand times more excited. It's still crazy to me that Tool is has finally came out with something new. We have been waiting for years and it actually has happened!!!! woo hoo!

[martyr_02]

what do i *LIKE* about Vicarious??.....hmm...everything


Tip of the hat to you sir!

And here's what I like: I like the alarm at the start of the song. The opening riff to me seems like it could be left over or created in the lateralus era, shades of schism in it, then the alarm rings and the new shit kicks in. Honestly I've never heard anything from Tool that sounds remotely like this song. I love it. I like that its different and in a new direction. Danny's drumming is spectacular and Justin pretty much owns this song. Then there's Maynard. I love his lyrics. They remind me of someone who is about to fight with another person. You talk it out at first, then you yell then the fists fly. He seems to have this sequence in this song. Pointing out mistakes, "shot his own son" etc. then calls everyone out "why don't you just admit it" then takes his first shot "vicariously i live while the world dies, better you than me."

[newrnewt]

The song is flawless in many ways; dannys drumming is soo consistently complicated, justins bass is spot on as usual (although the intro may have benefited from the bass line played on its own for a bit, 46&2 style), maynards vocals (although highly reminiscent of the tonality he uses in apc) are great still, and adams guitar is fantastic but deeply reminds me of H. - the intro riff mostly.

I cant help but think i've forced myself to develop this approval of the song based on my love for tool; i find myself agreeing with others about how bad it is...

musically, flawless. as a tool song, it could have been better.

[apocalyptic dispositon]

Nothing but positive opinions needed here. We know that people don't like it. We know WHY. There are plenty of other threads talking trash on this song... what do you LIKE about Vicarious?


Everything

[apocalyptic dispositon]

i love the whole song, except the lyrics. i just cant get over how generic they are


The lyrics are awesome!!

[InertUniformity]

yeah these lyrics are frightenignly sick...MJK could have really dropped the ball with these but he succeeded in way that i really havent ever seen...

even the way he sings is amazing - it adds an honesty to the song that really makes his words feel sharp and biting...whow

[Bob_Marley_Wannabe]

1. the song itself. Its like a blend of every album up to this point. I hear Lateralus, Undertow Aenima, and Opiate in this song. Very nice.


that right there isnt even a debatable opinion, its simply fact

[auralassassin]

1. the song itself. Its like a blend of every album up to this point. I hear Lateralus, Undertow Aenima, and Opiate in this song. Very nice.

I am a blend of everything I have learned and been through--so you are... so is Maynard...

We all draw from our past experiences, what works and what doesn't work... we get there through experimentation--I suspect that there will be some tracks on this that sound like other albums... but like other Albums, there will be some original music on here that is more experimental--even by Tool standards.

So you take all the previous albums, roll them into ONE album--then you see if you can improve upon those past ideas. That's what PROGRESSIVE rock is all about.