fakee
04-23-2006, 04:29 PM
Hi.
I've been listening to Tool since Undertow. They are probably my favorite band in terms of producing my most listened to and enjoyed content. I do not consider myself a fan though. The fans are the ones who worship, reading the lyrics like the Bible (inventing meaning where there is none), and blindly believing all they do is good.
As someone with a long-term and intimate relationship with Tool, who hasn't been following this whole hoax thing until today, I thought you might be interested in my perspective on the matter.
I don't own any Tool merchandise, and don't follow their appearances outside of shows/CDs, but I have watched a couple of interviews on the web. A common theme I noticed was Maynard's disdain for piracy. I am a strong supporter of it, so I paid close attention to what he had to say.
After some pain of getting fake releases, and a broken copy, I finally got 10,000 m4a today. I'd only just heard it was out a day ago.
I actually got Vicarious first. It showed up before the working m4as. So I listened to that multiple times prior. I am the type of person that needs to listen to any song multiple times before I can enjoy it. This isn't just for Tool, it is also true for stupid pop songs.
My first thoughts are... is this A Perfect Circle? Maynard has relaxed his vocal style in his side-project, and now apparently he has decided to stick with it and use it in Tool as well. I hear not only the same style, but also identical vocal melodies.
Okay so it's time to cue up the entire album. I notice right away how it sounds very much like Lateralus. The production sound between all their other albums had distinct sounds... but this sounds like it was recorded at the same place, using the same equipment.
It's not just the production though. There are identical chord progressions as on Lateralus, except they change to another note at the last minute to be a little different.
I should also note that I didn't care much for Lateralus. Half of it was good, the other was so-so. It had too many signs I recognized from all the other experiences of bands releasing a so-so album right before completely sucking. So I feared that Tool was over, and I'd better just not listen to Undertow/Aenema too often so that I can keep it fresh for years to come.
So I'm a few songs into 10,000 days, and without knowing about all this hoax theory stuff, I say, "Haha! This is totally fake!".
I didn't feel this way because I hated it and was in denial. It was because it sounded disconnected. Don't get me wrong, it is professionally produced. It doesn't sound fake, but that is why it seemed fake. It just sounds like something a pro would create when trying to make something that appears real, but without much effort.
So immediately I am thinking about Maynard hating people who steal their music. I am envisioning his misguided rage as he preaches to us about how we are thieves and Metallica is a good guy. I also realize how what Tool does, is try to be artistic. They go out of their way to screw with the idiot fans and thus create the mystery behind them, which is a great way to sucker people into giving them money.
Also, they are old. Tool is not going to be able to keep up this music game for much longer. Knowing that your music would be leaked, and having anger about this... being old, and someone who tries to be artsy and mess with people, why WOULDN'T you release a fake album that sounds convincingly real? How could you pass up what might be the last opportunity to be creative in the dying music industry??
It was clear, this is fake. It sounds so much like Lateralus, I wouldn't be surprised if to speed up the process they took some old instrumental cuts already recorded and had Maynard throw some crap over it, and go out while some kid tweaked it in the studio to make it sound polished enough to pass as real.
Then I come to this forum, and read all the same ideas. It really is interesting. There are people exhibiting the same behavior you see in cults like Christianity. People are taking words from here and there, tying them together with things from completely unrelated sources, and somehow create a story that they believe might be plausible.
No one thought any previous leaks might be fake. But here we are, where others have had the same thought as me. Why is this? Could this really be a decoy stunt?
When I first listened, it was obvious to me it was fake. Now I am trying to listen again, and I am finding the same type of lifelessness I hear in half of Lateralus, only, now it is worse. So what does this mean?
It means that Tool might've missed a great opportunity.
If I were in Tools position, being a fairly large player in the old industry game, I would not let it dwindle away without being creative. Now is such a perfect opportunity, right before the entire show is over, to do something exciting. With such controversy over the RIAA, P2P, how could you be a major label band and not release a real-fake CD?!?
Madonna took the first step with the, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?". But that is too simple. People have always packaged fake releases, but anyone can do this. Only Tool can package a fake that is totally passable as a real thing. If they missed this obvious opportunity, they really are blinded by Hollywood.
So where does this leave us? Either Tool is old, found a formula that developed, and like all things matured, no longer has surprise... or, they are still trying to fill the bland music industry->consumer relationship with something resembling soul (even if fake).
Despite immediately hearing a fake CD, I am thinking that they are just old and can no longer see themselves through the self-centered cave that Hollywood forces acts into. I can see Maynard now, "Those fucking little bastards. They stole our shit! We need DRM. Don't they know I am Christ!?" :P
Feel free to prove me wrong Tool. But until then, I still have <Lateralus to enjoy... and now that you and the industry are dying, I can seize my opportunity to fill the void that you will inevitably leave.
I've been listening to Tool since Undertow. They are probably my favorite band in terms of producing my most listened to and enjoyed content. I do not consider myself a fan though. The fans are the ones who worship, reading the lyrics like the Bible (inventing meaning where there is none), and blindly believing all they do is good.
As someone with a long-term and intimate relationship with Tool, who hasn't been following this whole hoax thing until today, I thought you might be interested in my perspective on the matter.
I don't own any Tool merchandise, and don't follow their appearances outside of shows/CDs, but I have watched a couple of interviews on the web. A common theme I noticed was Maynard's disdain for piracy. I am a strong supporter of it, so I paid close attention to what he had to say.
After some pain of getting fake releases, and a broken copy, I finally got 10,000 m4a today. I'd only just heard it was out a day ago.
I actually got Vicarious first. It showed up before the working m4as. So I listened to that multiple times prior. I am the type of person that needs to listen to any song multiple times before I can enjoy it. This isn't just for Tool, it is also true for stupid pop songs.
My first thoughts are... is this A Perfect Circle? Maynard has relaxed his vocal style in his side-project, and now apparently he has decided to stick with it and use it in Tool as well. I hear not only the same style, but also identical vocal melodies.
Okay so it's time to cue up the entire album. I notice right away how it sounds very much like Lateralus. The production sound between all their other albums had distinct sounds... but this sounds like it was recorded at the same place, using the same equipment.
It's not just the production though. There are identical chord progressions as on Lateralus, except they change to another note at the last minute to be a little different.
I should also note that I didn't care much for Lateralus. Half of it was good, the other was so-so. It had too many signs I recognized from all the other experiences of bands releasing a so-so album right before completely sucking. So I feared that Tool was over, and I'd better just not listen to Undertow/Aenema too often so that I can keep it fresh for years to come.
So I'm a few songs into 10,000 days, and without knowing about all this hoax theory stuff, I say, "Haha! This is totally fake!".
I didn't feel this way because I hated it and was in denial. It was because it sounded disconnected. Don't get me wrong, it is professionally produced. It doesn't sound fake, but that is why it seemed fake. It just sounds like something a pro would create when trying to make something that appears real, but without much effort.
So immediately I am thinking about Maynard hating people who steal their music. I am envisioning his misguided rage as he preaches to us about how we are thieves and Metallica is a good guy. I also realize how what Tool does, is try to be artistic. They go out of their way to screw with the idiot fans and thus create the mystery behind them, which is a great way to sucker people into giving them money.
Also, they are old. Tool is not going to be able to keep up this music game for much longer. Knowing that your music would be leaked, and having anger about this... being old, and someone who tries to be artsy and mess with people, why WOULDN'T you release a fake album that sounds convincingly real? How could you pass up what might be the last opportunity to be creative in the dying music industry??
It was clear, this is fake. It sounds so much like Lateralus, I wouldn't be surprised if to speed up the process they took some old instrumental cuts already recorded and had Maynard throw some crap over it, and go out while some kid tweaked it in the studio to make it sound polished enough to pass as real.
Then I come to this forum, and read all the same ideas. It really is interesting. There are people exhibiting the same behavior you see in cults like Christianity. People are taking words from here and there, tying them together with things from completely unrelated sources, and somehow create a story that they believe might be plausible.
No one thought any previous leaks might be fake. But here we are, where others have had the same thought as me. Why is this? Could this really be a decoy stunt?
When I first listened, it was obvious to me it was fake. Now I am trying to listen again, and I am finding the same type of lifelessness I hear in half of Lateralus, only, now it is worse. So what does this mean?
It means that Tool might've missed a great opportunity.
If I were in Tools position, being a fairly large player in the old industry game, I would not let it dwindle away without being creative. Now is such a perfect opportunity, right before the entire show is over, to do something exciting. With such controversy over the RIAA, P2P, how could you be a major label band and not release a real-fake CD?!?
Madonna took the first step with the, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?". But that is too simple. People have always packaged fake releases, but anyone can do this. Only Tool can package a fake that is totally passable as a real thing. If they missed this obvious opportunity, they really are blinded by Hollywood.
So where does this leave us? Either Tool is old, found a formula that developed, and like all things matured, no longer has surprise... or, they are still trying to fill the bland music industry->consumer relationship with something resembling soul (even if fake).
Despite immediately hearing a fake CD, I am thinking that they are just old and can no longer see themselves through the self-centered cave that Hollywood forces acts into. I can see Maynard now, "Those fucking little bastards. They stole our shit! We need DRM. Don't they know I am Christ!?" :P
Feel free to prove me wrong Tool. But until then, I still have <Lateralus to enjoy... and now that you and the industry are dying, I can seize my opportunity to fill the void that you will inevitably leave.