adam posted a pic on FB, apparently of justin tracking bass parts.

Nobody fucking cares. Release a new album or stfu.

sup clive, how is rebecca de mornay?

She's alright; she finally warmed up to Leslie.

BMB posted a picture of a recording console today. It's an API console, which is what drums were recorded on for 10,000 days at O'Henry studios, which is now closed. Mix magazine had an article about the recording that mentioned Danny specifically looked for an API console. The caption with the pic on toolband was just "??" so who knows, maybe they started tracking, maybe it's an old shot?

Haven't seen this on tdn yet so I thought I'd share...

http://www.toolband.com/index_frames.html
http://mixonline.com/recording/proje...ng_tools_days/

There's definitely something going on, considering Danny is on the road with Volto! at the moment I don't expect it's a new record at this stage, as it would be pretty unusual to track anything other than the drums first (presuming they haven't already done that of course).

True, I forgot about the Volto tour. I just realized Adam posted the same pic on instagram, would be great if drums were done, maybe that's the "curve ball". I won't be holding my breath for that one though.

There's no doubt they're recording something, the big question is what? With Danny doing the Volto! thing, and Maynard presumably balls deep in harvest, I doubt it's the Tool record.

My guess is they're maybe doing some segues, or recording some instrumental stuff for a video, or something like that.

Maynard ACTUALLY answered a question about Tool straight-forward.

From an interview with Mark Maron (August 18th)

Mark's "So the future of Tool?"

MJK: "I'm going to stop by the rehersal space today, in theory, having beaten them up going "Please give me music, please give me music, please give me music, please give me music. In theory they have a CD for me today to listen to some jams so we can get this thing going"

Mark: "ok, you got words?"

MJK: "not til I hear the sounds, I can't write words until I hear the sounds and I haven't heard the sounds"

-----------

so there we have it.

pretty decent interview actually

http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episod...d_james_keenan

enjoyed it more than the one with Joe Rogan

Let's hope that Puscifer DVD is the last thing we hear from them for a very long time, and that the coming years are full of Tool-related activity.

This has been mentioned on that other tool site, but I'll add it to the discussion here as well. Maynard mentions in this interview that he turns 49 years old "next month". His birthday is in April, which means this interview took place in March 2013.

Begin speculation...

really? the plot thickens

it does seem ODD that MJK would recently be saying he's going to the rehearsal space when Volto is touring

also MJK's insta pics lately have been all wine wine wine.

AND the MJK interview with Joe Rogan was ALSO done in LA and in March

I just don't get why Maron would sit on the MJK interview for 5 months though, unless MJK specifically asked him to.

I think they will be recording very, very soon.

With this interview now in the mix, I expect Blair's curveball to be that they are soon to be recording within the next month or so...The August newsletter will hopefully be very good!

Wel the Volto tour finished two weeks ago, so presuming it was a recently recorded interview (which it wasn't) then it wouldn't be that odd.

What would be more odd is...

....that it's the harvest at the moment, and I don't expect MJK is currently doing jack shit with Tool

5 months is a long time. I get that the interview was timed with the release of the Puscifer album, but holding it for 5 months seems excessive, and I don't think it really generated much hype for the release anyway.

Anyway, my prediction is that the album is pretty much in the bag, and that Adam's recently posted studio pics are possibly the band laying down some preliminary tracks before hitting the studio later this year.

or a nonsensical rant with nothing new.....<-------the most likely scenario.

vague majicka

^Name of the album?

so, who's producing this puppy? any guesses?

The curve ball is going to be that the album is finished.

Tool

Any reason to think this?

Tool produced 10,000 Days

I thought Joe Barresi produced 10,000 Days

The album will never be released, ever.

Nah, he engineered and mixed it.

FYI 'nard said he's picking up a cd of new material so he can start writing lyrics. Depending on how done the rest of the band is, after the lyrics the next step would be to record/mix. Woo hoo! Hopefully maynard won't half ass the lyrics this time around.

Anyone else think its odd he isn't a part of the writing process this time around, at least not to my knowledge. It seems more of a situation of, "fuck you three, give me the songs and ill put lyrics to em" I know previously he would help with various guitar/bass melodies depending on the lyrics.

Fuck I should read more than 3 posts above me before posting.

I have been under the assumption that he has at least been hearing what they have been working on from time to time. Some interview he gave a while back he talked about how he often drove out in his truck to the middle of nowhere to be "alone" with the music so that he could come up with lyrics. Somehow in the context of that statement I got the sense that that might have been some nod that he had at least heard new music from the rest of Tool....

But that could have been anything... more than likely, Puscifer.

from what i can recall he has always said that the music comes first and he lets the song take him to the lyrics. to my knowledge, he's not ever professed to have any other role in the creation of tool's music. everyone seems to be content to let the other bring his own thing to the table.

based on the gap between the interview date and the air date, i'm assuming nard has finished his words and they are slamming together an album in anticipation for another clandestine listening tour. the band has always been very calculated about when and how to release information on their activities.

here's to hoping, but for me it doesn't even feel like i'm "waiting" anymore... it just comes when it comes.

our little tool fan's growing up! :wipes tear:

While we're postulating on what maynard has/hasn't done to this point; I also assumed (based off what he's said in interviews) that he keeps track of lyrical thoughts and ideas all the time. As soon as he has a phrase, quote, idea, theme, or story that might work out as a lyric later on SOME project, he writes it down.

Based on that I'd have to imagine that while he'll still "wait to hear the music", he may very well have a pile of ideas ready to toss at it when he does.

I'm not suggesting his portion of the writing will be swift when it comes, just saying that's how I think his process would work in this case.

edit: Actually come to think of it, if I recall correctly he pretty much admits to this method in the commentary for 'The Noose' on APC's DVD.

like any creative person i don't doubt he has methods to log his inspiration for future reference. some of my most well-received stories came from ideas i had while doing inane things where you wouldn't normally have a journal and a pen.

that said, i don't believe he's got a notebook with "ideas for adam's band" scrawled on the front and filled with nuggets of songs to give himself a head start. it's been a long time since he's recorded with tool but it's not like he hasn't been utilizing creative outlets.

there's something about tool that is sincere and if they lose that there won't be any reason to keep making music. i don't think we're getting lipservice when they tell us that tool is this uniquely organic project that can afford to allow its members to make music on their own terms and their own timetables. they've all got income flowing in from other areas and hobbies that they indulge in. they aren't a band that has contractual obligations to crank out new material and keep themselves "current". that's a lot different to how most bands make music, so that's why their long breaks don't bother me that much.

Maynard posted his 666th pic on Instagram. Sounds like things are really churning in the world of Tool. He put a hashtag of #Tool2014. A little glimmer of light.

I'm encouraged. I also like the implication that something is happening with APC. Perhaps they will follow through on that idea of releasing some singles for download. A studio version of By and Down would be nice, perhaps paired with another surprise track.

A new APC song that they played live on their recent tours. It's a pretty boring track imo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWo906frRKk

I think "boring" is a little too much. It's nothing special, but I liked it.

Although... that breakdown section in the middle did sound very unevolved... just chugging along with that chord over and over. First time I heard it I assumed that Billy hadn't decided what to do there just yet.

edit: Also, I prefer this performance. They seemed a little more into it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK1-ebsOQSs

I certainly hope a recorded version comes across much better. As it stands it may as well be an eMotive b-side.

that's what i thought when i heard it: "i hope this is a work in progress"

apc bores me in general ever since 13th step.

I would love to hear the studio version of 'By and Down',but I don't think it will happen for some time.I don't think A Perfect Circle will release anything new for a few years.