When I first heard 10,000 Days, I was alone, in a dark room, with my eyes closed, wearing headphones. I waited until after midnight to listen to it from start to finish, when I knew there wouldn't be any distractions. It took me on a rollercoaster ride and by the end, I was a bit tired of the ups and downs and was even a bit let down by how "commercial" it sounded, as a whole. I wanted more soul food, and what I got was left out in the cold. I hated... HATED Rosetta Stoned when I first heard it. At its surface, it sounded like something typical of your average, run-of-the-mill prog-rock drivel that was far below what my beloved Tool was capable of creating.

I thought to myself, "I won't be able to keep listening to this album over and over, like I did Lateralus." I would skip Lipan Conjuring, Lost Keys, Rosetta Stoned, Intension and Viginti Tres. But I liked the rest of the songs, enough to let the album play a few more times as the days went by, and during the times when I wasn't listening to the album, I found myself craving it. That surprised me. I gave Rosetta Stoned another chance, and I like it now. It's not my favorite track, but I now accept it for what it is, and hell... it's fucking bad ass, once it progresses to its apex. Danny's drumming on that song just plain blows me away. I enjoy Intension, too. It is such a sad, distraught melody, yet a glimmer of hope manages to shine through in parts of it. I even let Lipan Conjuring play through, most of the time, as it's a bit of a preparation of what's to come. Sort of a "cleansing of the palette," before the album takes a sharp turn into obscurity.

I was expecting my interest in 10,000 Days to wane early on, but here I am, still listening to it every day. Still very much enjoying it, even more. I didn't force myself to like it, it just kinda snuck up on me like that. The thing that distinguishes Tool from every other band out there is the fact that, like wine, their music gets better with age. The hidden beauty of it reveals itself over time. I get sick of everything else, after repeated listens. Not so with Tool. This isn't their best album, but what else could or should they have created? I get a sense of anger, sadness, apathy and finally abandonment in this album. And rightly so, I mean.. take a look around. Look at this country, at the world. Look at how utterly fucked everythng is. 90% of us are fucking selfish, spoiled, self-righteous idiots, who expect too much without giving back. It's almost like they're expecting to go somewhere better and can't take us with them, but took snapshots of everything they did before, as if to say “Remember this? Farewell friends, it was fun. Hope you learned something.” Who really knows, besides them? I hope that’s not the case, and I’m not saying it is, but it feels like it. For that reason, I accept 10,000 Days and even love it, begrudgingly, for what it is.

i understand what you are saying when you share what you just did
and it makes me just so happy that we have creators out there making
art that is real, powerful, and selfish to a certain extent. thank you for
sharing what you did.

Yeah, its prolly because you kept hearing those songs in your head like i did, little parts that made me go... "I wanna hear that". Especially at work, I would be craving to listen to it. There's just something about that CHUNKY bass and Maynard's roaring... I think this album has more groove than it's predicessors

are you giving away quiet fans.? i Really need one, mine is all loud, just pm me if you are...

Thank you :)....but i think they've said that every album...they are always waiting for us to catch up.

exceptional

Very nice, indeed, and well-said.
(I still skip Lipan most of the time, though =P )

Well said.

You're welcome... True art is always a bit selfish, for a good reason. Tool has been selfish, since the beginning, but they were never dishonest and they were never anything OTHER than themselves, which sets them far apart from nearly everyone else. Thanks for reading all that crap. :)


HAHA. laff. You got me there, I walked right into that one. :p

wasn't crap at all

That was a nice post. I listened to it in the dark too with headphones...and can't get away from it at all right now. I'm forcing myself to listen to some other music before I fall right into it.

Sounds like you approached it with an open mind... and now you are enjoying the benefits of that.

You opened your mind... and 10KDays walked right in and made itself at home! :)

ohhhh. everyone loves each other. i love this thread. makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

i didn't read the review wholly yet (sory... busy right now), have to say that i don't understand people who skip the songs if they don't like it immedeatly.. i'm not saying this to the thread starter, just saying my opinion. =)

nice avatar, josh.

I guess some of us were expecting some instant gratification, which any Tool fan should know better, by now. I did get that with Vicarious and Jambi, though. Jambi is probably my favorite song on the album, right now.

i pretty much went through the same evolution with this album as you did. the first half was easier to get into (except for wings 1 & 2), and the last few songs took the longest to digest. now i like them all, still some better than others.

and yes, jambi is my fave track too.

I have to say Right In Two is my favorite track. For the first few listens it didn't really register, but once I sat, and paid attention to it and read the lyrics to the point where it gets heavy and badass, I love it. I love all the songs on here. Give or take a segue. Peace and Love everyone.

i dont know about anyone else, but i love lipan conjuring, its awesome. The rest of the album is great as well