The next disc in the CD Odyssey is proof that not all music is about love and fields of flowers.
Disc 131 is...Undertow
Artist: Tool
Year of Release: 1993
What’s Up With The Cover?: Um...an alien ribcage? This is typical of Tool's disturbing CD art and frankly, is one of the more tame examples. The back of the disc depicts a pig with the word "undertow" shaved into its side, that has been impaled on about twenty forks. Yikes.
How I Came To Know It: My buddy Greg gets full credit for my exposure to both Tool in general, and this album in particular. During the grunge/celtic folk wars of the early nineties, this was an album I actually enjoyed.
How It Stacks Up: Tool takes their time releasing records. In eighteen years, they've released five. Of the five, I would say "Undertow" is a close second to 2001's "Lateralus".
Rating: 5 stars, although there is some silliness on track 10 where you get about 10 minutes of crickets chirping, that came very close to knocking it down to 4 just out of sheer frustration.
"Undertow" was the first Tool album I ever heard - I really liked it, although I'm told they don't perform these songs in concert any more, which I think is kind of odd.
When Tool put this record out (and the EP preceding it, "Opiate") I don't think there was anything that sounded quite like them. Rev. Maynard's creepy vocals, their compelling, complicated grooves and above all Danny Carey - rock and roll's second greatest drummer ever (after Rush's Neil Peart).
Seventeen years later, "Undertow" still sounds fresh enough to be released tomorrow. Frankly, it would probably do better if you did. They are a unique band, who I think only fully realized their mainstream potential in 2006, with the release of "10,000 Days". That suits me just fine, and likely Tool as well - although I'm sure they would've happily cashed the cheques.
Anyway - this isn't a Tool retrospective, it is a review of "Undertow."
This record only has ten tracks, but there isn't a real stinker among them. "Disgustipated" is a bit goofy, since it is over fifteen minutes long, and the only musical portion is a weird beating of sticks, as Rev. Maynard sermonizes about a dream he had, in which carrots can feel pain. ("These are the cries of the carrots. They have a consciousness!"). It sounds silly, but Tool manages to twist our initial humour at the notion into a dark and serious realization:
"This is necessary. Life feeds on life."
Yikes. It is creepy, because it is true.
Since Tool can creep you out about eating carrots, it isn't surprising that they are that much more creepy when tackling serious topics.
In "Sober" they get right to the emotional core of addiction. Lines like:
"I am just a worthless liar
I am just an imbecile
I will find a centre in you
I will chew it up and leave."
really capture the self-loathing of the addict that wants to quit, but can't resist his own compulsions. There is also a very cool (and creepy) stop-motion animation video for this song, featuring a sewer pipe filled with chunks of raw meat.
Frankly, we used to joke that "Sober" was the radio release simply because nothing else would've received radio play in 1993.
Most notable, is "Prison Sex" - a song about prison rape. This song paints such a disturbing picture of its chosen topic it could probably singlehandedly scare people onto the straight and narrow. Of course, it would be a pretty tough sell as a public service announcement. Not exactly after-school special material.
When I first heard the record, I always enjoyed "Swamp Song". I can't understand all the lyrics, but I always imagine this song is about some drunk in a bar stumbling into other people. I don't know if that is what it's about, but that's what it is about for me. I can certainly relate - who among us has not been stumbled into by some drunk at a bar? Anyway - whatever it is about, I love the groovy riff on this song.
What all these songs have in common is amazing musicianship - often with the unexpected focus on drums and bass. So often in rock music, guitar and vocals are cranked up way too loud. Tool provides an excellent balance, and in the process shows off very balanced and intricate songwriting.
Every Tool album is excellent, but I think even with the stiff competition, "Undertow" holds its own, and is solid throughout. It also put a new spin on music, a new focus in production, and lyrics that both disturb and elicit real emotion in the listener.
It isn't a pretty flower, and it isn't for the easily offended, but it is amazing music.
Best tracks: All tracks, although you can live without "Disgustipated" after you've spared a moment of silence for the carrots.
Disc 131 is...Undertow
Artist: ToolYear of Release: 1993
What’s Up With The Cover?: Um...an alien ribcage? This is typical of Tool's disturbing CD art and frankly, is one of the more tame examples. The back of the disc depicts a pig with the word "undertow" shaved into its side, that has been impaled on about twenty forks. Yikes.
How I Came To Know It: My buddy Greg gets full credit for my exposure to both Tool in general, and this album in particular. During the grunge/celtic folk wars of the early nineties, this was an album I actually enjoyed.
How It Stacks Up: Tool takes their time releasing records. In eighteen years, they've released five. Of the five, I would say "Undertow" is a close second to 2001's "Lateralus".
Rating: 5 stars, although there is some silliness on track 10 where you get about 10 minutes of crickets chirping, that came very close to knocking it down to 4 just out of sheer frustration.
"Undertow" was the first Tool album I ever heard - I really liked it, although I'm told they don't perform these songs in concert any more, which I think is kind of odd.
When Tool put this record out (and the EP preceding it, "Opiate") I don't think there was anything that sounded quite like them. Rev. Maynard's creepy vocals, their compelling, complicated grooves and above all Danny Carey - rock and roll's second greatest drummer ever (after Rush's Neil Peart).
Seventeen years later, "Undertow" still sounds fresh enough to be released tomorrow. Frankly, it would probably do better if you did. They are a unique band, who I think only fully realized their mainstream potential in 2006, with the release of "10,000 Days". That suits me just fine, and likely Tool as well - although I'm sure they would've happily cashed the cheques.
Anyway - this isn't a Tool retrospective, it is a review of "Undertow."
This record only has ten tracks, but there isn't a real stinker among them. "Disgustipated" is a bit goofy, since it is over fifteen minutes long, and the only musical portion is a weird beating of sticks, as Rev. Maynard sermonizes about a dream he had, in which carrots can feel pain. ("These are the cries of the carrots. They have a consciousness!"). It sounds silly, but Tool manages to twist our initial humour at the notion into a dark and serious realization:
"This is necessary. Life feeds on life."
Yikes. It is creepy, because it is true.
Since Tool can creep you out about eating carrots, it isn't surprising that they are that much more creepy when tackling serious topics.
In "Sober" they get right to the emotional core of addiction. Lines like:
"I am just a worthless liar
I am just an imbecile
I will find a centre in you
I will chew it up and leave."
really capture the self-loathing of the addict that wants to quit, but can't resist his own compulsions. There is also a very cool (and creepy) stop-motion animation video for this song, featuring a sewer pipe filled with chunks of raw meat.
Frankly, we used to joke that "Sober" was the radio release simply because nothing else would've received radio play in 1993.
Most notable, is "Prison Sex" - a song about prison rape. This song paints such a disturbing picture of its chosen topic it could probably singlehandedly scare people onto the straight and narrow. Of course, it would be a pretty tough sell as a public service announcement. Not exactly after-school special material.
When I first heard the record, I always enjoyed "Swamp Song". I can't understand all the lyrics, but I always imagine this song is about some drunk in a bar stumbling into other people. I don't know if that is what it's about, but that's what it is about for me. I can certainly relate - who among us has not been stumbled into by some drunk at a bar? Anyway - whatever it is about, I love the groovy riff on this song.
What all these songs have in common is amazing musicianship - often with the unexpected focus on drums and bass. So often in rock music, guitar and vocals are cranked up way too loud. Tool provides an excellent balance, and in the process shows off very balanced and intricate songwriting.
Every Tool album is excellent, but I think even with the stiff competition, "Undertow" holds its own, and is solid throughout. It also put a new spin on music, a new focus in production, and lyrics that both disturb and elicit real emotion in the listener.
It isn't a pretty flower, and it isn't for the easily offended, but it is amazing music.
Best tracks: All tracks, although you can live without "Disgustipated" after you've spared a moment of silence for the carrots.
2 comments:
I really do love Tool, but I have to be in the mood for them. Also, I can't remember any of their songs from the (mostly) 1-word titles.
This is an amazing album that I don't listen to nearly enough. I find it hard to rank their albums because, I think I like them all pretty equally, but for different reasons.
I always thought that "Prison Sex" was more about child abuse/power imabalances and the cycle of abuse, and not a story about the act per se. The video seems to really drive that home (and it makes "sober" look like Toy Story by way of comparison.
They did play some of this album on the most recent tour, including "Flood" when they played in Victoria. That performance was pretty damned scary.
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