Monday, May 08, 2006

Keeping it indie!

You don't need to read Stylus' review of Tool's 10,000 DAYS to find some value in these comments. There are some interesting opinions voiced, notably, the view that at some point, certain bands are no longer "cool" or "hip" because they have established a career and aren't buzzworthy in blogdom/indie review land.

Tool has obviously come to this point. I am positive that Tool doesn't give a flying fuck. I, on the other hand and as a matter of principle, do. It is a little annoying to see bands thrown by the wayside for the simple sake of "keeping it indie." Yes, Tool's album does not compare to their earlier work. Are there flashes of brilliance? Sure. Moments of complete, unadulterated rock fury? Absolutely. As many as previous Tool albums? No. At any rate...these comments are worth a look.

At some point, in the not-too-distant future, Pitchfork or Stylus, or both, will be taking a hot dump on your favorite (former) indie or buzzworthy band, forcing you to make the fateful decision of shitting with them, or getting off the pot. What will you do?

On a side note, it is sad that publications that pride themselves on promoting independent music and encouraging the ability to see through the smoke and mirrors of the record industry lack the similar ability to look at a group of Tool fans and see something more than a "sycophantic army" following "generals" with "bullshit ideas." Some of them never enlisted in the "Tool Army" and are just there to see some extremely talented individuals perform.

1 comment:

JK said...

this is by far the best review i've read of this album.

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/tool_10000_days/