Tag: Progressive rock
New Tangent Ready for Pre-Order
As the Tangent posted this morning on Facebook:
STATEMENT FROM INSIDEOUT/CENTURY MEDIA TUE 7/5/13
On the 24th June 2013, InsideOut Music is set to release the seventh studio album by The Tangent entitled Le Sacre Du Travail (The Rite Of Work). The album is the group’s first fully blown “concept album” but band-leader Andy Tillison is keen to point out that this concept is something that involves all of us now rather than a rambling fiction.
Formed from a single hour long piece of music in 5 movements and referred to by the band as “An Electric Sinfonia” based around a working day of a typical Western-world citizen, the album has a very personal feel. It’s highly orchestral and 20th century classical in tone, very much inspired by Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring. Described by INSIDEOUT CEO Thomas Waber as “A very mature album” with “Stellar Musicianship” – this album sees the lineup of The Tangent revert to an earlier formation, Andy Tillison (composer/keyboards/singer) again bringing on board Jonas Reingold on bass (The Flower Kings, Karmakanic), Jakko M Jakszyk on guitar & vocals (King Crimson, Level 42), Theo Travis on wind instruments (Soft Machine, Steve Wilson Band) with the new additions of Gavin Harrison on drums (Porcupine Tree) & David Longdon on vocal harmonies (Big Big Train). In addition there are cameo appearances by Rikard Sjoblom (Beardfish) and Guy Manning amongst others.
The Tangent add to the statement:
The artwork for the outside cover you see here, is by a remarkable gentleman named Martin Stephen. The interior artwork will be announced & featured extensively later.
Much more info on the Tangent Website updated today (please allow for bizarreness)www.thetangent.org And of course regular Pre-Ordering begins today!
Look out for more information on the album in the coming weeks!
The Fierce and the Dead Sign with Bad Elephant Music
The Fierce And The Dead
B.E.M. is delighted to announce partnering with The Fierce And The Dead for the production, release and worldwide distribution of the band’s second full-length album.
The Fierce And The Dead – guitarists Matt Stevens and Steve Cleaton, bassist and producer Kev Feazey and drummer Stuart Marshall – was originally born out of sonic experimentation when making Matt’s second solo album, Ghost, and they’ve developed into one of the most original bands in the UK rock scene. Their unique brand of instrumental rock music, fusing rock, post-rock, punk and progressive elements, has made a big impression through one full-length album and two EPs, and their incendiary live performances, most recently as part of the Stabbing a Dead Horse tour of the UK with Knifeworld and Trojan Horse.
David Elliott, founder and CEO of Bad Elephant Music said: “We’re proper made up to be working with The Fierce And The Dead. They’re absolutely our kind of band, and lovely guys too. I’m looking forward to hearing what Matt, Kev, Stuart and Steve are going to produce for us, and of course it will be an absolute monster. Collaborating with a band of TFATD’s calibre is a huge honour for us, and we welcome them with open arms to the B.E.M. family.”
Matt Stevens, on behalf of The Fierce And The Dead, said: “We are extremely pleased to partner with Bad Elephant on this album, they are true music lovers and believe in supporting the artist. This will allow us to make the music we want to make and have the support to help us gain a wider audience, without in anyway compromising our vision for our new album. And they like a good curry, which is nice.”
The as yet untitled album is scheduled for release in the Autumn of 2013.
Existentialist Prog–John Galgano
A review of John Galgano, “Real Life is Meeting,” (Doone Records, 2012).
You may not like what I say.
You may not like the way my eyes stay straight.
But I tell the truth.
–John Galgano, “Real Life is Meeting, Pt. 1”
Appearing amidst a whirligig of CDs in that prog annus mirabalis, 2012, John Galgano’s first solo album barely got noticed. And, this is to the great loss of all of us who love beautiful things. For Galgano’s art is of the highest quality, and this CD would be regarded by any sane person as a must-own, prog masterpiece.
From the beginning note to the last word, the CD breathes integrity and a real wholesomeness. It is, clearly, a labor of love. The lyrics, the performances, the packaging. Everything.
Each instrument performs spectacularly. None, though, stand out in terms of quality more than the bass. Indeed, the bass work is nothing less than extraordinary. If there is a failing to this album (and this would be the only one), however, it is that the bass is way too low/quiet in the mix. When I listen to the album, I have to strain to hear the bass–but it’s worth it, as the bass soars in both subtlety and craftsmanship.
But, the highest of the high–that which holds the entire album together–is the combination of the voices of Galgano and Laura Meade. Alone, each is stunning. Galgano has a distinctive voice, and it’s as clear on this solo CD as it is on IZZ albums. He possesses a warm, charismatic, and inviting voice. In part, this is just a gift of nature, but it’s also a result of his integrity. That is, it’s rather clear to any listener that Galgano believes in what he’s singing. But, Galgano is at his best when signing with, around, and next to Meade. Together, they sound like a chorus of the heavenly muses. If these voices are the ones I hear seconds after death, I’ll be confident I’m heading to the right place for eternity.
There are nine tracks, ranging from a minute and a half (bizarrely called “Galgano Bonus Track) to the full-blown epic, “1000.” Common themes–relationships, suffering, depression, redemption–predominate. When Galgano and Meade sing of love, it’s difficult to know if that love is transcendent of earthly. Regardless, it’s good. To be sure, it’s very good.
Nothing Added to nothing
Gives us lots of Nothing
The only thing
The only thing
The only thing
Is Love.
–John Galgano and Laura Meade, “The Only Thing”
Most readers of Progarchy know Galgano as one of the essential parts (and persons–let’s not be too uncouth here!) of the astounding American prog band, IZZ. In recent advertisements and billings, John Galgano solo is presented as “IZZ Lite.” From my listening of/to his excellent solo album, I can’t quite agree with the advertising, but I understand the meaning. Perhaps it might be better to state: Galgano solo is IZZ while the whole band is IZZ completed. Regardless, whether one might call this IZZ or IZZ Lite or IZZ completed, this solo album is an amazing and beautiful piece of art, radiating conviction in every one of its aspects.
Even Galgano’s CD package itself is a thing of beauty. The colors and fonts are tasteful, the image of the front cover, entitled “Cathedral” is quite stunning in a late-1950s Dave Brubeck-artful kind of way. [The title, the inside information reveals, comes from a line in Jewish humanist and existentialist Martin Buber’s, “I and Thou.”] Even the lettering of the lyrics is quite nice. While I love packaging in general, I rarely find anything beyond the actual artwork worth commenting on. Here, though, it’s worth praising. Overall, the packaging, the fonts–everything–is just, well, like the music itself, tasteful. The one thing I don’t get are the three dates subtly in the background: 1945, 1974, 1923. I’m sure these have some kind of meaning, but no explanation is offered.
It would be a crime to all art, all rock, and all prog should this release continue to be barely noticed by the music community. Sadly, I did not know about it until last December when I was playing around a bit at the IZZ website. As soon as I saw it (and the title captivated me, as it has great significance for many of my personal heroes, including T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, and Christopher Dawson), I ordered it. Had I known about it earlier than the last month of the year, I would certainly have included it in my top CD picks of 2012.
I’ve been meaning to write this review for nearly five months now. Finally, here it is.
Order “Real Life is Meeting,” and cherish it. It’s a rare and precious thing, and it deserves every ounce of support we can offer.
Real life is meeting
I have known this house
There is copper in the soil
–John Galgano, “Real Life is Meeting, Pt. II”
Covered
For some reason, I’ve always been quite taken with the idea of the “cover,” a great group or artist remaking the old art into something new, profound, and tangible for a new audience.
Unfortunately, the result of the cover is often a mere imitation of the original. This, sadly, does nothing but waste everyone’s time. In this instance, I can’t help but think of Echo and the Bunnymen’s remake of “People are Strange.” It is almost note for note and instrument for instrument the same as the original by the Doors. No matter how great, Echo, they will simply not best a classic by merely imitating. There’s nothing even remotely interesting or unusual in the Echo version. They sound bored, and they probably are. Echo was simply too good to be a glorified cover band.
There are also inferior versions of a once great song that simply had never had a wide audience in the first place. Here, I think specifically of the Bangles remaking A Hazy Shade of Winter. The Simon and Garfunkel version is in every way superior except one. When it was originally released, A Hazy Shade of Winter appeared around a number of other attention-gathering songs off of the album, Bookends. It would’ve been pretty hard to complete with “Mrs. Robinson.” And, A Hazy Shade never became absorbed into American culture the way so many other Simon and Garfunkel songs did. When the Bangles released it in 1987, it climbed to #2 on the American pop charts. Who can forget first hearing that song, realizing the immense disconnect between a barely talented hack corporate band and some of the best lyrics ever written? No, it shouldn’t have succeeded, but it clearly did. Commercially, a success. Artistically, a travesty.
Over the last decade or so, though, a number of excellent songs have been covered by various prog bands. In each case, at least as I see it, the songs covered are–quite the opposite of the Bangles assault on and diminution of a classic–in most respects far better than the originals. Three things help account for this. First, some of this improving, I’m sure, is a product of better technology. Still, we can all think of examples where the newer technology has driven the life out of a song or an album. Technology, in the end, is a tool, neither good nor bad in and of itself but a means to a good or bad end.
Second, in ways that could never be measured, a remake is importantly the result of the love the artist of today feels for the artists and traditions of the past. The current prog artist has absorbed some beloved songs for years and years, and the songs have become an essential part of the art itself and of the artist herself or himself.
Third, very importantly, few progressive rock acts perform merely to be commercial. They do so for love of the art itself.
Again, let me go back to that Strawband, the Bangles. What did they have to offer to a Simon and Garfunkel song? Nothing in the least. Per the above three points. First, the technology made them mere apes, allowing them to present sanitary mimicking of a great song. Second, the Bangles play their version as though they’d only encountered the original version days or possibly hours before recording. Their version came out twenty years later, but it, in no way, feels as though an artist had absorbed that song for twenty years. Third, the Bangles wanted to cash in on a piece of art that failed to reach its full potential two decades earlier. And, they did. Again, a commercial success, but a artistic horror.
***
But, what about some wonderful, beautiful, intense, gorgeous covers?
Nosound’s remake of Pink Floyd’s 1971, “Echoes.” Four minutes longer than the original, the Nosound version not only records their version with affection, but there is an unmistakable Nosound sound. Where Floyd used a cold and rather impressive technology to make certain unusual sounds, Nosound substitutes a much greater organicism to the song.
The Reasoning’s remake of Duran Duran’s “The Chauffeur.” This was certainly the best and most interesting track off of Rio (1982). And, Rachel Cohen of the The Reasoning has never once hidden her admiration of the best rock of the 1980s. Matt, Rachel, and the others do wonders to the original, making it far, far superior. At once more delicate and yet harder than the original, The Reasoning makes this a serious work of art. Matt’s deep and haunting bass is especially good. But, so is Rachel’s voice. The Reasoning takes a good pop/rock song, and makes it a short but haunting masterpiece of prog.
Big Big Train’s “Master of Time.” Sheer bucolic glory. Next to the original by the former Genesis guitarist, BBT’s Master is a blatant and full-voiced work of immaculacy. It makes the original seem a fine sketch of a song, while paying all due homage to it. Even in its BBT’s intensity, joy multiplies as the song progresses, following NDV’s driving drums. If this isn’t a glimpse of a pre-fallen Eden, nothing is. And, yes, I wouldn’t be surprised if David Longdon’s voice has an angelic counterpart in the spheres far beyond this world.
Peter Gabriel’s Scratch Your Back, in many ways, corrects the errors of the Bangles. While the whole album is good, and Gabriel covers everyone from Elbow to David Bowie to the Talking Heads, nothing bests his own version of the Paul Simon song, “Boy in the Bubble.” While it’s not necessarily better than Simon’s version, it is a penetrating look at the darker aspects of the song. I would challenge anyone to listen to Gabriel’s version with headphones and not tearing up at the terrors and tragedies revealed anew in the lyrics. This might be Gabriel at his absolute highest as an artist. “These are the days of miracle and wonder. Don’t cry, baby. Don’t cry.”
Glass Hammer remaking Yes’s “South Side of the Sky.” This has been one of my two or three favorite Yes songs going back to my early childhood in the mid 1970s. Certainly, when I saw Yes play live in Grand Rapids for the 35th Anniversary tour, this song was the highlight. Nothing, however, prepared me for hearing Glass Hammer’s version when I first purchased “Culture of Ascent.” This cover is a perfect example of a band and a group of artists that had fully absorbed the song–every single aspect of it–over period of two or three decades. This song by Yes is simply an immense part of the DNA of Glass Hammer. And, it shows in every aspect of Glass Hammer’s version. Everything is simply perfect, and it’s as obvious as obvious can be that Glass Hammer recorded and produced their version with nothing but love, pure and unadulterated love. And, dare I say it without risking the reader just switching off and heading to the wilds of a new website. . . Susie Bogdanowicz was born to sing this song.
***
There are other songs I’d love to write about, but time prevents me at the moment from doing so. Let me just conclude with this. When a cover is done well and with love, it’s a hard thing to beat. And, while I would never want the current progressive moment to become imitative at its heart, it’s a healthy thing to remember and honor those who came before us. In particular, I think there are a number of songs from the 80s that were brilliant in their time, but could really benefit from being progged up. Imagine Thomas Dolby’s One of Submarines redone as full-blown prog. Or, Big Country’s The Seer. Or, The Cure’s Disintegration. Or, New Model Army’s Whitecoats.
So much to be done. So little time.
Nosound Cover Pink Floyd’s Echoes
I know that I can get into all kinds of trouble for stating this, but, when covers are done well, they’re often even better than the originals. And, I don’t mean to degrade the originals. For example, I think NDV’s Rewiring Genesis does an even better job at LAMB LIES DOWN than did Genesis originally. Heresy??? Maybe. But, it’s true.
Here’s another example. I love Pink Floyd’s Echoes. I was probably 14 or so when my friend and sometime debate colleague, Darrin, showed me Pink Floyd’s Live in Pompei on laser disc. I was blown away.
But, this version (linked below) is even better. I’m sure production and technological advances have something do with it. But, I also think it’s because the covers do come later, and the folks who cover them often have integrated the songs into their very being in ways the original writers probably didn’t.
Yes, start writing crazy things about me in the posts comments! At 45, I’m thick skinned enough to take it!!!
So, here’s the cover and the masterpiece: Nosound’s version of Pink Floyd’s Echoes. Makes me just sigh in wonder. Erra is a genius. And, he “just gets it.”
https://soundcloud.com/kscopemusic/nosound-echoes-pink-floyd-live
Radiant Records–Outrageous clearance sale right now.
Progarchy readers, Radiant Records (Neal Morse’s company) is having an incredible sale right now. Lots of early Spock’s Beard for $1.99/cd. Also, Transatlantic and Yellow Matter Custard. DVDs and some really rare stuff, all on sale. Worth checking out.
http://www.radiantrecords.com/category/191735-clearance.aspx
Press Release regarding new Sanguine Hum
London, UK – Esoteric Antenna is pleased to announce the release of the eagerly awaited new studio album by modern progressive rock ensemble Sanguine Hum. ‘The Weight of the World’ sees Oxford, UK’s Sanguine Hum expand their musical horizons on all fronts with a seven-track collection of diverse compositions – technically challenging and exciting yet always melodic and direct. Songs such as “From the Ground Up”, “Cognoscenti” and “System for Solution” pursue the Porcupine Tree meets Radiohead approach of their debut record ‘Diving Bell’ with powerful yet intricate riffs propelling the songwriting that continues to make ever more inventive use of surprising twists and turns in the arrangement.
“Best prog rock album so far this century. The kind of record that prog rock bands 40 years from now will try to copy…” – Michael Bjorn, Strange Days (Japan)
Surprises are to be found as well in the instrumentation as the band open up the sound and more explicitly reference a love of electronica and the music of artists such as Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin, best heard in the song “Day of Release” as synthetic percussion and rumbling synths give way to chiming acoustic guitar and a soaring vocal melody. As a counterpoint, the album also features the highly atmospheric “Phosphor”, which sees Sanguine Hum break new creative ground. Perhaps even more exciting for a band that perhaps held some of their progressive influences in check on their debut album, is the 15-minute title track that manages the task of combining effective and emotional songwriting with thrilling musical developments that push the band to the limit. ‘The Weight of the World’ breaks new ground for a band at the forefront of truly “progressive” music.
Recorded at Oxford’s Evolution studios, Joff Winks (vocals, guitars, programming), Matt Baber (keyboards, percussion, programming), Brad Waissman (bass) and Andrew Booker (drums, percussion) have pushed the creative boundaries of Sanguine Hum to produce one of THE truly progressive and landmark albums of 2013.
In support of the release of ‘The Weight of the World’, Sanguine Hum will be performing at The Borderline in London on Friday June 7th with TIN SPIRITS and MATT STEVENS. The band will also be playing at Band on the Wall in Manchester on June 21st – same line-up as at the Borderline.
SANGUINE HUM – ‘The Weight of the World’ CD can be purchased at http://www.cherryred.co.uk/esoteric-exd.asp?id=401
SANGUINE HUM – ‘The Weight of the World’ Limited Digipack 2 disc deluxe edition with Bonus DVD (NTSC Region Free): The Making of ‘The Weight of the World’ home movie.
For more information: www.troopersforsound.com
Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com
Esoteric Antenna is a Cherry Red Records label
Cherry Red Records, Power Road Studios, 114 Power Road, London W4 5PY
Staring into the Abyss: Darkness, the Ugly Truth, and Comfort in the Lyrics of Tool
One of my favorite books is ‘The Prince’ by Niccolo Machiavelli. Anyone having even a passing familiarity with this work knows it is a lightning rod of controversy, with some hotly-debated interpretations. To say that I like this work is not to say I am a fan of methods that are referred to as “Machiavellian” or that the “ends justifies the means” (an interpretation that I would hotly dispute). What I like about Machiavelli’s writing in ‘The Prince’ is his stone-cold sober look at human nature – warts and all, and more generally, the unvarnished truth. Machiavelli has no time for such pieties that people are basically good and, left to their own devices, will do the right thing. He knows better.
If Machiavelli were alive today, I’m guessing he would certainly identify with the lyrics of some of Tool’s work. Heck, he might even write their lyrics. Aside from the fact that there were not many hippies in Florence during the early 1500’s, it’s not hard to imagine Machiavelli the lyricist penning this verse from Tool’s ‘Vicarious’:
Credulous at best, your desire to believe in angels in the hearts of men.
Pull your head on out your hippy haze and give a listen.
Shouldn’t have to say it all again.
The universe is hostile. So impersonal. Devour to survive.
So it is. So it’s always been.
Machiavelli would have certainly understood the sentiment in the above verse. And like Machiavelli, Maynard James Keenan and Tool have no illusions about whether or not there are “angels in the hearts of men.” They know better.
Tool lyrics range from very disturbing (‘Stinkfist’, ‘Prison Sex’), depressing (‘Schism’), occasionally weird (the Area 51 acid trip of ‘Rosetta Stoned’), and often times take a generally dark view of humanity. If you are looking for happy, sunny lyrical themes, Tool is most decidedly not your band.
Before I get into this too much further, I do want to note that I am going to practice a little self-censorship in this piece, as certain Tool songs contain enough F-bombs and S-bombs to cause a collective nervous breakdown of Tipper Gore and her staff at the PMRC. I’ll simply insert asterisks into the F-bombs and S-bombs. My reasoning is that I don’t know who reads this site and I don’t want to overrun it with curse words, particularly if any minors are reading. Well, that, and the fact that the Dept. of Swearing has informed me I used up a significant portion of my lifetime curse-word quota during my six years in the U.S. Navy, and thus need to save the remaining portion of my quota for when it could really come in handy (for example, when my piece of @#*& printer keeps &#!*<?% up). Rest assured, this is not an editorial decision by anyone else on this site, the decision here is mine and mine alone.
And one other thing – I’m not going to get too much into the music of Tool itself, which is typically excellent. Justin Chancellor is an outstanding bassist, and Adam Jones is an exceptionally innovative guitarist. No discussion of the best drummers in the business today is complete if Danny Carey is not included. And few vocalists can convey emotion with the sustained intensity of Maynard James Keenan.
Now, let’s get back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Our Darker Selves
When we look at the history of the Rome, we like to think of ourselves as better than those Romans who flocked to the Colusseum. We would never indulge in viewing such violent spectacles, would we? We don’t want to see people die or get hurt. Tool isn’t buying it, as spelled out in the above-mentioned ‘Vicarious’:
Eye on the TV
’cause tragedy thrills me
Whatever flavor
It happens to be like;
Killed by the husband
Drowned by the ocean
Shot by his own son
She used the poison in his tea
And kissed him goodbye
That’s my kind of story
It’s no fun ’til someone dies
While ‘Vicarious’ may appear to some to be more directed to the media and the “if it bleeds, it leads” ethos, stepping a little farther back reveals that it’s more about what lurks in the hearts of people everywhere. Now, in fairness, not everybody wants to watch people die, at least not in real life … but I think more of us are at least insensitive (if not outright desiring) to the witnessing violence we will admit. In my own personal life, my two favorite spectator sports are American football and boxing – both of which are violent and can take a frightening toll on the participants. The issue of concussions and their after-affects is an ongoing story that presently puts a cloud over American professional football. With respect to boxing, most of us are familiar with the plight of once quick-witted Muhammad Ali, now saddled with a severe case of Parkinson’s disease. And yet I was thrilled, absolutely mesmerized by his titanic battles with Joe Frazier, especially 1975’s Thrilla in Manila, which I have re-watched on numerous occasions despite knowing Ali’s current condition.
Don’t look at me like
I am a monster
Frown out your one face
But with the other
Stare like a junkie
Into the TV
Stare like a zombie
Let me repeat that sentiment – don’t look at me like I am a monster. Several years ago in a conversation with an acquaintance I mentioned that I liked boxing. He asked me how I could watch something like that where the only object (in his view anyway) was to “beat the s**t out of each other.” That was on a Friday. The following Monday he was raving about a hit from one of Sunday’s football games, one in which a player returning a punt was wiped out and carted off the field.
Why can’t we just admit it?
Why can’t we just admit it?
I also remember, later that year, being over at a friend’s house along with dozens of others to watch the heavyweight title fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. When in round 7 a huge right hand by Lewis momentarily separated Tyson from his senses and put him on the canvas for the 10-count, a deafening roar of approval erupted.
You all feel the same so
Why can’t we just admit it?
Human beings are quite good at not merely watching others fight, but becoming participants themselves – at least at the scale of nation-states and other large organizations having political goals. This lamentable characteristic is explored in ‘Right in Two’:
Angels on the sideline,
Puzzled and amused.
Why did Father give these humans free will?
Now they’re all confused.
Don’t these talking monkeys know that
Eden has enough to go around?
Plenty in this holy garden, silly monkeys,
Where there’s one you’re bound to divide it.
Right in two.
…
Monkey killing monkey killing monkey.
Over pieces of the ground.
Silly monkeys give them thumbs.
They make a club.
And beat their brother, down.
…
Fight over the clouds, over wind, over sky
Fight over life, over blood, over prayer,
overhead and light
Fight over love, over sun,
over another, Fight…
The creator has endowed us with a planet having more than enough for everybody, with plenty to spare and in defiance of the most dire Malthusian predictions. While some of our drive to acquisition and the defense thereof is undoubtedly springs from deep seated survival instincts (not easily discarded, even in times of abundance), much of our conflict is still driven by greed, lust, envy, and ideology. In the last century, literally hundreds of millions were slaughtered, fighting over blood, prayer, ideology, whatever. So far, this century doesn’t look like it will be much different. For that matter, previous centuries weren’t that much different either.
Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time here.
Indeed.
This is not to say that I condone pacifism (I most certainly do not), nor that there is no such thing as a just war. But still, look at us …
Destruction of Others, Destruction of Self
One of the seven deadly sins is wrath. From Wikipedia (stop laughing), wrath “may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger.” Wrath, in its purest form, presents with self-destructiveness, violence, and hate that may provoke feuds that can go on for centuries.” Tool deals with this deadly sin in ‘The Grudge’.
Wear the grudge like a crown of negativity.
Calculate what we will or will not tolerate.
Desperate to control all and everything.
Unable to forgive your scarlet lettermen.
Clutch it like a cornerstone. Otherwise it all comes down.
Justify denials and grip ’em to the lonesome end.
Clutch it like a cornerstone. Otherwise it all comes down.
Terrified of being wrong. Ultimatum prison cell.
Saturn ascends, choose one or ten. Hang on or be humbled again.
Clutch it like a cornerstone. Otherwise it all comes down.
Justify denials and grip ’em to the lonesome end.
Saturn ascends, comes round again.
Saturn ascends, the one, the ten. Ignorant to the damage done.
…
Wear your grudge like a crown. Desperate to control.
Unable to forgive. And we’re sinking deeper.
Defining, confining, controlling, and we’re sinking deeper.
There is so much truth and wisdom in those few verses it’s really hard to know where to begin. I’m sure most of us have held at least a petty grudge at some point in our lives, particularly when we were kids. With maturity, some will outgrow such grudges and avoid their self-destructive effects. Others will not, or will develop new ones, and will be consumed by them. That’s what grudges do to their holders – they consume them.
And it’s not just individuals that hold grudges. Groups of people, from small clans to the largest of civilizations may also hold grudges. Hatfields and McCoys, anyone?
And is it any wonder why wrath is among the seven deadly sins?
Greed, Gluttony, and General Decadence
Greed and gluttony are two more of the deadly sins, and are among the themes explored by Tool in Ænima. While Ænima on the surface appears to be an indictment of that “hopeless f**king hole we call LA”, it could just as well be an indictment of the current state of western culture. LA just happens to be Maynard’s example (via his friend, the late Bill Hicks) of a “bulls**t, sideshow, three-ring circus of freaks” that best exemplifies our decadence.
Fret for your figure and
Fret for your latte and
Fret for your lawsuit and
Fret for your hairpiece and
Fret for your Prozac and
Fret for your pilot and
Fret for your contract and
Fret for your car.
…
F**k L Ron Hubbard and
F**k all his clones.
F**k all these gun-toting
Hip gangster wannabes.
Learn to swim.
F**k retro anything.
F**k your tattoos.
F**k all you junkies and
F**k your short memory.
Learn to swim.
F**k smiley glad-hands,
With hidden agendas.
F**k these dysfunctional,
Insecure actresses.
It’s like shooting fish in a barrel, isn’t it?
It’s been said that politics is downstream from culture. Cue ‘Intolerance’, from the ‘Undertow’ album.
I don’t want to be hostile.
I don’t want to be dismal.
But I don’t want to rot in an apathetic existence either.
See
I want to believe you,
and I want to trust you
and I want to have faith to put away the dagger.
But you lie, cheat, and steal
lie, cheat, and steal
you lie, cheat and steal
And yet
I tolerate you.
Veil of virtue hung to hide your method
while I smile and laugh and dance
and sing your praise and glory.
Shroud of virtue hung to mask your stigma
as I smile and laugh and dance
and sing your glory
while you
lie, cheat, and steal.
How can I tolerate you?
I can’t speak for what goes on in other countries, but for my own, does this not hit the nail on the head as to the state of our current political climate (please, though, no political debates on this site)? While the lyrics above could apply to a number of different institutions, they lend themselves particularly well as a scathing indictment of the current state of American politics and the two wretched parties in control.
Alas, we can’t just point the finger at the politicians, when we are the ones that keep putting them in power – and willingly give them even more after we’ve put them there.
Our guilt, our blame,
I’ve been far too sympathetic.
Our blood, our fault.
I’ve been far too sympathetic.
I am not innocent.
You are not innocent.
Noone is innocent.
Why?
So why listen to these kinds of lyrics? Why take in so much negativity, so much anger, and so much darkness? Isn’t listening to music supposed to be some form of joyful experience? Isn’t it supposed to be entertainment?
Well, no, not necessarily anyway.
Science attempts to explain the physical world around us. Technology can help us harness the physical world for our benefit. But it is the humanities that grow our minds and convey to us the realities of life that are beyond the reach of science and can’t be addressed through technology. Literature, poetry, and film, and other art forms fall under this larger umbrella – as do song lyrics such as those discussed herein. Particular ones of Tool’s lyrics are particularly good at illuminating certain realities of life.
It is essential to see the world as it is, warts an all, if one wants to obtain any sort of comfort or inner peace. The great Stoic Epictetus instructed his students to not avert their eyes from the painful events of life, but rather to look at them squarely and contemplate them often. To do so is to free one’s self from illusions and thereby avoid the unnecessary pain that otherwise occurs in the inevitable collisions with reality we all have. The world is what it is, not what we want it to be. And as we have already been reminded, “the universe is hostile, so impersonal.”
Some might choose to descend into cynicism and misanthropy upon contemplating the ideas within the lyrics presented. But that is taking the easy way out. Do you actually think Tool is going to let you off easy? Ha. Pffft. Think again.
The Way Out
Nope, Tool isn’t going to let you take the easy way out. They aren’t going to let you fall into the cynical trap. You’ve still got work to do. We’ve already discussed some of the lyrics of ‘The Grudge’ above. But even in a song that explores the deadly sin of wrath, Tool lets us know that it is still a choice – and that another path is there to be taken:
Saturn comes back around. Lifts you up like a child or
Drags you down like a stone
To consume you till you choose to let this go.
Give away the stone. Let the oceans take and
Transmutate this cold and fated anchor.
Give away the stone. Let the waters kiss and
Transmutate these leaden grudges into gold.
Let go.
You can be consumed by a grudge, or you can let it go. Your choice. One choice is harder to make than the other one … but the harder choice is the only beneficial one.
The “learn to swim” lyric noted above in the discussion of Ænima above presents an interesting juxtaposition within that song. At first glance, it appears to be a reference to saving one’s self when LA falls into the ocean. But reading between the lines, it could just as well refer to learning to be one’s self instead of denying that and becoming consumed by “stupid s**t, silly s**t.” Indeed, while we cannot control the culture or society around us, we can certainly make a conscious choice to not let it drag us down. We can “learn to swim” to maintain our own personal integrity and dignity.
The album ‘Lateralus’ has a number of songs with lyrics that point to the way out of despair. Take ‘Parabola’ for example:
Twirling round with this familiar parable
Spinning, weaving round each new experience
Recognize this as a holy gift and celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing
A chance to be alive and breathing
This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality
Embrace this moment, remember, we are eternal
All this pain is an illusion
We all deal with pain in our lives, but so much of our pain is indeed illusory. Often times with certain events it is our own perceptions that cause the pain, rather than the events themselves. And sometimes changing those perceptions can do wonders.
Continued growth of mind is one message to take away from the title track of ‘Lateralus’:
Black then white are all I see
In my infancy,
Red and yellow then came to be,
Reaching out to me,
Lets me see.
As below, so above and beyond, I imagine
Drawn beyond the lines of reason.
Push the envelope.
Watch it bend.
….
Feed my will to feel this moment
Urging me to cross the line.
Reaching out to embrace the random.
Reaching out to embrace whatever may come.
I embrace my
Desire to
I embrace my
Desire to
Feel the rhythm,
To feel connected
Enough to step aside
And weep like a widow
To feel inspired
To fathom the power
To witness the beauty
To bathe in the fountain,
To swing on the spiral
To swing on the spiral
To…
Swing on the spiral of our divinity and
Still be a human.
…
Spiral out
Keep going
Spiral out
Keep going
Spiral out
Keep going
Spiral out
Keep going
The lyrical pattern established in the beginning of ‘Lateralus’ and carries through to the very end is one that instructs the listener to keep expanding the mind, to step beyond the ‘black and white’, to ‘spiral out’. ‘Embrace the random’ also encourages the listener to accept those realities of life which are beyond ones control and not subject to change, and to accept events as they occur.
While ‘Parabola’ and ‘Lateralus’ are both fantastic songs, it is the 11-minute plus tour de force of ‘Reflection’ that really points the way out from the cynicism and misanthropy that is too easy to fall into when contemplating some of the harsher realities expressed in songs such as ‘Vicarious’, ‘Right in Two’, and ‘Ænima’. ‘Reflection’ starts with us being at rock bottom:
I have come curiously close to the end, down
Beneath my self-indulgent pitiful hole,
Defeated, I concede and
Move closer
I may find comfort here
I may find peace within the emptiness
How pitiful.
But even at the bottom of the hole, even when it all seems lost and hopeless, there is still a glimmer:
And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping
The moon tells me a secret – my confidant
As full and bright as I am
This light is not my own and
A million light reflections pass over me
Its source is bright and endless
She resuscitates the hopeless
Without her, we are lifeless satellites drifting
And it is from that glimmer the direction is revealed. There is a way out of despair, a way out of the disillusionment, the cynicism, the negativity, out of the darkness that will consume us if we let it do so.
And as I pull my head out I am without one doubt
Don’t wanna be down here feeding my narcissism.
I must crucify the ego before it’s far too late
I pray the light lifts me out
Before I pine away.
So crucify the ego, before it’s far too late
To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical,
And you will come to find that we are all one mind
Capable of all that’s imagined and all conceivable.
Just let the light touch you
And let the words spill through
And let them pass right through
Bringing out our hope and reason …
before we pine away.
As much as anything, ‘Reflection’ is about a maturation process, a maturing of the soul and the acquisition of wisdom that comes with it. But, that too is a choice.
As stated above, it’s easy to fall into a trap of cynicism. It’s easy to hold grudges, and easy to just go along with the wider culture instead of “learning to swim.” It’s definitely easy to take a dark view of humanity while forgetting what is on the other side of the ledger – art, architecture, a civilization that is more humane with more abundance than anything imagined by our ancestors, and so on. But taking the easy way out rarely leads to anything good, nor does it get you closer to the truth or lead to real peace of mind.
During the writing of this piece, I received an email from a friend with a quote from C.S. Lewis that I think really sums up the message in the lyrics of a number of Tool songs when taken as a larger body of work:
“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth, only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.”
You certainly will not find comfort in the lyrics of Tool, if that’s what you are seeking. If you wish to seek comfort directly, go listen to something else, mindful of the quote above. On the other hand, if you seek truth and are willing to face it, even when it’s dark and unpleasant, then the lyrics of the various Tool works discussed above should not bother you. Not only will you get a good dose of the truth, you may also find a little bit of comfort as a result. And most assuredly, you will also hear some incredible music by some exceptionally talented musicians.
Enochian Theory – live in Manchester
Every time I see the sign below, as we approach the Northern Quarter in Manchester, I get that quiver of anticipation that brings memories of friends, old and new, great ale in great pubs, and of course live music in small intimate venues.
Enochian Theory are a small group with a big sound and their current album ‘Life…and all it Entails’ is currently on my most-played list with a terrific overall tone with layers of melodic invention carefully placed over some seriously heavy sections with the requisite growls (albeit few and far between and deftly introduced…).
Having the opportunity to see these guys at first hand was too good to miss and as the support group, they would be on at a comfortable mid-week time, so business,life, and all it entails could carry on. The headline group, The Enid, are not a band I am familiar with but suffice to say they were interesting, strange, maddeningly dramatic and worthy of further investigation. A highlight of this particular evening was meeting one of my Twitter friends, Nick Efford, with whom we seem to share a great deal of things in common. Nick is an Enid fan and knows them well so I would leave any further comments to him regarding their music and performance this evening as I couldn’t quite work it out ….
Back to the Theory !
The Ruby Lounge in Manchester is typical of the Northern Quarter subterranean venue with a gloomy street entrance leading down into a gloomy stairwell which leads into a gloomy bar area with a fairly gloomy stage section stuck over in one corner with barely enough room to swing the proverbial cat.
Intimate is the word – in fact so intimate I could reach over and take a shot of the set list on the speaker.
To my delight most of the set was from the wonderful ‘Life.. and all it Entails’ but I was unsure how they would transfer the ‘big’ sound of this album in such a small venue, particularly as they are just a threesome
Needless to say, the sound suffered somewhat and the guitar was a bit lost in a muddy mix, but they had a wonderful selection of backing tracks and loops from their intriguingly titled string section – The Lost Orchestra – which filled out the sound and gave the subtle texture that pervades the aforementioned album.
Ben Harris-Hayes on guitar, vocals and throat (!) is a humble and gracious performer, totally committed to his art and ever so slightly apologetic – an engaging character to watch as he switches pedals, adds sounds, sings and generally controls proceedings.
My eyes were drawn to Shaun Rayment on bass (you may recall I am a once God-like bass player in a band….) as I was interested to see if the sinuous bass lines on the album would be re-created live. No need for disappointment here – Shaun was incredibly focused and drove the songs on with terrific tight bass lines and worked the hell out of his fretboard – brilliant stuff.
Not being a drummer I can’t comment on the technical skills of Sam Street on drums but I was knocked for six when his double bass drums kicked in – the ferocity of some of the drumming counteracts the delicacy of much of their music and this apparent discrepancy is, I think, what gives them a unique sound..
I’m not going through each song here but suffice to say I was impressed with their live performance of what are complex and involving songs.
A thoroughly enjoyable set made even better by a brief chat with Ben after their set. I mentioned there was enthusiasm for him on Progarchy but he had not heard of ‘us’ but was delighted to know there are folk out there completely smitten with his work …….
Progarchy 