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loved it
10/10

1. Changes: God, I love this song. It's a true classic. If the whole album is like this, I think I'll like it. The drums aren't really coming out that much. I also didn't realize this song had an actual message.
2. Oh! You Pretty Things: I didn't like this one that much. It was very predictable.
3. Eight Line Poem: oh, guitar, that's a needed change up. Very slow, the pacing doesn't work for me. Very country-westernish.
4. Life on Mars: I remember this from the TV show of the same name. When I first heard it then, I thought it was Elton John. Whoa, orchestra; nice touch. Better guitar, as well. I don't really see what he's saying in this one, however. I wish it were longer, too.
5. Kooks: Very Beatlesque. I wonder if he wrote this song as a parody.
6. Quicksand: oh, I hope this speeds up. Should've expected a song called "Quicksand" to be bloody slow. Oh, it's so dull and long.
7. Fill Your Heart: ugh, the orchetra got old two songs ago. And the lyrics are horrendous, it's like I'm stuck in a painting by a five year old. I get why he named the album "Hunky Dory". His happiness is sickening.
8. Andy Warhol: Hey, a segue. Weird beeping, and why not, it's about Andy Warhol. Oh good actual music. This seems to be the only song with actual substance.
9. Song for Bob Dylan: ugh, I don't like the sound of this at at all. I don't like the subject either.
10. Queen Bitch: Well, it speeds up, but it still doesn't seem to go anywhere.
11. The Belway Brothers: This one reminds me of Space Oddity. It gets really good in the middle, Bowie obviously saved the best for last.

Review: All in all, I didn't like the album that much. While side one is quite original and existential, side two is mostly satire, as if he's citing his sources. All in all, Hunky Dory has a few gems, but taken as a whole, it's a slog to listen to. I wasn't enthralled.
Score: 6.75 out of 10

Gah! I had my internet crap out for two days, but now it's back and stronger than ever! So yeah, David Bowie's 'Hunky Dory' is definitely his best album. Everybody loves "Changes", and "Andy Warhol" is always on my party playlists (because I love David and Andy). Overall, really good album!

9/10

btw I had sex to the UNKLE album last night.

I'm officially changing my rating of it to 15/10.

How vulgar of you to mention it here.

I actually managed to get around to listening to Hunky Dory, love me abit of Bowie.
Even though it was in a bit of a rush(don't ask me how you can rush listening to a album) but 2 favourites would be the long time favourite, Life on Mars and Song for Bob Dylan, no song I had any real beef with. I'd say around 7.8/10 noice album.

Um, not trying to be rude or anything, but could we move on to another album? It's been 4 days.

Bluh, fine then Arcadian. But people were still submitting reviews, see ^^

Next album is Feel Good Ghosts (Tea Partying Through Tornadoes) by Cloud Cult , ArdentGamers choice. I'll PM him for a download.

Also blubber is apparently not out of the game yet, so that's nice to hear. :)

http://www.mediafire.com/?yg5ymmyzn5j
Download link for the album is there.
I'll have a review of Hunky Dory in a while, as I'm still kind of working my way through it. No worries though, as I will have it done by tomorrow probably. I'll talk about my own selection once that is finished.

Yes, double post, I know. I'd go back and edit my last post and put this there, but apparently there's a time limit on that now, so I guess I have to make a faux pas.

Okay, one Hunky Dory coming right up!
Changes was, of course, wonderful. Life on Mars, awesome song, and has a great show associated with it, you should check the BBC version out (The show has the same title). Andy Warhol, Good song with some pretty fun lyrics. Queen Bitch, I know this one from somewhere, I just can't remember where. It's a good song, if a little different from the rest of the album. Everything else was good, if a bit forgettable.

8.75/10 Gotta make a disk out of this so I can listen to it a little more in depth.

Side note: David Bowie just makes me think of Labyrinth, and his costume (More specifically what it seemed to be presenting as hard (Heheh) as it could to the viewer) in that. For some reason that's the only image that ever comes up in my mind whenever someone mentions him, and I'm never quite sure whether I should be weeping or laughing. Well, that was really tangential, and almost undoubtedly says a lot about my brain.

Next up, I talk about my selected album, Feel Good Ghosts, by Cloud Cult. Fun times ahead.

Oh, and MenZ? Why did you feel the need to share the reason you bumped Psyence Fiction's rating other than to "brag to us"? I mean really, you probably should have just kept that to yourself if that was the only reason you said anything. Oh look, I'm being uncouth by "lecturing" someone by giving a bit of friendly advice. I guess we both should just stay quiet then, and just try to save a little face.

Actually, I was more pointing out (in a joking manner) that it was awesome music for that sort of thing. You totally misinterpreted it as bragging, which it wasn't supposed to be. If I was going to brag to strangers on the internet, I'd choose something with a little more clout and a little less truth.

Apologies for the failed joke.

I know you were all waiting for my personal review of Hunky Dory. Come on, admit it.
Here we go.

Changes – So, that's were it comes from. I like that kind of retro pop mix. I like Bowie's voice on this one. That track has my approval.

Oh! You Pretty Things – Bowie loves the piano, I see. The intro is dull to me. Then the beats popped up but not long enough sadly. Meh. Oh, it comes back again. Okay, still meh though.

Eight Line Poem – Oh, some guitar there for a change? Not bad. Indeed long for supposed eight lines.

Life on Mars? – I know that one. I actually enjoyed it pretty much. The rythm, the crescendo of voices, the beats and piano in the background. It can sound a bit cheesy at times and that makes me like it even more, to be honest.

Kooks – Great bassline I must admit. It's nearly all over the place. Not bad at all.

Quicksand – Huh, strange one. I can't feel the same passion in Bowie's voice here. Not his best in my opinion and the guitar doesn't attract me as much, even when the orchestra joined in.

Fill Your Heart – A more jazzy/blues approach? Not bad. The intro is great, but then it gets dull… and then "iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" What the? "Yeah yeah! Yeah yeah!" What the hell? Okay, and last a sudden cut? What?! What are you…?! Okay… From kinda lively to absolute weirdness in ten seconds flat. Thank you Bowie! Thank you!
Fuckin' thing sucks.

Andy Warhol – Huh, is this a spaceship? Bowie communicating through an antenna situated on his right nipple maybe? (Flight of the conchords reference mates) Weird intro really. Not bad afterwards but it was pretty unnerving anyway. Not the most catchy song of the track in my opinion. Sounds like an ambulance at one point. Seriously.

Song for Bob Dylan – Aaah, it gets back to a closer theme used by the first tracks. More powerful voice, catchy bassline. That's what I want to listen to when It's a Bowie album. Good song.

Queen Bitch – Classic Rock & Roll from the 70s. I don't know what to add on this. Not bad, but nothing much either.

The Bewlay Brothers – Very calm song. Maybe a little too calm. Not a big preference from me. Meh, in the end. The ending sounds odd in my ears. Do I need to be on drugs to appreciate it fully? No thanks.

Bombers – Ha, that's better. Pom pom pom pom. Not my favorite but not bad either.

Overall: 7/10.

Two or three memorable songs, some have passed way over my head and ears. But hey, it's still friggin' David Bowie. When one of his songs charms you, it does it wonderfully.

I better repost, as a few people don't seem to realise we've moved on. Of course if you haven't reviewd it yet, you still can for Hunky Dory, but some peope didn't know we'd moved on.

http://www.mediafire.com/?yg5ymmyzn5j Download here.

No One Said it Would be Easy – Overall a good song. Nothing I would listen to twice, but nothing I would say bad things about either.

Everybody Here is a Cloud – Good grief, this song was weird. I definitely didn't like the beginning, but towards the end it gets good. Not good enough I am afraid, and I still don't like it.

The Tornado Lessons – No, I don't like this song either. Not one bit.

When Water Comes to Life – I recognize the beginning from somewhere… must be a common music sample or something. In fact I think I've heard this whole song before. Its pretty good.

Journey of the Featherless – Woah, this is a really good song. I'm actually going to consider downloading this one. It reminds me of this Irish band I used to listen to, that I don't remember the name of anymore.

The Ghost Inside Our House – I am not particularly fond of the guitar, with the occasional sound of sliding a finger up or down a string. That sound is like… ugh… It kinda ruins the song for me. I get the feeling tho, that for most people this sound is a good thing.

It's What You Need – Nice song. Has a good blend of creepiness and feel-good vibes. Weird kind of thing that I like.

Story of the Grandson of Jesus – I've heard this song before as well. I used to hate it cuz it was on the radio all the time, but sitting here listening to it for once all the way through, its actually really good.

Hurricane and Fire Survival Guide – Ehhhh… not my taste. I can see why this would be a good song for those who enjoy the genre, but for me, its just "meh".

Make Your Hearts Stay Strong – I love this song. I dunno why, but I do. It's strangely mesmerizing.

The Will of a Volcano – Was that an accordion? Sweet! Really cool song.

Love You All – That was the weirdest autotuning I've ever heard. Who said it was a good idea for them to sound like robots? Ugh.

Overall – All in all an average album. I'll give it a 6.5 because even the songs I didn't like were still good in one way or another

Alright, review time (Again)! This time when I should be giving my review though!

Feel Good Ghosts is one of my personal favorite albums, so you can probably guess how it'll score. My least favorite song on the album is Love You All. I think it's just a little too sweet, and I dunno, I feel like it could be shorter (FYI, it's a vocoder that's being used for that vocal effect) . For the most part, my favorite songs are the ones where they have the violin playing along. There's a pretty simple pattern in all of these songs where they start out very simple and get more and more… Not complicated, just more something. Wow, my vocabulary is failing hard right now. Anyways, even the songs I'm not a huge fan of I still really really like. I can't really pick a favorite song here either, as it's kind of dependent on my mood, and I'm sure as soon as I write a song down here I'll start second guessing myself.

9/10 Not perfect by any means, but still very very good.

Here I'll talk about the rest of the band's work, just as a side note for those interested. Every album varies quite a bit from the others, Feel Good Ghosts is simple and sweet, Light Chasers is orchestrated and hopeful, The Meaning Of Eight is kind of all over the place. It's worth checking out their other albums if you liked this one, though you shouldn't expect the same exact thing from each of them, or even within each of them. They're a cool band to see live, because they sound pretty similar and really seem to just like playing their music, and it's pretty cool to see the paintings the artists who travel with them create during the show. I really like this band, can you tell? Oh, and if you do listen to their other stuff, They Live On The Sun is probably their worst album, so don't expect anything much from it. Suggested songs for listening if you're interested (One per album, in no particular order): Today We Give Ourselves To The Fire (Light Chasers), Breakfast With My Shadow (Aurora Borealis), Transistor Radio (Advice From The Happy Hippopotamus), Take Your Medicine (The Meaning Of Eight), Moon's Thoughts (They Live On The Sun). These should give you a decent idea of what the other albums are like and you can decide if you want to listen to any of those.

I look forward to seeing what people think of it.

Syndic, good to hear that you liked at least some of it.

Now to start considering what I should suggest for next round once that rolls around. After taking these reviews into account and adjusting accordingly that is.

Man, Pitchfork hated this album. They gave it a 4.2/10. Not really sure why. I didn't think it was too bad. I'm going to try this your guys' way:

No One Said it Would be Easy – Good song. Wasn't expecting the electric guitar to be honest.

Everybody Here is a Cloud – Catchy, but the lyrics were a bit strange. I've listened to weirder lyrics though. One of the better songs on the album.

The Tornado Lessons – I found this one entertaining actually. A little strange, but entertaining.

When Water Comes to Life – Catchy, but for some reason I didn't really like it as much.

Journey of the Featherless – Not as fond of this one. It was okay I guess.

The Ghost Inside Our House – Eh, acoustic is okay, but I think Bon Iver does better acoustic.

It’s What You Need – Catchy and entertaining. I like it.

Story of the Grandson of Jesus – Another okay one.

Hurricane and Fire Survival Guide – Not bad. Catchy tune.

Make Your Hearts Stay Strong – Started out okay, but got better later on in the song.

The Will of a Volcano – It was another okay song. Sounds like their earlier songs in their album.

Love You All – I liked the tune, but the autotune felt unnecessary. It made the song interesting though. One of the better songs on the album.

Overal: Good album. Better than a lot of indie rock I've heard. I'm guessing that Pitchfork gave it that low review because it sounds a lot like their older stuff. I thought the album was good though. Not album of the year, but good.

8/10

Oh man, I loved this album. Just a "chill" vibe to it, but very intricate melodies and provocative lyrics. There wasn't one particular song that stood out at me, but there weren't any that I'd have a single bad thing to say about either. Will definitely be checking out more of their stuff.

Ardent, the artists are the lead singer's wife and high school friend. Oh and I grew up like 3 hours away from where they're (the lead singer, at least) from. That's really cool. I'll have to check them out the next time I'm in that area.

8.5/10

S`pretty good actually,they have a quirky charm which can get annoying at times but its still a good one
6/10

I disliked it. The lyrics were nonsensical, and the music was annoying. It'll be a
3.75 out of 10 for me.

I was really rooting for this album when I first started listening to it, the instrumental parts were great and I loved the blend of genres that I was hearing. But the lyrics and vocals ruined it for me. The harmonies weren't good, the lyrics were cliche and and annoying, and I just wanted to skip over them to get back to the instrumentals.

5/10

Here we go now for Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes).

No One Said It Would Be Easy – According to Wikipedia, this is an Indie pop band. Okay, let's… What? What is that? An intro… that lasted almost half the song? Okay. It's not the same thing as Pink Floyd sadly but I must admit I like their vocals. The main instrument (is it a keyboard?) bothers me more than it's supposed to provide music to me though. Meh.

Everybody Here Is a Cloud – I like the guitar here, the whispering way of singing it and the chorus, but I don't know. I feel something's missing for me to fully enjoy this song. Not bad though.

The Tornado Lessons – Is it an organ? Oh, I like this one. Well-made and very well-paced in my opinion, even what sounds to be a chipmunk bit. So far, one of my favorites.

When Water Comes to Life – Weird one but still not bad. I don't feel the vocals to be on the same pitch as the rest and I don't really enjoy that difference.

Must Explore – 20 seconds of Space-exploring transmission? Nope.avi. It's really blunt to think it may be creative at all to resort to something like this.

Journey of the Featherless – Joyful journey maybe? Violins everywhere but that's here that I think the vocals are flawed. I don't like it as much. Also, sorta typewriting machine as a percussion? Meh.

The Ghost Inside Our House – Acoustic guitar and a more enjoyable singer here. Not bad. Maybe a little short of a song though.

It's What You Need – 1:08? Hmm. Oooh, not bad for those 1:08. Strange mix of genres in it but it's really short, again.

Story of the Grandson of Jesus – What is that voice? Ugh. It slighty changes for the better further on but meh. Not a big fan of that one.

Hurricane and Fire Survival Guide – No vocal for a great part of the song. Some scat in here and some very good electric guitar. I like it.

May Your Hearts Stay Strong – Strange mix in it that I don't really know how to explain. Meh. I wanted to change song after the 3:00 mark.

The Will of a Volcano – Here we go again, the vocalist is messing up his potential here. Too bad. I don't really enjoy that sax here. Big meh.

Love You All – Electronic voice uh? Reminds me of Daft Punk, but here, they go to an opera. That's not as terrible as that sentence may look like. It's actually quite entertaining here. What may kill it entirely are the lyrics. Okay, It's a goodbye or a farewell related to death, whatever but still, we fuckin' understand that you will love them all, singer. Don't you want to develop it a bit further dammit?

Final verdict: 5.5/10
I think that they tried to do some variations on one song to another, contrary to Green Day, hence why I think they deserve a little bit more from me. If they wanted to appear Hipster with their style, however, it's definitely a failure to me.
Not bad of an album, but it's not my kind of music at all.

Hipsterism seems to me to be mostly about doing things ironically. These people are 100% serious. No, really. Anyways, nobody really aspires to be a hipster unless they're kind of a tool.

Right then, this mix of opinions is pretty much what I expected, some liking it, some hating it, mostly "It was okay" reactions. I think I know what I should pick next based on this, and it'll be different, that much is for sure. Thanks for giving it a try and sharing your opinions people.

One does not simply become a hipster,one is born a hipster

I think you've got it backwards there.

Time to move on to the next one?

That was rather nice, I enjoyed the over all cheeriness of the album. With obvious excepts to the not actually cheery songs, but I actually really enjoyed the album, they remind abit of Biffy Clyro (who I put forward as my suggestion) and for some reason the music from The Sims games and Zoo tycoon also come to mind.

Favourites would be "When water comes to live", "Story of the grandson of Jesus" and "Will of a Vocano".

I'll be listening to more of these fellows and this album, nice discovery, thanks for the suggestion.

7.95/10

No one said it would be easy – I like the music and the singing went very well with it.
Everybody here is a cloud – A bit too soft for me. It was okay towards the end.
The tornado lessons – This song is so random…I LOVE IT!
When water comes to life – I like it until they started singing. Then it was just weird. The end is cool though.
Must Explore – Um…what?
Journey of the Featherless – Well, this song is easily forgettable. I didn't dislike, but I didn't like it either.
The ghost inside our house – Another easily forgettable song.
It's what you need – Interesting, but too short.
Story of the grandson of Jesus – I enjoyed the music for this song and the singing wasn't bad.
Hurricane and fire survival guide – It went from creepy/mysterious to awesome. And that's awesome!
May your hearts stay strong – I really liked the vocals in this song. The music was also very good in the instrumental parts.
The will of a volcano – The music was good. The singing was okay.
Love you all – A nice song with good music, but they should really stop saying the same thing over and over again. It's kind of annoying.

Overall: I didn't like every song, but the songs I did like, I liked them a lot.
8/10

Is it safe to say that we can move on to the next album now? I think everyone who is going to listen to this one has done so.

ATTENTION

Through honest decree of his eminence DrPepperfan, I have been selected to choose the next album through random number generation.

THE NEXT ALBUM IS INFINITYLAND

Download it here.

i have been on vacation without internet access so my review of both albums is coming soon.

I like the names of the songs in this album. Also, I'll be using bold now because it makes this look fancier.
Glitter and Trauma - The music was awesome, especially the opening. The vocals were also very impressive. That bit at the end was kind of weird though.
Strung to Your Ribcage - I was really hoping the entire album would be more like the first track, but oh well, this song was decent.
My Recovery Injection - Now I feel like I'm comparing everything to track 1. Oh well, I liked this song nonetheless.
Got Wrong - Another song that I liked just because this band seems to play great music.
The Atrocity - Well okay, that was a bit weird, but whatever.
Some Kind of Wizard - Now this song had amazing music, and the vocals were good too.
Wave Upon Wave Upon Wave - I still like the music. Vocals are okay.
Only One Word Comes to Mind - Why is the music so awesome? The singer needs to stop screaming though. It's not his thing.
There's No Such Man as Crasp - Uhh…okay. Was this to transition to the next song?
There's No Such Thing as a Jaggy Snake - Seriously singer, stop screaming, you're not good at it. But if I said the music was good in the other songs, then this music would be awesome!
The Kids from Kibble and the Fist of Light - Well the singing was actually good in this song. It still doesn't compare to the music though.
The Weapons Are Concealed - Well in this song the vocals were actually as good as the music.
Pause It and Turn It Up - I think this is a great song to wrap up the album…except…
Tradition Feed - There's actually a hidden track after 20 something minutes of waiting time! This song is actually…pretty damn creepy. It sounds like there's wailing in the background.

I realize the entire time I was talking about how the vocals didn't match up to the music, but really the music was so good it would be hard to find a singer to match it.
Final Score: 8.5/10

It was alright. For the most part, I really enjoyed the instrumentals, especially the trumpets towards the end of the album. The singing was generally pretty decent as well. But then he'd start screaming and the entire song would be ruined. Some of the songs were great songs until that happened, and now I never want to hear them again.

6/10.

Edit after reading Badass's post: I totally agree with you about the instrumentals. With a different singer, they could be phenomenal.

I liked it ,alot.

9/10

This was just ok for me. It could've been better, but the screaming just didn't fit in with the rest of the songs. And the singing/lyrics sometimes came across as whiny. If the band would find what sounds good and just stick with that, I think they could do much, much better.

6/10

Where abouts did you find the lyrics whiny?

Specifically on 'Atrocity'.

I don't wanna die,
Don't expect me to die,
I've got my enemies within my sight,
We're looking through a stain-glass genocide.

Hurray for Biffy.

Thought this album would be a specific good choice because it has some good examples of the different sounds Biffy has, its certainly proved an interesting topic so far. ^^

As for the review itself, this album has some of my favourite songs, include my actual favourite Biffy sound, The Kids from Kibble and the fist of the light. Other favourites are No such thing as a Jagged snake, Wave upon wave upon wave and Pause it and turn it up, though I love the entire album.

If anyone is looking for some contrast/how Biffy have developed their two most recent albums "Only Revolutions" and "Puzzle" might prove interesting for you.

Final score: 9.2/10 easily one of my favourite albums, ever.

Here's mine:

Glitter and Trauma – Oh! Scottish rock band! Quite good ol' rock right there. Addicting song, but there seem to be different riffs that are rapidly changing without that I hear any good transition or a transition at all. It confuses me more than It makes me enjoy it, sadly.

Strung to Your Ribcage – Wow! Leaning on metal genre I see? Not that I mind. I like it. That song is able to make you forget the singer spits "fuck" a lot in it. One of my favorites so far.

My Recovery Injection – More old-fashioned rock. Not bad but. Meh, I feel it kind of dull.

Got Wrong – The first part is kinda monotonous in my opinion but it get slightly better further on. Not bad of a song but nothing much.

The Atrocity – Total contrast with the previous tracks. Now, we have some piano. Strange mix with the guitar. Not bad of a song again.

Some Kind of Wizard – Great song. Not a favorite but really better than some of the previous tracks.

Wave Upon Wave Upon Wave – Another favorite song from this album. Greatly-made and entertaining.

Only One Word Comes to Mind – More classic "American"-oriented rock. Not bad but not really my taste.

There's No Such Man as Crasp – Uh… Okay. Let's move on and out of that Gospel-like thing.

There's No Such Thing as a Jaggy Snake – That's better. Come on, scream more dammit. It fell too many times into American Punk Rock territory… Meh. I like the vocals in it though.

The Kids from Kibble and the Fist of Light – Metal intro, classic rock afterwards. Not bad.

The Weapons Are Concealed – What the? That was… different I guess with the trombones and everything. It then felt like some kind of circus gimmick. It was something. Meh.

Pause It and Turn It Up – That's more like it. I enjoyed that one. Great melody.

Tradition Feed – Unsettling violins are unsettling. I actually kinda like that stuff but meh here.

Well, not bad for a rock band, I'd say. They get a 7/10 from me. Lot of good riffs and instruments, 4 to 5 good songs and, well, I like rock bands.

It was interesting. While I do agree that some of the lyrics are a bit vapid, it's nothing too bad. The screaming, however, was a bit off putting. I think the instrumentals are really where the band shines. I think I'll look these guys up a bit more.
Score: 7.25 out of 10.

Edit: Sorry if it's a bit short. I've been scrapped for time lately.

Eh, not really digging this album. It reminds me a lot of Incubus. The heavy metal guitar parts and the screaming aren't really my style. Other than that, it was okay I guess. I tend to base my album reviews on whether I would want to listen to the album again or not. Sadly, this is leaning towards the not side.

6.5/10

Next?

Heres the remaining albums for convenience.
1. Aenima – Tool
2. good news for people who love bad news – Modest Mouse
3. All Day – Girl Talk
4. Since I Left You – The Avalanches
5. Rounds- Four tet
6. High Five Soup!- Aquabats
7. You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine- Death From Above 1979
8. Fever Ray
9. Queen Greatest Hit’s
10. Ten – Pearl Jam
11.The Blueprint 3-Jay-Z

Ill let op decide the next album if no one else has a review.

Don't let this thread die, gentlemen.
We haven't covered all the albums yet.

But my album isn't on that list…

ATTENTION

DPF seems to have relinquished his responsibility to this thread, and has told me to take charge for the rest of the album selections in such a scenario. The next album is Aenima by Tool.

Download it here

REMAINING ALBUMS
1. All Day – Girl Talk (PimpAbra)
2. My pick Since I Left You – The Avalanches (Blubber)
3. Four Tet – Rounds (Olivia)
4. Aquabats – High Five Soup! (BlueSyndic)
5. Death From Above 1979 – You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine (Doc)
6. Fever Ray (Arcadian)
7. Queen Greatest Hit’s (Hiroman)
8. Chuck – Sum 41 (Captain Badass)
10. Ten – Pearl Jam (Tomberry)

Hell yes. I've been waiting for this one. I love Tool.

While some of the songs run on the longer side (ok, almost all of them), they're all filled with fantastic metarhythms and dark undertones. Almost without exception, I love this album instrumentally, but I'm actually going to talk about that very little.

Stinkfist: Depraved lyrics in this song, though extremely metaphoric. On the surface it's about fist-fucking, but in reality he's talking about humans as a whole being so numb and desensitized that they need to do things, like fist fuck, to even know they're alive anymore. The line "Relax, turn around, and take my hand" could definitely have a few different meanings as well.

Eulogy: I like the "beep beep" guitar (at least I think it's a guitar) part in the intro, and throughout the song. Now, a lot of people think this song is about either Jesus (taking it at face value, it definitely could be. But that's not Tool's style) or Kurt Cobain. I personally feel it's actually about Bill Hicks, a political comedian and friend of the band. In fact, this entire album is dedicated to him. We'll hear some of his comedy later on in the album.

H.: Basically, this song is about the shitty way his step-father (the snake) treated him, and how he's learned from that and is not being that way with his son. "Looking to turn my piss to wine", taking bad and making good. It's about as close to a love song as Tool ever gets.

Useful Idiot: An extension of H. Not really sure why it needed its own track.

Forty Six & 2: "Normal" humans have 46 chromosomes. This song, I feel, is a bit of a tie-in to Stinkfist, talking about human evolution (46 +2).

Message to Harry Manback: This is an actual message left on Maynard's answering machine. Some guy showed up at his house claiming Maynard's roommate had given him permission to stay there. He let him in until he could contact his roommate and find out what was going on. In the meantime, this (Italian) guy ate a bunch of food and ran up the phone bill. Eventually Maynard got ahold of his roommate and found out the Italian guy was lying, so he kicked him out. This song is the death threat the guy left on the answering machine.

Hooker with a Penis: This is actually really straightforward for a Tool song. Apparently at some point some "fan" (who was decked out in "corporate" apparel) told the band they were selling out. This is one of my favorite songs on the album.

Intermission: Reminds me a lot of the intermission in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's the guitar riff from the next song played on keyboard.

Jimmy: Maynard's mother, Judith (ohai, A Perfect Circle song!) Marie, suffered a massive stroke when he was 11, and was wheelchair-bound until her death in 2003. This left him in the care of his abusive step-father. H., this song, Prison Sex, Wings for Marie, 10,000 Days (about how long she lived after the stroke), and APC's Judith (potentially Cesaro Summability) are all tied together. Probably others as well, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. Jimmy is Maynard's first name given at birth.

Die Eier Von Satan: This song sounds a lot like one of Hitler's speeches. Translated, it means the "Eggs (or balls) of Satan". It's a recipe for hash cookies.

Pushit: This is a song about loving someone so much you had to kill them. "Saw that gap again today/While you were begging me to stay". They love each other, but they know the relationship can't last, and to eventually get "piece of mind" he ends up killing her. "Remember I will always love you/as I claw your fucking throat away/It will end no other way."

Cesaro Summability: The baby laughing could be Maynard happy with his mother, but then it starts crying when his step-father begins abusing him. Pure speculation though.

Aenima: Essentially he's saying to be yourself, and don't follow. Fuck what society thinks and don't be a sheep. Many allusions to Bill Hicks' material and beliefs.

(-) Ions: I'm sure there's a meaning behind this song, but I have no idea what it actually is.

Third Eye: And we're back to Bill Hicks. The clip at the beginning is from one of his stand-up routines, most of the rest of the song is references to his material. He referred to his "Third Eye" quite often.

Musically, the band is gifted. Instrumentally they are deep and dark and complex. And when you add the lyrics and understand the meaning behind them, it takes it to a whole 'nother level.

9.5/10.

Stinkfist - Hmm okay, I liked the guitar. I couldn't hear a word the singer said, but it doesn't really bother me.
Eulogy - That was a long intro. I liked the rhythm throughout the song.
H. - I liked it, it was a steady rhythm and then it picked up towards the end.
Useful Idiot & Forty Six & 2- I especially liked the end on this one, but the guitar was good throughout.
Message to Harry Manback - I had no idea what was going on so I just read the story on MenZ's post.
Hooker With a Penis - He sounded angry in this song. (Read MenZ's post again) Oh, that's why.
Intermission - lol, it's an actual intermission. I find that funny.
Jimmy - This is more or less what I expected from Tool. Weird sounding, yet interesting music.
Die Eier Von Satan - This sounds like a song being played backwards. I'm kind of interested to hear what it sounds like backwards.
Pushit - More cool guitar play. More tool vocals.
Cesaro Summability - Uh, okay. Next song.
Aenima - I liked the vocals in this song more than the others.
Ions - Whoosh and stuff I guess. Next song.
Third Eye - Long song, but it's so different throughout, it's more like a bunch of songs. I really liked the end though.

I'm not the biggest fan of Tool, but I liked this album.
Final Score: 7.5/10

Actually not all that bad, considering I'm not big fan of Tool, or this kind of music in general. Really good guitar, so-so on the vocals, lyrics were decent. I can't say much more about it though.

7/10 overall.

I could almost stop saying this because it's pretty much true about every album we have, but anyway.

I rather like Tool. album was good, rather busy lately so I sort of ended up rushing another another album( again, don't ask) one of the most notibly enjoyible songs was Hooker with a Penis.

Runs out in a hurry

EDIT:Pops head back in door
Also I give the album 8.4/10
closes door again

everything went better then expected

9/10