TOOL Album Poll #3: LATERALUS

Previously:

TOOL Album Poll #1: UNDERTOW
Tool – Aenima

Pretty much straight-up gotta vote title-track, with maybe a PASSING nod to Reflection

Kind of a toss up between "Lateralus" and "Reflection" . . . today I will go for "Reflection."

if I go for Lateralus can we lock this poll? those songs got grace, the rest has dated daaaamn quickly

I voted for Parabola.
This is a good album. I still listen to it every once in a while.

"Reflection" by a wide margin.

I like "Schism" too though. I remember liking the album generally. Should spin it again sometime.

It's a ridiculously well sequenced and structured album -- a song like "Reflection" works as well as it does precisely because of where it appears.

I might actually give this whole album another go. 'Lateralus' itself came on my iPod Shuffle recently and was *glorious*; I remember 'Reflection' being amazing, and hey the rest might be better than I recall. 'The Grudge' was pretty good, at least.

It's a ridiculously well sequenced and structured album -- a song like "Reflection" works as well as it does precisely because of where it appears.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, May 12, 2010 8:57 PM (1 minute ago)

BOOM. Exactly. Love this whole record, so much. Was good to me in high school.

also responsible for one of pitchforkbrent d's more infamous efforts

In conclusion, there is more emotion on that album than would be on 30 Weezer albums. At the very least, there's 2.5 times as much. Like I said, it's messed up, like the world, which makes it very real.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8104-lateralus/

Then there was my FT piece:

http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2001/07/lateralus/

Which, while imperfect, still creeps me out in that I wrote this:

It is, of course, a brilliant time to be alive. Sure, there’s another idiotic president raising international tensions in hamhanded ways, but this one lacks ol’ Ron’s gift of the gab and is currently finding new ways to screw up and be compromised and attacked by both left and right, so I’m not too worried quite yet. And while part of me is convinced that somewhere somehow right now the past products of American foreign policy are about to result in something horrific, that’s something most people who have put their mind to it have expected for years anyway. So relax and enjoy the music.

Two months later...

It's a ridiculously well sequenced and structured album -- a song like "Reflection" works as well as it does precisely because of where it appears.

I do remember this being the case, actually.

(xpost)

can i just say that "faaip de oiad" scared the shit out of me the first time i heard it, and it still gives me goosebumps. i've got some time to think about this, but i'm really leaning toward the title track. kinda just want to pick "ticks and leeches" for the vocal performance tho.

"Parabola."

The record that killed off almost all of their sense of humor. Booooo.

Didn't kill it off enough, imo. "Rosetta Stoned" is unforgivable.

i'm voting for ticks and leeches because it's the only song i feel comfortable considering apart of the album, ya know. like ned raggett said. considering songs on an album so painstakingly structured as a whole seems foppish to me. it's like trying to pick your favourite movement of a symphony; it isn't meant to be considered like that.

i'm not blasting this thread either btw sorry if that is how it appears.

"Parabola."

The record that killed off almost all of their sense of humor. Booooo.

― Simon H., Thursday, 13 May 2010 07:01 (4 days ago)

Exactly what I was going to say.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

forgot to mention earlier that i really like that review, ned.

Thank yer

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

most of the songs with no votes are ones people dismiss as "filler"

I like these results.

Just finished blasting this for the first time in about five years or so, and it's still sounding incredible. Their peak, IMO, and I would have found it so incredibly difficult to vote in this poll.

'The Grudge', 'The Patient', 'Schism', 'Parabola', 'Ticks & Leeches', the title track and 'Reflection' = all incredible.

Yeah this is their best album I think, certainly the purest expression of their sound. It could easily lose 20 mins though.

I would have struggled between the title track, The Grudge, Schism and Ticks and Leeches.

Not sure I'd be hugely interested but will they record again?

Aenima is my favourite but this is a classic too, has held up exceptionally well. I still have the CD although sadly the fancy plastic outer sleeve thing is all scratched.