Jaclynt.com

I’m breathing so I guess I’m still alive

Friday night at last, and I’m currently sitting at my desk with the patio door open listening to Tool loudly, because I’m sure the neighbors here in hickified Bryan, Texas love it. To pieces.

In my list of 250 songs (which I managed to leave some key players out, so it might be more like top 300 when I’m done), I have several songs by Tool listed. Tool is a great band because they’re heavy, have incredibly fucked up lyrics, and yet Maynard has this insanely beautiful voice.  Which is the key to me with heavier music really, the voice.  I’m very picky about the screaming and growling that comes along with heavy rock, but Maynard does it perfectly.

I don’t know when or how I got into Tool exactly. I think it was sometime right after high school, and perhaps the song was one of their radio songs, like Sober or something. Whatever the case, I soon got all their albums, which were just Opiate, Undertow and Ænima at the time. One of my first obsessions was the song Opiate, from the same-titled album. Then there’s my favorites from Undertow: Prison Sex and Swamp Song; and Ænima songs, Stinkfist, Eulogy and H. As the (many) years passed, Lateralus comes out and I’m of course drawn to Parabol + Parabola. Separate tracks, but they must be listened to together because for some reason Parabol just makes Parabola that much sweeter. I don’t have anything from their newest album on my list because I haven’t gotten into it quite as much yet, though there are definitely songs I like–just not love to absolute pieces like these mentioned.

If I had to pick a single favorite, I think it would be Prison Sex. Probably one of the more fucked up of the bunch, but incredibly catchy.

It took so long to remember just what happened.
I was so young and vestal then,
you know it hurt me,
but I’m breathing so I guess I’m still alive
even if signs seem to tell me otherwise.
I’ve got my hands bound,
my head down, my eyes closed,
and my throat wide open.

Do unto others, what has been done to me,
Do unto others, what has been done to you.

This post has no other purpose than to superficially gush about Tool. Oh, and if you really want to know what a crazy person I am, the song which alphabetically precedes all of the Tool songs in my top favorite list is 867-5309 by Tommy Tutone. Only extremely cool people will admit to loving both. Ha!

Happy weekend, all.