1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore 06-08-07

For me, Tool is something of an experience. Sure, the atmospherics and mystical content are retarded at first glance, but there is much more depth in Tool’s music than most credit. I’m mostly talking about writers over at Pitchfork and Stylus who leap at the opportunity to cut an hour of writing time by pasting failing grades on the band’s albums and not much else. I can understand not liking modern metal, but reading verbose jargon about how Tool is somehow the epitome of shit because they aren’t an Englishman with crooked teeth and a Rickenbacker is particularly grating. Tool is a lesser Led Zeppelin, not only because of the mystique and lyrical content, but because Tool is a band of four musical virtuosos. Adam Jones is a modern hero of the rock guitar, pulling more effects out of limited pedals than magician’s tricks out of a hat. Danny Carey can pound drums like a Ben Hur slave-driver on speed. Justin Chancellor can make his bass sound like a screaming guitar, synth funk machine, or metal factory at the turn of a beat. And Maynard James Keenan can bellow out so much disgust, loathing, and incendiary blast furnace rage that he could make it an Olympic event.

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Rating:  7.0

The inimitable British folk singer, Nick Drake, produced three stellar records almost forty years ago and then fell into an abyss of depression before he faded away in a suspected suicide in 1974. After his death, he was virtually unknown for at least one decade, maybe even two or three, before his popularity sharply began to rise. There have been at least three different bootlegs produced in the past that have included some rare, pre- Five Leaves Left home recordings. Family Tree sees the first official release of these tracks, most of which are covers and traditional tracks that have been floating around for years. Although it is a good collection, there is not much new material included, and some key tracks are missing along with some unnecessary additions thrown in there as well.

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Rating: 7.8

Eric Woodruff’s (of Bellhingham’s spacerock strongarm Delay) new project, Prosser, aims for a more autumnal and intimate sound this time around. Armed with a cast of Seattle-area musicians, and occasionally a cellist, Eric has been canvassing the area by playing at the Tractor, High Dive and the Comet Tavern, among others. Eric Woodruff‘s not fucking around with getting the word out- and his new self-titled album, Prosser makes you understand why.

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Rating: 6.3

The Go Find is a characteristic melodic indie band of the latter half of the Ought Decade, drawing on the twee pop and lovable aching of bands like Death Cab for Cutie. However, this solo project is from the other side of the Atlantic in the heart of Belgium. Dieter Sermeus incorporates jangling guitar arpeggios with plenty of digitization and somber lyrics. He has a penchant for thick synthetic bass and mid-tempo marches which glaze over the production in a viscosity that gives weight, but never glowers. Although most of Stars on the Wall is familiar, there’s plenty of genuine sweetness to appeal to college rockers and starry-eyed dreamers alike.

Dictionary [mp3]

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Last month, we posted an early review of the new Hanson CD, The Walk, and since there was such a large controversy among the six or seven Hanson fans (and Shrie) in the United States, I have asked my college roommate, Charles Bartholomew Hansen (no relation) to listen to the album and write up an objective review for the official release date, which is today. What follows is his honest to goodness analysis of the album.

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