(Grey)
Overthinking, over analyzing...
Established bands of influence seem to be the yardstick of comparison in the music industry. Guitars drenched in delay and reverb on a rock song will be said to sound like U2 and well-constructed, acoustic pop songs can be deemed Beatlesque. With the release of 1993’s Undertow, it was clear that “Tool music is a genre unto itself” (Reed, 2018). VH1 stated that “at some point sounding like Tool became a sub-genre of rock.”(Coyle, 2015).
Tool are an interesting band the pigeonhole. Whilst its undeniable that whilst they are a metal band with progressive tendency, I wouldn’t go so far to class them as progressive metal or math metal (Opeth and the Dillinger Escape plan fit these categories). “We’re not a metal band, a grunge band, a rock band or a country band. We’re Tool.” stated guitarist Adam Jones in a Rolling Stone interview upon Undertows release (Epstein, 2018).
However (and I know this may contradict what I said before) for argument's sake, lets called Lateralus Progressive Metal.
Push the envelope, watch it bend...
Lateralus song details
Tempo: 86 bpm
Length: 9 minutes 37 seconds
Key: D minor (D, E, F, G, A, B♭, and C)
Mode: D Aeolian
Chords used: D5 F5 G5 C5
Breakdown of the songs structure and the ever-changing time signatures:
Intro 17 bars long timing 12/8
Main riff 3 bars of 9/8 8/8 7/8 repeated 3 times (9 bars total)
Verse One 8 bars at 5/8
Bridge One 8 bars at 5/8
Verse Two 8 bars 5/8
Pre-Chorus One 8 bars of 5/8 and one bar of 6/8
Chorus One repeat main riff 9 bars 9/8 8/8 7/8
Verse Three 8 bars 5/8
Bridge Two 8 bars 5/8
Verse Four 8 bars 5/8
Pre-Chorus Two 8 bars of 5/8 and one bar of 3/8
Chorus Two repeat main riff 6 bars 9/8 8/8 7/8
Interlude One 9/8 8/8 7/8 repeated 4 times for 12 bars total then 4 bars of 6/8
Interlude Two 54 bars of 6/8
Guitar Solo19 bars 6/8
Verse Five 28 bars 6/8
Outro 22 Bars 6/8
Members and Instrumentation
Justin Chancellor - Bass (tuned to drop D),
Adam Jones - Guitar (tuned to drop D) both distorted and clean with delay
Danny Carey – Drum, Samples &
Maynard James Keenan - Vocals
(Allmusic, 2001)
Fathom the power (Mixing)
Lateralus was mixed by David Bottrill. Vocals aren't prominent in the mix. David Fricke in Rolling Stone review stated “roiling percussion and grunting bass to the fore; the singer bellowing from the far back of the band’s black roar” (Fricke, 2001). I have had friends complain that they can’t hear the singing, however, I personally wouldn’t change anything. I find the mix to be crisp and clear, allowing easy focus on the individual instrumentation. I think the band and David Bottrill did a fantastic job. The bands prior release Aenima seems muddy and unclear in comparison to Lateralus.
I feel it's one of those songs that reveals itself to you over repeated listens. During my research for this blog I stumbled across a YouTube video showing backing vocals that I had never heard before. I’ve included the video below.
(Archive, 2014)
Witness the beauty (reviews)
Loudwire voted Lateralus number one top metal song of the 21st century (Hartmann, 2012)I found it interesting that they stated that Maynard used “The concept of using color as a metaphor for attaining wisdom” (Hartmann, 2012). They were referencing the lyrics “black then white are all I see, in my infancy, red and yellow then came to be”. I had interpreted the lyrics in a more literal fashion, as a child's sight takes weeks to develop with black and white being all they can see first. I find this very enlightening and I enjoying seeing a song from a new viewpoint, with a new appreciation.
To Feel Inspired (Lyrics and meaning)
"The only way to really evolve as an artist — or as a human, I think — is to start trying to think outside of the lines and push your boundaries," (Reed, 2018)
Singer Maynard James Keenan discussing the meaning of Lateralus.
My interpretation of Lateralus is that over analyzing situations can lead to anxiety and ruin our intuition. Instead of trusting yourself, taking the leap and pushing ourselves forward we succumb to analysis paralysis. “Feel the rhythm, feel connected” (Carey, Chancellor, Jones, & Keenan, 2001) states to be in touch with our human side, our emotions, yet to “swing on the spiral” means to follow our innate intelligence and go with our instinct.
Whilst it’s been discussed often in other music sites, you can’t mention Lateralus without the Fibonacci sequence. The 16th number in the Fibonacci sequence is 987, which if we examine the timing of the main riff its 9/8 8/8 7/8. Then upon further examination we can see the syllables of the opening lyrics match the opening numbers of the Fibonacci sequence (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8)
Black (1 syllable)
Then (1 syllable)
White are (2 syllables)
All I see (3 syllables)
In my infancy (5 syllables)
Red and yellow then came to be (8 syllables)
Reaching out to me (5 syllables)
Let’s me see (3 syllables)
Interestingly in the bridge Maynard sings “swing on the spiral of our divinity” and in the outro repeats the phrase “spiral out, keep going”. Below you will see the spiral created by the Fibonacci sequence when you make squares with the widths of the numbers in sequence.
(Math is Fun, 2016)
I’ve included a video below of Maynard on the Joe Rogan podcast discussing the writing process.
(SMASH!, 2017)
Spiral Out, Keep going
I hope you found this blog as fun and insightful to read as it was to write.
If you’re interested in further music from Tool, I recommended checking out:
● Schism
● Vicarious
● Rosetta Stoned
● Jambi
● The Grudge
If you prefer music on the lighter side with a focus on atmospherics, I can highly recommend A Perfect Circle’s (Maynard’s other band) fourth album Eat the Elephant.
Thanks for reading, please hit subscribe for further song analysis.
References
Allmusic. (2001, May 15). Lateralus - Tool |Credits|. Retrieved from allmusic.com: https://www.allmusic.com/album/lateralus-mw0000002072/credits
Archive, T. (2014, October 21). Tool - Hidden Vocals in "Lateralus". Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTWPbDTqHOg
Carey, D., Chancellor, J., Jones, A., & Keenan, M. (2001). Lateralus [Recorded by Tool]. Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
Coyle, D. (2015). VH1. Retrieved December 7, 2018, from http://www.vh1.com/news/205488/underrated-nu-metal-albums/
Fricke, D. (2001, May 14). Music Album Reviews Lateralus. Retrieved from Rolling Stone : https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/lateralus-100812/
Grey, A. (n.d.). Progress of the Soul. Dissectional Art for Tool's Lateralus CD.Chapel of Scared Mirrors, Wappinger.
Hartmann, G. (2012, September 4). No.1:Tool, 'Lateralus' Top 21st Century Metal Songs. Retrieved from Loudwire: https://loudwire.com/tool-lateralus-top-21st-century-metal-songs/
Math is Fun. (2016). Fibonacci Sequence.Retrieved from Math is Fun: https://www.allmusic.com/album/lateralus-mw0000002072/credits
Reed, R. (2018, May 15). 10 Things You Didn't Know About Tool's 'Lateralus'. Retrieved from Revolver Mag: https://www.revolvermag.com/music/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-tools-lateralus
Reed, R. (2018). How Tool Became a Genre Unto Themselves With 1993's Game-Changing 'Undertow'. Retrieved 8 December, 2018 from https://www.revolvermag.com/music/how-tool-became-genre-unto-themselves-1993s-game-changing-undertow
SMASH!, R. (2017, July 13). Maynard James Keenan on how the Fibonacci Sequence inspired the lyrics/rhythm for LATERALUS. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI63B3cY7q0
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