#12 - Ænima

#12
Artist: Tool
Album: Ænima
Year of Release: 1996
Label: Zoo/Volcano

It's weird to think I was once a Tool "fan."  I had a shirt and a poster and was on the message boards and tried to decode all the cryptic messages that Blair posted on the website.  Why did I go to such great lengths for such a goofy band?  It was something to do for sure, but more importantly it was something resembling an identity for somebody in search of one.  I remarked on the details of this here, but that analysis is incomplete because of what transpired after.  In retrospect I haven't just moved away from the idea of being a Tool fan, but rather the idea of being a fan of anything at all.  There's a lot of practical reasons for this; for example, I wouldn't have time for everything I want to do if I focused too much on any one entity.  But the bigger reason is that the last several years have shown how toxic modern fanhood has become.  Of course you still can and should enjoy things - things are great!  Just don't let them become who you are.

One of the weird things about re-listening to an old album that you've practically memorized is the peculiar things you pick up on.  Now that I'm old, one of the first things I notice is the cohesiveness of the songwriting, which can be an issue with bands as ambitious as Tool.  On that front, Ænima is a mixed bag.  Some of the big hits (namely "Forty Six & 2" and the title track) are put together well.  On the other hand, "Stinkfist" is mildly clunky and "Eulogy" is kind of a mess.  But don't worry, everything still rocks and there's enough individual moments of greatness to make up for any deficiencies. 

Ænima is the best/favorite Tool album primarily because of all its great hits, but it doesn't hurt that it nails the interstitial tracks as well.  Later Tool albums have a more self-serious air about them whereas the band strikes the perfect balance between earnestness and goofball irony here.  A prank (?) phone call set to a dramatic piano tune, a cookie recipe that sounds like something more sinister, and a carnival-like adaptation of the subsequent "Jimmy" highlight the playful side of the band and help to take the edge off.

Finally, younger me never fully realized it but Justin Chancellor really brings this outfit together.  Not sure there's a bassist outside of Les Claypool that's as crucial to the success of their band.