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Originally Posted by Severian
I don't mean any offense. I simply cannot handle Tool anymore. There was a time when I listened to them all the time, but that was long ago.
Seeing then live can be fun, though, as Bytor pointed out. But they just don't do anything for me anymore. I see Swans as being an entirely different kind of band, but to be honest I have not bothered to listen to the Tool song in question, so my opinion on the matter is based on memories from years ago.
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See, that is where so many of y'all got it twisted. I was not trying to compare tool and swans as bands or genres, rather just these two very specific songs because they approach the same style so radically differently. If anything, I wanted the contrast to be more obvious than the similarities, but all the haters got all music writer from Spin snobbish on me and didn't even get the point. Except for Ikara, because he actually listened to the tool track to see what I was getting at. Both use a droning, minimalist, primal rhythm to explore bass and guitar work, but it as was said, the motivation and muse is coming from entirely different places.
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Originally Posted by the ikara cult
ok, ive taken your premise seriously and listened to the Tool song, and the person who set it to the extreme sports footage has, despite my initial cynicism, chosen the perfect visual accompaniment to Tool's music.
Im not a musician, but the difference between the two is the extent of the variation in the music. When Tool decide to "switch it up a gear" it comes in the form of SLIGHTLY LOUDER GUITARS. When Tool want to introuce some tension, it comes from GUITARS GETTING SLIGHTLY QUIETER BEFORE BECOMING SLIGHTLY LOUDER AGAIN (side note, this is the same reason I dont like Mogwai Fear Satan, but thats another thread)
With Swans, all of the shifts occur below the surface, they only become apparent to you after theyve happened. It appears to be plodding along fairly consistently, but then a nanosecond later you realise something is different, something has changed. And thats not even taking into account Gira's vocals. Or the way they introduce force and volume (yes, their earlier work is all force and volume, but im referring to their reformed incarnation).
Tool were always sold to me on the idea that "Hey, this is really intense, you'll like it!" and then when i got the CD home it just didnt click with me at all. On the surface, the two songs may be similar, but there's something completely different driving them.
Edit, I want to thank you actually, this has helped remind me what I really love about Swans.
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I agree perfectly with your analyses. Tool builds up with the guitar work, Swans uses a more minimalist approach, in the background, so that you only hear it after, and further, you're not even quite sure you really heard it. Further, the droning parts grind out until you hear them even after they've stopped. The emotion builds up from you with Swans, and from tool it is in the music itself.