The 2006 Tool song Maynard James Keenan recommends to beginners: “Consciously effortless”
Some bands are more daunting to get into than others. From the outside looking in, one that seems more indecipherable than most is Tool.
Not only does the American outfit have a relatively small oeuvre for a group of their stature, with just five albums released across their 35 years, but they also have a cultish, diehard following that can be more intense and weirder than any other.
Part of that mystique comes from the band’s refusal to operate like a typical rock act. Long gaps between albums, cryptic artwork and a reluctance to explain their creative choices have encouraged fans to search for hidden meanings in almost every aspect of the group’s output.
There are many things that make Tool so deeply adored by their fans. This includes their famously complex rhythms, Maynard James Keenan’s philosophically substantial words, and the fact that, musically, they have always pushed themselves to be better, taking rock in directions that no one had done before they emerged. From using the Fibonacci sequence in song to instrumental experimentation such as creating the ‘pipe bomb microphone’, which mounted a guitar pickup inside a brass cylinder, the quartet’s name is synonymous with a high level of refinement.
Tool are also an irregular outfit in that while their fans are unwaveringly diehard, frontman Keenan also has a complicated relationship with them. He once revealed why he hates some of the band’s following, calling them “insufferable”, in light of them heavily concentrating on the internet-based lore of the group and not the music itself. Put it this way, some of Tool’s fans are so fervent that the vocalist has even received death threats because there is always such a long wait between albums.
From their music to the complexities of their fandom, Tool are a band surrounded by layers of meaning. They represent something far beyond the purely musical, making it difficult for newcomers to know where to begin. Starting chronologically might not immediately showcase their best work, while diving straight into their later efforts might not fully capture the breadth of their evolution or the entirety of their artistic arc.
Keenan, who has stringent views on the cultural behemoth of Tool, has also given his insight into what song he thinks newcomers should start with when beginning their odysseys into his band’s work. Speaking on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show with Daniel P Carter in 2021, he chose ‘The Pot’, a single from 2006’s 10,000 Days.
For Keenan, the track exemplifies the band’s ability to fuse their raw early energy with the mature refinement they would later perfect, successfully blending their individual influences into a cohesive creative melting pot. He revealed that the band often push themselves to the point of exhaustion in an effort to ensure each member shines within their songs, and this particular track stands as a testament to their success in achieving that balance.
Released as one of the standout tracks from 10,000 Days, ‘The Pot’ also showcases Tool’s ability to make complex music feel accessible. Beneath its intricate rhythms and technical precision lies a memorable hook that remains one of the band’s most immediately engaging moments.
He explained: “But I feel like this one is one of the ones that felt, not effortless, but fresh and conscious… consciously effortless if that makes sense? It just captures that vibe that I think, if you’re gonna play a song for people to kind of get them into our band, I don’t think you should start with the 27-minute one. Calm down. Don’t get all QAnon on us.”
The frontman added: “Focus on ‘The Pot’, that will be the introduction to all the other possibilities that happen in this project.”
For newcomers, Keenan’s recommendation offers a sensible route into a band that can often seem intimidating from the outside. While Tool’s catalogue is filled with sprawling epics and dense conceptual pieces, ‘The Pot’ distils many of their defining qualities into a more approachable package. Once listeners have absorbed that introduction, the deeper and stranger corners of the band’s world become far easier to explore.
