Strangely I love "Chocolate Chip Trip." I don't much care for the synth sounds elsewhere on Fear Inoculum.
I guess I might as well review the whole record...
Feels more like three epic EPs to me. There are plenty of Danny moments, plenty of Adam moments (middle of "Tempest" especially). There's a Justin riff somewhere in the middle of the record that's awesome and there's lots more Tool band moments than I expected. In that regard it's balanced and rewarding.
What's missing is a sense of humor, and that historically would be Maynard's realm. Maybe he has enough outlet in Pucifer that we won't hear Tool songs like "Hooker," "Arizona Bay," or "Rosetta Stoned" anymore. To me that's a loss.
The only instrumental I care for so far is "CCTrip" as it starts off like an Amon Tobin piece and ends up reminding me of "Divorced" but in some Pink Floyd odd meter. The extra songs in the digital version don't do anything for me yet.
I'm keeping in mind that there's a lot to soak in. I think it'll reward more on repeat listens.
The guitars sound big and the drums sound small and the vocals sound mostly like an afterthought. Maynard's voice, though, sounds good and on key and I don't hate it. The lyrics sound better in rhythm than they read on the page (indulgent pseudo spiritual affirmations).
It sounds heavily and intricately worked on but it still sounds like four musicians in a room. I don't think it suffered from the long delay. I hope the next release shows some more spontaneity and some wit and grit, though.
My complaints are minor and Petty and I'm more or less addicted already.
