Notes - The music blog
Notes: An Introduction to... A Perfect Circle
A small collective of musicians, A Perfect Circle started as a side project for Maynard James Keenan (from prog rock gods Tool) and guitar technician Billy Howerdel. With a changing roster of musicians (including members of Zwan, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails), the band have been characterised by a mix of ethereal music and strange, poetic lyrics.
Mer de noms, the first album, surprised Tool fans, who weren’t expecting quite so much of a departure from their beloved singer. The album went into a very quiet area, with experimental arrangements and alternate tunings. Some controversy arose around 'Judith', a song many misinterpreted as being against religion, whereas the true intention of the song was a criticism of people putting a loved one in an altar. This recurrent theme of the dark side of love would be the connecting theme of Mer de noms, without falling into the trappings of a conceptual album.
Which was the step they took in Thirteenth Step, their sophomore effort. Taking an even more atmospheric approach, with two songs being more like repeated mantras than proper songs, the album talks about the 12-step program of recovery to an addiction. Which addiction is left up to the listener and the lyrics are up for interpretation. Although there are very dark moments in the album ('The Noose' is particularly stark), there is a glimmer of hope, as the last lyric in the album says, “I choose to live”.
Their last album, eMOTIVe, was a collection of covers and a remix. The album was released as a political statement in the eve of 2004's USA presidential election. Some of the covers have their lyrics altered (particularly the cover of Devo's 'Freedom of Choice') to fit their political agenda - in a nutshell, power to the people - and although it didn't get the reception that was expected, it was still another vital piece of their short but extraordinary career.
Link: A Perfect Circle Spotify Playlist
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