So awhile back I went and reviewed Tool’s discography so naturally up next on the chopping block is A Perfect Circle. Now if you are expecting another band like Tool, this isn’t even close. I think I remember hearing them on KROQ back in like 2002 and seeing one of their videos with the Bikini Bandits on Much Music. Anyway, here we go……
Mer De Noms- alright so with this album, I remember seeing them play that song Judith on either SNL or some late night show (I really can’t remember now) and thinking what a great song it was. The rest of the album however does not sound like it which isn’t a bad thing. It’s definitely more eclectic and ominous than Tool. You can definitely tell that Maynard brought a lot of artistic influence. Overall, it’s a great record and you can tell that everyone who plays on this album has great chemistry. I give it 10/10
Standouts: Judith, The Hollow, Thinking Of You
Thirteenth Step- well if you thought that the last album was soft, then this one is softer. I would even venture to call this album “easy listening.” I guess this one is also a concept album which deals with drug addiction recovery. Here guitar riffs have been replaced with melodies and dark atmosphere. I must say though that the video for the song The Outsider is one of the best/stupidest videos ever and I love it. Anyway, great album and it gets 9/10
Standouts: The Outsider, Gravity, Weak and Powerless
eMOTIVe- so this one is a covers album of political songs. While most covers albums like Undisputed Attitude or even Renegades try to remain true to the way they sound, APC’s cover songs are just weird. Like this is seriously one of the strangest covers albums I’ve ever heard. Not sure how I feel about this one so it gets 4/10 and I’m being generous here.
Standouts: Passive, Peace Love And Understanding
aMOTION- seeing as how there are only four studio albums, I thought I’d review some of their smaller albums. This one is basically a remix album of singles from Mer De Noms and Thirteenth Step. If you are into this band and also like club music then I’d recommend checking this one out otherwise this one can be skipped. I myself am not a fan of trance, house, or club music so this one doesn’t really appeal to me all that much but if you are curious then check it out. I give it 5/10
Standouts: Hollow Constantly Consuming Mix
Deep Cuts- again, as with any band that has a small discography, I will review EP’s and singles if needed. This one is basically a four song EP and it contains 3 live tracks and one studio track. I would actually say that it’s not bad. It’s certainly not as weird as eMOTIVe and the live tracks are pretty good. I give it 8/10
Standouts: Brena (Live), Magdalena (Live)
Eat The Elephant- what the hell is this? Like seriously what is this? I get that this band is not anything like the band members other projects but this is just such a mellow and weird record and I can only take so much weirdness and mellowness. I personally found this one to be very boring and just could not get into it. Now maybe I need to give it another chance later on but I don’t see myself visiting this album anytime soon. It gets a 0/10 not good
Standouts: there aren’t any and much like Tool’s Fear Inoculum record, I found myself getting sleepy
I mean at the end of the day, this is a band that is different and a lot more mellow than a band like Tool. I will say though that the musicians that have been in this band are incredible. You’ve got members of Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, and others. I’m hoping that if they put out another record it’ll be in the same style as Mer De Noms but we shall see.
Final Grade: B-
Album Rankings:
- Mer De Noms
- Thirteenth Step
- Deep Cuts
- eMOTIVe
- aMOTION
- Eat The Elephant
Sinister Reviews 