blindsider's Full Review: Emotive [PA] by A Perfect Circle
Listening to A Perfect Circle's Emotive takes me back.
It was my first year of college...I had short hair...a presidential election was nearing...and I was fairly new to the enigma that is Maynard James Keenan. I am always amazed by the way that listening to a particular song or album can transport me back to a specific time period. When this happens, I remember things that I thought I had forgotten about. This phenomenon is one of the main reasons why music is so special to me.
Regardless, not all of the music with this ability is quite so special. And with Emotive, I have learned over the years that even brilliant bands like A Perfect Circle can release imperfections.
Emotive is mostly an album of covers. Interestingly enough, it also contains what is 'sort of' an APC original, but is technically a cover of a Tapeworm (defunct project of Maynard and NIN's Trent Reznor). I firmly believe it to be the best APC song ever: "Passive." With bitter lyrics and an unforgettable soul-wrenching, gritted-teeth, explosive vocal performance from Maynard, I find it impossible to ignore the raw feelings and power this song delivers.
Wake up, and face me
Don't play dead, 'cause maybe
Someday I will walk away and say,
"You disappoint me. Maybe you're better off this way."
There aren't many other significant highlights on Emotive, but of the remaining grand moments, the band's take on John Lennon's classic "Imagine" shines. The somber piano arrangement is HAUNTING, and Maynard gives an outstanding, expressive vocal performance once more.
The captivating "Annihilation," which is apparently a Crucifix cover, serves as the Emotive opener and I truthfully find myself wanting to sit completely still and in absolute silence each time I listen to it. Maynard opts for a constant, eerily calm, whispered vocal style here, with little to no accompaniment. Those living for death...will die by their own hand. The war-related lyrics seem especially appropriate for an album released deliberately close to an election.
A Joni Mitchell cover, "Fiddle and the Drum," is done a-cappella, using multiple layers of Maynard's vocals for a startlingly breathtaking effect. A lament regarding unnecessary violence, these words (once again) seem perfect for both the time of Emotive's release and also for these days. I imagine that this rendition of the song will resurface time and time again, because the way Maynard has re-arranged it actually led to something very, very special.
Unfortunately, most of Emotive bears little resemblance to the aforementioned bright moments. Many of the covers seem unnecessary, and APC guitarist Billy Howerdel is given far too many opportunities to take over lead vocals -- he's completely mediocre, especially when compared directly to Maynard, so this factor itself frequently makes me long for the skip button. Billy's drab performance hovers over the band's take on Depeche Mode's "People are People," which seems never-ending, despite the fact that it's less than four minutes; meanwhile, the whiny rendition of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" is perhaps unintentionally...well...funny.
I also don't see anything even remotely necessary about the remix/continuation of "Pet," the incredible APC song from The Thirteenth Step. Here, it's re-tooled and called "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums" -- which many people probably frequently referred to "Pet" as anyway, due to the repetition of those lyrics in the song -- and it is mind-numbing. The interesting guitar rhythms of "Pet" have been replaced with random claps and chunky electronic clicks and whirs, while the vocal echoes are repeated far too many times.
Emotive is something that fans of A Perfect Circle probably should own, but if not for the few moments of genius, it could easily be forgotten. Though this band was once declared to be over with, it seems as if now there are hints that they will indeed resurface eventually, and I can only hope that this covers album was no indication of a possible decline in Maynard & co.'s musical integrity. Ah, it probably isn't -- but take it or leave it -- Emotive sits distinctly somewhere in the middle.
A Perfect Circle s new album, eMOTIVe is a collection of songs about war, peace, love and greed. In addition to previously announced versions of JOHN ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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