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Album Review
by Scott Sterling-Wilder
1-11-2004
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More on: A Perfect Circle
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| A Perfect Circle get all 'eMOTIVe' |
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A Perfect Circle: 'eMOTIVe'
(Virgin)
A Perfect Circle tools against war and pro-voting
Without any simulation of gnosis*, the signs are demonic. Tomorrow could be the first of the Last Days: it is another Presidential election in the cradle of modern democracy [yeah, we are being sarky] and we are about to face the reprise of the 2000 fiasco. 58K of ballots are lost in the post in, guess where - Florida!
Thus, we are to continue exploring life and culture that is like a Hieronymous Bosch’s painting mixed with an orderly fluidity of Escher’s drawings over which Frankenstein continues to preside. There is a war going on but it is a “justifiable”, claim the White House and Number Ten. Perhaps that’s the reason that there are no more protest albums, anti-demos and counter-politics.
And when it is done it is usually under-impressive; thus, A Perfect Circle’s ‘eMOTIVe’ is a brave move and foolhardy album. This will not do the band a lot of favour, in the US mainly, having seen what The Cheeky Birds were subjected to when they spoke anti-patriotically. It is misguided because today’s youth appears to be completely apolitical and more concerned with u2Pods than what politicians get up us into.
Anyhow, on the Election eve - it is going to be the actual Voting day when ‘eMOTIVe’ hits the US stores - we get this collection of covers that speak against the war. Some are obscure - ‘Annihilation’ by West Coast punx Crucifix, ‘Freedom of Choice’ by Devo [unless you are of an age when you can remember when Maggie farmed our lives] or ‘Let’s Have A War’ by Fear - but mostly this are known, in few cases over-familiar, songs by John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, Depeche Mode.
Predictably, some versions are more successful than others and surprisingly ‘Imagine’ cover works whilst ‘What's Going On’ doesn’t; ‘When The Levee Breaks’ [by Memphis Minnie but made famous by Led Zeppelin] is unrecognisable, Depeche Mode’s ‘People Are People’ simply falls flat on its face. Could have also done without another take of ‘(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love And Understanding’ [by Nick Lowe, best known version by Elvis Costello].
And then, we have two cuts by APC, one remix [‘Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drums’] and one original, ‘Passive’; in fact, that latter is a reworked version of a track by NIN/Keenan‘s side project Tapeworm, and the only instance when band truly shines. ‘eMOTIVe’ greatly suffers by four tracks being sung by guitarist Billy Howerdel, something that should enthusiastically be discouraged.
With a track by Black Flag [‘Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie’] and Joni Mitchell [‘Fiddle and the Drum’], we exit this exercise that has its sentiments in the right place but it is the music that lets it down, really.
Still, Maynard James Keenan's peace CD is a rather smart move that doesn’t directly criticise the Prez but clandestinely suggests that the opposition may be a better voting option.
7/10
~
*Gnosis = knowledge of the divine
Scott Sterling-Wilder
18-10-2003
A Perfect Circle's cd ‘eMOTIVe’ is released 01 November 2004 by Virgin
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