A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms
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Free Music Notes for Mer De Noms
Free Music Review: Never heard Tool, but I like this.
Hit: 5 Stars
I've only listened to one Tool song, so this review is not strictly to Mayanrd Keenan, but to the actual band A Perfect Circle.Hollow - This song is incredible. Chorus is just amazing, and the lead singer's voice and it's just good believe me, the harmony of the vocalist and the band is good.
Magdelena - This song had taken a little longer to actually like. It's about fascination with a good looking woman "lovely goddess", "Magdelena", "Madonna". But please do not mistake this for a soft ballad. It starts off slow and gives little insight to what the title suggestion, then the guitar slowly comes in and then leaves after the chorus, and it's Maynard and the drums together for the second verse, then guitar again for the chorus, and it makes a nice solo, and the vocals come back to haunt the track again and, then it's just the bass, the drums, and vocals. Can't describe the end of it.
Rose - Aw, man, th riff on this song is the best I have ever heard in a while. It's starts off hard, and then get harder and harder (It seems to with James Maynard's voice, because it's ,his voice, gets louder and he screams more throughout the track.) Listen for yourself (the full track).
Judith - This is the track I paid attention to when I was a kid when this CD came out. I didn't know who the band was, but. The ending is incredible because every element is well represented, from vocals to drums to guitars, to vocals again. This speaks of the who betray the Messiah. Lyrics are very listenable as are all on this CD.
Orestes - Softer than Judith, but sets the tone for the Three Libras. The guitar is just laid back and has an interesting tone that is very appealing and as it gets harder it just gets better. Don't know what it's about.
3 Libras - I like the classical type feel in the back with the acoustic, the violas and such. Just a good song.
Sleeping Beauty - This took me till now to get used to and like. The chorus is just the screaming of "sleeping beauty", but the refrain before that is nice when he says "...the sign of your awakening...". It's a good song just not the best on Mer De Noms. Just listen, and it may be different to another, but this is an ok song.
Thomas - I don't get why everyone likes "Thomas" it's a good song and I like the way it is sung, but you gotta be in a certain mood to really get into this. The chorus is what made me like it. And right after he starts doing something like a "oooooh" and it is toto in sync with the guitar, I figure I could stop skipping that track and the breakdown is good.
Renholder - Haven't listened to it. It is just an instrumental.
Thinking You - Ah, yes. This is reminiscent of Stabbing Westward and the days of KoRn, Filter, Marilyn Manson, Sneke Pimps, you know right before Nu Metal was ruling mainstream for the little bit it did, but that's just because I used to listen to them so much. The verse is good, The refrain is good, but the part in the middle with the "sweet" didn't cut it. This might not get you excited just because of the chorus, but the rest is worth. At the end is just Maynard whispering\saying "Thinking of You," then back to the chorus and ends the song. And if what I said about Nu Metal is wrong don't blame me, I'm a little sleepy and my judgement is a little blurred.
Brena - A softer song, Maynard's voice becomes melodic again is beautiful and if you're in a certain mood like calm, relaxing, or even depressed or sleepy this song'll set you deeper into that mood, or wake you if it's loud enough and make you forget whatever ailed you. I don't know if I'd put it with Orestes and Three Libras, but I would put it as a good track. And I definetely don't want to offend anybody with this review.
Over - Two things. Perfect ending track and xylophone.
This is one of the best CDs ever made and I'm waiting to buy The Thirteenth Step. I don't know why most the band members were replaced, but after heazring how essential each one is, I had to think twice.
Free Music Review: A Perfect Album?
Hit: 5 Stars
APC have been both blessed and cursed by comparisons with lead vocalist Maynard James Keenan's other band, the excellent Tool. However, these comparisons aren't exactly justified. Perfect Circle is Perfect Circle and Tool is Tool. Both bands are unique, and their only real connection musically is through Maynard's vocals, which here sound far more vulnerable and emotional than his usual style.The first thing that must be said about this album is that the performances given by all five members are all absolutely awe inspiring. Billy Howerdel's song writing ablility is second to none; Maynard James Keenan's vocals are better than ever before; Josh Freese is simply one of the best drummers on earth; Paz Lenchantin's bass playing is excellent, and her violin arrangements are simply perfect; and Troy Van Leeuwen's excellent guitar work is equally noteworthy.
Mer De Noms opens with the superb 'Hollow', one of the more upbeat songs on the album. Like many of the songs on here it has a wonderful chorus that you just can't get out of your head, with Maynards' vocals soaring while the music simply builds in intensity until the end.
Following 'Hollow' is the atmospheric 'Magdalena', one of my personal favourites and an exercise in controlled power. The atmosphere on this song is so thick you can almost taste it. There are some great guitar-noise breaks here before the song again builds up until it reaches an awesome intensity.. but without any kind of screaming or earache inducing yells.
'Rose' is up next, with its off-kilter melodies and strange bass/keyboard parts complimenting one-another perfectly. Some nice guitar solos without being over the top. (More pink-floydy than most rock/metal solos).
By now everyone will have heard 'Judith', the heaviest track on the album, expressing Maynards' rage at Christianity and Religion in general, with a great main riff and some superb 'bottle-neck' slide guitar.
'Orestes' is one of the more mellow tracks, with some excellent vocal harmonies and a wonderfully memorable guitar melody. Again this track (like much of the album) is intense without resorting to screams or heavy, pounding riffs.
'3 Libras' is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The lyrics are superb, complimenting the music perfectly, and the vocal work is astounding, particularly the end of the song which sees Maynard really opening up. The music in this song has an almost trance inducing effect, so well is it played.
'Sleeping Beauty' is one of the more heavy tracks, again intense and concentrated, simply due to the tightness with which it's played.
'Thomas' begins with a little melody played out on what sounds like an acoustic before the band kicks in with a riff that sounds like the world is ending. Brilliant.
'Renholder' is a strange interlude, consiting of another off-kilter guitar melody, with Paz Lenchantin's violin arrangements flitting around and complimenting it, along with Maynards' unearthly moans and sighs.
'Thinking Of You' has simply the best rock bassline I've heard since Ozzy's 'Perry Mason' from the 'Ozzmosis' album. I just can't get it out of my head!
'Brena' is almost ethereal in it's presentation. The vocals are again unearthly, and the music is absolutely superb, full of passion, and wonderfully emotive.
The album finishes with the NIN 'Fragile' soundalike 'Over'. Simply piano, a small amount of percussion and vocals. An odd, yet satisfying way to finish the album.
This really is a special album, one of those where you find yourself wanting to keep to yourself and treasure, and yet simultaneously shout its' praises from every rooftop until everyone knows just how great it is. There's something here for everyone, and everything here for someone. If you like your music passionate and intense, you won't be dissapointed.
Free Music Review: The Umbilical Residue Keeping me From Killing You- and More!
Hit: 5 Stars
From the early 90s until now, Maynard has had quite a bit of influence on the rock world with the messages Tool managed to broadcast and their videos that blatantly copied the styles of The Brothers Quay. Here, rage mixed with other forms of ideology, building a better broadcasting booth from which to rain hymns. It meshed a voice that was quite distinguished in the way it sounded and flowed, actually giving melody or aggression with each tenderly stroked word as if upon command. And then there were the themes and the blatant lack of regard held for the world at large which made them such a hit.In some songs, Maynard told his audience that "all you know about me's what I sold you," and what he sold them was messages on why he disliked mankind and the byproducts they made, their religion and their attitudes, enough to see them all washed away. And, in doing that, he entertained me.
Unfortunately, by the last release, Tool had become a prison in and of itself, having a sound that carried from album to album and that Maynard was associated with anytime he spoke with that singing voice. It seemed that he was always expected to do things with the same formula and that he couldn't shake the Tool stigma. So, doing what he does well, he rebelled the avenue of escape was created. A Perfect Circle was born.
When I first bought the album, I wasn't sure what to expect but I thought that it would well border those same walls that Maynard had always bordered and that it would be like buying what I had always bought from this podium. Seemingly confirming that, I had heard the angry anti-"your god" ballad that had been released as a video, Judith, and I thought that this would be the way the whole album worked. Here, something that sounded good spoke with an industrialized tongue, some seething between its heatbeats, and I thought it would make something enjoyable to listen to. And, in a sense, I was right but, in a turn of events, I also found myself wrong.
In expecting what I had come to know, I had sold A Perfect Circle short.
In Mer de Noms, Maynard shows the world that he is talented and that he can assemble a talented cast around to create more than a side-project. He has said that this was the purpose of it all, wanted something that would change the lightbulb and let Tool, his friend and monetary savior for so long, die so he could change course and flow where melodies were allowed to mingle with ballads. He also wanted aggression, too, but he wanted to make something that didn't rehash the same grounds he'd covered over and over again. Basically, he strove to make something unlike Tool and he succeeded with one of the best albums I've heard in a while.
Everything from the vocal skills that he has hinted to but has never truly shown his audience that he had, making beautiful sounds and somber sensations in the process, to the way the music meshes with him is soothingly ingenious. The creation, powered by a broad range of topics and not without lyrics that are threatening edgy and overtly "keeping me from killing you"tastic, was something that took me and many others by storm.
Personally, I'd recommend this to anyone out there because its really a beautiful album. The way Maynard carries a tune in simply amazing, and the work can make just about anyone happy. Even people that don't really care for Tool seemed to find it to be something they could sit down and enjoy. The only thing about it is that I would say that some songs have the ability to offend if someone's opinion voiced to music is truly worth being offended by, and Maynard makes some nice points.
With no tracks deemed subpar and some simply heart-rending, I will definitely buy the newest release that is coming soon.
Free Music Review: simply put, a masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
A Perfect Circle essentially started as Maynard took a hiatus w/ Tool to sing vocals for another band and help write some new songs with the genius of Billy Howerdel. The result came with Mer de Noms, the first of two current LP's along with a cover album. Juggling between two bands must be hard for anyone, but I'd say Maynard is one the the few who can pull it off.
"Hollow" starts off rocking with almost a catchy dark rock atmosphere in which all the pieces play as one. This song was also a single.
A more moodier song with "Magdelena" shows how talented the musicians in the band are. The intro is just absolutely amazing. The vocals are very rich, deep, and reverberating, and the soft subtle feel is very subduing, creepy, and just great.
"Rose" often changes tempos of a soft melody to a hard crunch here in there, with some excellent guitar solos. The mix is a little NIN-ish with an industrial type feel.
The song that brought me to band is obviously "Judith" the first single. The song is a complete rock anthem from start to finish. The lyrics can be a little bit contraversial as they correspond to the Bible, but if you just take an unbias, and non-literal approach to it, you can really appreciate the greatness of the song.
"Orestes" is just downright mystical and haunting. With a church bell like type sound illuminating through the whole song with some very fluid vocals, and some spine-chilling guitars complimented with a subtle drum line.
My all time favorite song is "3 Libras." The string layers are amazing. The emotion is at an extreme high with sadness, but also peaceful. To fully appreciate the beauty of the song, you must crank up the volume as loud as you can and just let it flow...oh you you must put it on repeat for the next 10-15 plays.
"Sleeping Beauty" is a little more hard and dirty. Almost a grunge song if not for the haunting vocals with a somewhat moderate pace. May not be the best song on the album, but it should not be shunned.
A very delicate calm starts with "Thomas" before a loud thunderous chorus of guitars. Lyrics can be a little hard to pick up without going to the text, however, the feel of the song is an emotional rollercoaster.
"Renholder" is kinda of a tribal jungle instrumental with a few moans throughout. Somewhat hypnotic and spiritual. One of my favorite instrumentals out of any band.
My third favorite song is "Brena." In all honestly, the lyrics aren't a whole lot, but the music is purifing and hauting. Once again, it's just another perfect song to meditate on from this album.
"Over" wraps up things with a xylophone, a piano, and Maynard muttering some quiet vocals about things being, well...'over.' At the end if you crank up the volume there is a jumbled mess with very small clips of each of the album's song.
Even with 13th Step out and the cover album of Emotive, Mer de Noms remains my personal favorite album, and even over any Tool release. The whole album is remarkably dark, depressing, and emotional as well as peaceful, calm, and soothing plus a few rockers. You are either going to like or love this album, there is no hating for any rock fan on this debut.
Free Music Review: Brooding Brilliance
Hit: 5 Stars
In the spring of 2001, I heard this song on the radio. I was completely blown away, but didn't have a clue who did it. If I was familiar with Tool at the time, I surely would've recognized the powerful voice that is Maynard James Keenan, who formed A Perfect Circle with guitar tech Billy Howerdel in 1999. I eventually heard the song again, and remembered enough of the lyrics to Google it. The song turned out to be "3 Libras", and despite knowing nothing about Tool or APC, I rushed out to buy the album, titled "Mer de Noms", that very day.
As it turned out, I also knew another song on the album, called "Judith". It received a lot of airplay a year prior to that, but I never knew who it was. Anyway, the album was rather underwhelming to me upon the first couple listens, with the exception of the aforementioned two songs. But after more and more spins, "Mer de Noms" became one of my favorite albums of all time. And it still is to this day. It also got me interested in Tool, which is certainly a good thing.
You'll notice that "Mer de Noms" (translated as "Sea of Names") contains a lot of Biblical references in the song titles and lyrics. The slow, brooding "Magdalena" is one of them, in which Maynard longs for "one taste of you, my black madonna". The first single, "Judith", is a heavy, powerful tirade against blind faith. Unlike other crappy anti-religion songs, this is actually thought provoking and inspiring.
"3 Libras", the song that got me into the band in the first place, is flat out gorgeous. It begins with a beautifully orchestrated string intro, then goes from mid-tempo ballad to a heavy, emotional finale in which Maynard sings, "You don't see me at all", a totally relatable sentiment for anyone who has felt overlooked or unnoticed.
"Brena" and "Orestes" are the most subdued affairs on the album, with the former being a beautiful love ballad, while still retaining the haunting feel of the album. The latter is my favorite song on here, another one that starts slow and builds up to a spine chilling finale that cements Maynard's position as the best rock vocalist in the game.
Other standouts include:
The creepy industrial-atmospheric assault, "Rose", which culminates with elegant strings.
The raucous "Thomas"
"Sleeping Beauty", in which Maynard puts a slight twist on the classic fairytale of the same name.
And finally, the aggro-funk of "Thinking Of You".
The album closes with "Over", a brief elegy featuring only sparse instrumentation.
If you're a fan of alternative or modern rock in general, don't pass up "Mer de Noms". Unlike a lot of crap that gets airplay on the radio, A Perfect Circle never sacrifices their sense of adventure and creativity, yet they can still churn out catchy, radio friendly tunes like "Judith" and "The Outsider" (the latter of which is from their most recent album, "Thirteenth Step"). "Mer de Noms" is bold, dark, haunting, and beautiful - never boring.
Best Songs: Orestes, 3 Libras, Thomas, Sleeping Beauty.