A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms
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Free Music Notes for Mer De Noms
Free Music Review: Something coming from many places
Hit: 5 Stars
It's a sound I've never heard before at least... people have already gone into detail on its slow harmonious flow of things like Orestes, or gloomy broodings, anger, confusion, sadness, and questioning elsewhere. It was interesting how Thomas, Judith, and Magdalena all managed to float around on the same CD... Renholder too is often looked at as just filler and pointless. Not all songs need to say something. There's something called mood, and something called emotion. Sometimes you need to fill in your own thoughts and just give them a mood, sometimes you don't want thoughts at all, and just want to embody yourself with a feeling.*harsh topic change*
But to briefly explain something here... This album seems to be more personal than spiritual, with much emotion floating about. It seems to feel, and not totally understand or explain those feelings. That is the difference this and a bunch of Tool stuff (Ima fan of both, yay). There's less "Power" but these two are like Ying and Yang. APC isn't the CD with answers or pounding opinions, it feels, sometimes even becoming overwhelmingly lost. Strength, and even individual song memorability aren't what makes good CDs. It makes better stand-alone songs yes, as Judith has shown to do... but not every CD should be looked at song by song (I don't have a constant preference for either ying or yang styles though. It changes up now and then). I did a bad job of staying brief, but, now to move onto topic two.
Someone said that with the song Judith one shouldn't attack anyone's beliefs or denounce blind faith, or loving Gods and what not, because it can be hurtful... But does that mean the people that do not feel any Godly help, presence, or purpose, shouldnt say anything aloud about how they think that prayers, devotion, and belief that something is always watching over humanity is just overly hopeful nonsense meant to comfort people from the fear of a world of luck and anarchy? If you never speak out, you never find those of similar minds. You never band together and you're left isolated, which could lead to a lot of anger and disgust, among other things. So in staying silent, you might not hurt others, but you can deteriorate yourself until you fade or build until you explode.
It's not like by voicing these opinions you're slaughtering Christians or anything. It's just expressing and justifying thoughts; it's reason, and good debate kills (literally) no one. If you can't handle the thought, leave. Phrases like "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" are ridiculous. If that mindset was used for everything, trial and error progression could never be fully used, growth of new ideas would be stifled... being politically correct isn't the way to grow and expand.
There's a huge difference between denouncing a church and burning one.
Free Music Review: Very Moody Album... but that's a good thing!...
Hit: 5 Stars
I bought this album a few nights ago because I heard the song Schism on tv, and well, I loved the song... I still do... I don't really know what I was expecting from this album, maybe more stuff like Schism, but I guess that's a pretty nieve expectation... I knew Tool were a heavy metal band, but I knew from what was said about them, not from experience... the songs that I had heard by Tool before I bought this album, are not what I would call metal... anyways, I bought the album... I put it on, and really, I played it while I was reading a book... it was a very, ummm, cool experience I guess... the music seemed to enhance my reading experience... I've listened to it a lot since then, and I'm really really starting to like it... sure, the songs are loud, and this is definately a metal album... but, the moods are varied so much, and some of the songs are softer, that the loud, heavy parts are really just darker colors that make up the palette of the album... one thing I love about the album is the drumming... I liken a lot of the ideas with the band Rush... yes yes, Rush is really a ... pop "progressive" band, but their drummer is awesome, and the similarity between Lateralus and Rush is the variance of time signatures and the like... I really really like that because it makes for an interesting, and well, edgy listening experience... I've never really been a fan of metal music, but this album is very very good... it's not boring which is what I've always thought metal was, but rather it's interesting, and dare I say, very ambient and atmospheric... ambient and atmospheric in a loud way, but still ambient and atmospheric... the songs are very long, but they don't get boring because the songs change, and more into new entities, and really, if you listen to the album through the first time without the album case with you, and without watching the tracks change, you'll find that it's hard to tell which track is which sometimes... the first time I put it on, I started from the beginning, and then all of a sudden Schism came on (the fifth track) and I thought "What happened to all the songs, and tracks?" Anyways, I dunno what else to say... this is definately a metal album, and maybe it is toned down, and "tamer" then other Tool albums, and other metal albums, but it has it's loud parts... but with the loud parts are other feelings and moods... this is an interesting album, and a very good listening experience... some people have refered to it as progressive metal, and well, call it what you want... but the bottom line is that it's interesting metal, and good metal... everyone should check this out... even if you aren't a metal fan (like me) you should still check it out... sometimes you just need to get your anger out...
Free Music Review: Finally music with talent...
Hit: 5 Stars
Nobody can deny that A Perfect Circle is a talented band. Just listen to Billy's fuzzy guitars and especially Maynard's beautiful and terrifying voice. I've been waiting for a band to come out that would feature both talent and music with actual melodies, because the whole rap/rock thing was good at first but now is just extremely monotonous. Many people like to compare A Perfect Circle with Tool, because Maynard is the lead singer for both bands. That just isn't fair because Tool is a Metal band and A Perfect Circle is not, their more mellow and show more beauty in their music. You wouldn't compare Britney Spears' so-called "music" to Metallica's, would you? "Mer De Noms" is an album that you need to listen to a couple times to really get into the music, and after listening to it for a while you will fall in love with everything about it. Maynard's wonderful voice, the heavy riffs from Billy's guitars, the violins, the meticulous studio effects. The album starts out with "The Hollow" which is a heavier song on the album with a chorus that show how truley talented Maynard's voice is. "Magdalena" is a song that will stick into your mind. It has the haunting lyrics: "I'll sell my soul, my self-esteem, For a dollar right at a time". This song actually has a specific meaning but those lyrics are genius. "Rose" is another haunting song that will captify your mind. "Judith" is probably the heaviest song on the album. It rocks in the right places, it has the right lyrics, everything just fits together nicely and given to you with a red bow on top. "Orestes" is my favorite song on the album. At times it's so beautiful that it sends chills up my spine everytime. The lyrics are creepy and haunting, although they are about abortion there's just something creepy about them. "Three Libra's" is the most beautiful song on the album with the roaring violing and the clean finger-picked guitars. "Sleepy Beauty" is another rocking song that also shows Maynard's talent for singing. "Thomas" is just wonderful, the acoustic guitars, everything just fits together. Then comes "Renholder" which is a very original instrumental which progresses A Perfect Circle's sound. "Thinking of You" is my second favorite song on the album, it rocks in the right places and slows in the right places. Maynard enhances the melody with his roaring voice. "Brena" is a very nice and melodic song. Finally "Over" comes plus the hidden-track, both are just wonderful.
The are no low points on this album, it just goes up and up. A Perfect Circle has an original sound and very melodic and heavy songs. My advise is to just buy it!
Free Music Review: Review By songBYsong Inc.
Hit: 5 Stars
Artist Name: A Perfect CircleAlbum Name: Mer de Noms
Year of Release: 2000
Track 1 - The Hollow - A wonderful song to introduce the sound of A Perfect Circle. The band has managed to create the perfect mix of rock, punk, and metal, creating a wonderful piece of music. This song shows that A Perfect Circle is more melodic than other metal / rock artists such as Tool. Although the lyrics are not printed on the inside cover, you may want to take the time to find them on the internet if you can't make them out in the song, because they are quite well done.
Track 2 - Magdalena - Beginning with a softer tone, quiet, slowish drums lead us into the epic track that is 'Magdalena'. There is some excellent guitar and percussion work in this piece. This being one of the harder songs on the album, fans of Tool may be able to relate to this song better than they can to softer / slower songs on the album. On the inside cover, we see a crumpled up piece of paper with some lyrics from the song:
'I'd sell my soul, my self esteem, a dollar at a time, fro just one taste of you, my Magdalena'
Track 3 - Rose - Another harder work, 'Rose' conveys is the overall feel of 'Mer de Noms', with excellent bass and guitar work, intriguing lyrics, and haunting vocals. Especially creative is the chorus, which shall not be given away in this review. It will be left as a surprise when you buy the album!
Track 4 - Judith - Perhaps the most explicit track on the album, lyrics tell us to do unspeakable things to our God. However, on the band's website, Maynard James Keenan (main vocals) states that it's not THE God, but only YOUR God. Another hard, yet excellent track.
Track 5 - Orestes - A slower, more melodic track, 'Orestes' shows us the softer side of A Perfect Circle's music. The lyrics to 'Orestes', however, are another story. They still bring us the same emotion and feeling as other more 'band generic' works, such as 'The Hollow' or 'Rose'.
Track 6 - 3 Libras - With the inclusion of some stringed instruments, '3 Libras' is perhaps the softest song on the track. This is the track that will appeal most to more 'generic rock' artists, although it may not appeal as much to fans of Tool, and it may not be what you've come to expect from A Perfect Circle. Still, an incredibly memorable track.
Track 7 - Sleeping Beauty - With much of the same power and intensity as 'Magdalena', with perhaps a bit more of a melodic feel, 'Sleeping Beauty' feels like a wonderful track. Therefore, it is a wonderful track. 'Nuff said.
As songBYsong inc. does not wish to give the entire album away to you, this review stops here. We hope that what you have read up to now will influence you to buy this wonderful album.
Free Music Review: TOOL Fans Rejoice!
Hit: 5 Stars
I love Tool. They are one of my favorite bands. The same goes for my friends who went with me to see APC in concert with NIN. I cannot begin to describe what a letdown it is to go to a fantastic show, and not be able to pick up the disc immediately after (we saw them in Chicago, pre-May 23rd). Now that we've all rushed out and bought the CD, we're having difficulties removing it from our stereos, our Discmans, and even our CD-ROM drives at work. It's that good. We will be listening to this album again...and again...and again.While both Tool and APC share the same frontman, the similarities stop there. The music of APC is epic in scope, if not in song length (most of the songs are around the 3:30 mark). Billy Howerdel, the album's composer, producer and one its two guitarists, employed the use of strings on many tracks, adding a haunting ethereal backdrop to Maynard's anguished vocals. APC is to Tool like Download is to Skinny Puppy -- recognizably related, but not the same. APC is beauty to Tool's barely restrained anger. APC is an aural erotic tingle to TOOL's sonic rape. APC is excellent. And much as the album's title suggests, APC has the depth and layers of a thousand oceans, with all the emotions of Poseidon, from tranquility to rage and back again.
Unfortunately, APC might be a tad too tranquil for most TOOL fans who are expecting more of the same from Maynard. With the exception of Judith, Mer De Noms' offerings lack the hard-edged sound of TOOL; but not to worry, the passion and intensity are still ever present in the sound of Maynard's voice.
However, APC is quite different from TOOL in that its intensity stems from personal passions, rather than anger directed at society in general. Mer De Noms is quite intimate, getting its name from the titles of the songs, most of which are names drawn from mythology and the Bible, presumably representing various people and relationships from Keenan's personal life. Through Maynard's quiet introspection in Mer De Noms, we are granted a rare glimpse at the calmer--though still tortured--half of his psyche.
I was looking forward to this side project for just that reason--to see what other emotions and musical ideas were lurking in Maynard's head. Needless to say, Keenan's artistic range is amazing. I was pleasantly surprised by his ability to pull off another "sound" successfully. Already, APC has a distinct style that is all their own.
APC is a remarkable departure from TOOL, but no less breathtaking. My friends and I will be eagerly awaiting Maynard's next offering, whether it be a Tool release or a follow-up to Mer De Noms.