A Perfect Circle - Emotive (CD)

A Perfect Circle : : Peacemakers

By knaive  Nov 2, 2004 | 28 out of 30 found this Emotive review helpful

Pros: Much variation, atmospheric

Cons: Some controversial political issues addressed

From the moment you first hit the Play button, Maynard's voice whispers through the speakers and into your ears to the sound of a glockenspiel ringing an ominous melody, and sends shivers down your spine.. Not just from the beautiful sound that h...its you, but from the powerful lyrics that set up the imagery of a battlefield full of skulls. Such deep words as "From dehumanization to arms production, To hasten the nation towards its destruction" reverberate and fill the mind..Then the second track begins and instantly you're thrusted into the words of "Imagine there's no Heaven" with nothing but the piano playing what feels like a war march.. Soon, however, the percussion and bass guitar kick in with orchestrated strings ringing throughout, and along with Maynard's awesome vocals, makes for an awesome experience in itself. What grasped me by the throat was the fact that this song is actually a remix of one of John Lennon's own!The third track is no less impressive as the guitarwork plays out like a nightmare gone good (a good thing to be sure) and Maynard's brilliant vocals and lyrics make it all the better yet again. Strings later come into the song as an undertone, as the song builds into a rhythmic ensemble of emotion and powerful sounds.From here on, the songs stay at their high standard, as is expected to come from A Perfect Circle. Their tenth track, "Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drums" is an extremely dark remix of "Pet" from the previous album, "Thirteenth Step". It draws on for quite some time, and its continuous beatflow is hypnotizing to say the least.Track 11, "When The Levee Breaks", is a sudden contrast from the somewhat bold track 10, and begins with a solemn yet peaceful beat with a somewhat expressional bass-line. The piano rings throughout, and the vocals operate in harmony to create an overall ambient, almost dream-like feel. It is also most likely my most favoured track featured in eMOTIVe.The final track, Fiddle And The Drum, shows off more of Maynard's vocal abilities as he proceeds to close the album with a piece in acapella. The lyrics themselves are incredibly deep and almost mournful, as they speak of a nation's fall into using war as a means of acquisition rather than peace; similar to the meaning behind the first opening track. The only real "downfall" of this album is the fact that they express much "anti-Bush" campaigning, but that is more evident in their film clips (particularly track 10). This could spark a lot of commotion from supporters of the Bush Administration, though it's not likely to deter too many listeners because of the awesome sound that hooks you anyway.It is clear that APC's new album, eMOTIVe, is a hard-hitting amalgam of beautiful sounds of varying moods and tones, and is a definite must-buy for fans of APC, and I encourage anyone who isn't a fan of theirs to at least check it out. Read more Less