A Perfect Circle

[Krazy]

First time I ever heard or heard of APC was walking into their set during Fragility tour, and that they kind of sucked. I think it was 3 Libras playing and just wasn’t into it. This was before I became a Big Tool fan so didn’t know it was “the weirdo from Tool” on lead vocals.

Even when I got into Tool APC didn’t do much for me until I came to grips that they shouldn’t sound like Tool. Changed my opinion once I was open minded about it, and the rest is history.

Now im older and don’t have the patience for this shit, lol. :P I’ll give my favorite bands the benefit of the doubt after a handful of listens and that’s it.

[sonic_discord]

I was well aware that Maynard was in APC long before Mer de Noms came out. I had some friends who'd gotten me into Tool who told me about "Maynard's side project band." Then I saw them open for NIN on the Fragility v2.0 tour shortly before the album came out (the show was April 17, MDN came out May 23). I was impressed with them as an opening band, but it's often hard to get into something when you're hearing it for the first time. I had become a big fan of Tool a few years earlier and I loved Judith (which was all over the radio at the time), but that was the only song I knew. It wasn't until about a year and a half later (fall/winter of 2001) that I really realized how awesome APC was.

[implanted_microchip]

All the Fish is the first of all the new studio tracks we've heard that I really like. Not at all what I expected and it gets right to the point, gives MJK some range to show off in, it has a great sense of pace and doesn't wear out its welcome. I'm still not convinced about this new album but I'm more interested now than I was after Disillusioned, The Doomed and TalkTalk. It's not that I think any of those are bad as much as it is I find them bland and unsurprising/uninteresting. I'm hoping stuff like Hourglass and So Long ends up making up the majority of this album and that it gets into some weirder, surprising spaces and that those three are the more "typical" songs on it. I could live with that easily.

[gerbil]

I know I’ve been in love with just about all these tracks but “So Long...” just totally hits the right spot for me. This whole album is so far. It’s like so much catharsis after the last few years of tension. I’ll admit “Disillusioned” took a bit to really fit but, man, it’s all just working for me.

I’m glad they aren’t trying to recreate their last three albums. There’s a lot of playful Ashes Divide here and there and heavy A Perfect Circle of yore so far.


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[Piko]

Out of the songs I've heard. Disillusioned is my least favorite. It's been discussed here before. But it's just the ramblings of a middle aged man complaining about technology. Can't take it seriously. I like TalkTalk. That's APC. I've briefly heard other live versions of songs but not enough to really remember.

[PhoenixML]

Fuck I love this new song!

[Self.Destructive.Pattern]

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy! New song really caught me off guard and I do like it to an extent. I get a heavy U2 vibe from it, but I'm not saying that as a bad thing. Really need to hear this album as a whole.

[Mr. Blaileen]

Love the new track. Can’t wait for Friday.

[october_midnight]

Easily the best of the tracks released thus far. It just seems the most coherent and together, instead of just patched sections together.

[Conan The Barbarian]

I don't know, sometimes it gets cool, then sometimes it isn't.

[ManBurning]

I wasn't going to listen to the new song until Friday, but I did...
It's OK.

I'm actually kind of glad they released all these songs ahead of time, because now I know better than to have paid money for this.
Already heard half the album and I can't say I'm all that impressed.

So we have 5 songs left we have yet to hear - Eat The Elephant, The Contrarian, Delicious, DLB, and Get the lead out.

[sonic_discord]

We also have not yet heard studio recordings of Feathers and Hourglass, which could potentially be different than the live versions, for what it's worth.

[neorev]

Every single for this album has turned me off more and more, especially this track. Just not feeling this at all.

[Mr. Blaileen]

I wouldn't want the whole album to be like 'So Long,..', but I like the pop-feel of that particular song. Maynard's delivery is what sold it for me.

The only thing that bothers me a little (and this goes for all the new songs) is that the vocals seem a little..cold to me. Something about the mix, or Maynard's recording space, or equipment has given everything a Puscifer feel that's tough to explain. Maybe I'm crazy.

Either way, I'm eager for the songs I haven't heard and for the studio versions of Feathers/Hourglass.

[Space Suicide]

I like all the songs, including the latest. Bring it on!

[EndlessLoveless]

That song is perfectly puscifer mixed with equal parts ashes which is probably why I don't like it beyond a bar or two.

I liked apc better when they dealt with personal demons rather than the world as a whole's demons, if that makes sense.

[SM Rollinger]

I was well aware that Maynard was in APC long before Mer de Noms came out. I had some friends who'd gotten me into Tool who told me about "Maynard's side project band." Then I saw them open for NIN on the Fragility v2.0 tour shortly before the album came out (the show was April 17, MDN came out May 23). I was impressed with them as an opening band, but it's often hard to get into something when you're hearing it for the first time. I had become a big fan of Tool a few years earlier and I loved Judith (which was all over the radio at the time), but that was the only song I knew. It wasn't until about a year and a half later (fall/winter of 2001) that I really realized how awesome APC was.

awesome, i went to that show too

[Krazy]

Oh boy...

that song is odd. It reminds me of The Byrd’s Turn, Turn, Turn (which I like) for some reason, just seems weird to be coming from this band.

So so much for waiting for the CD to arrive to hear new material. :|

[Piko]

At first I thought I was listening to U2...

[ManBurning]

Here's a couple album reviews.
First one got a B-
Second is 4/5

Second one breaks down the tracks a little more.

Both reviews conclusions are "It's alright, but if you were disappointed by the singles, the rest won't blow you away" kind of vibe.
The description of the final track interests me though - "The Alice-in-EDM-Wonderland" concluding track"

https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/...-the-elephant/

https://crypticrock.com/a-perfect-circle-eat-the-elephant-album-review/

[cahernandez]

You may or may not like this new song, but they are definitely not going for a MDN 2 or TS 2 and you have to give'em credit for that. A sign of a good band is one that doesn't become a parody of itself over time.

[gerbil]

I wouldn't want the whole album to be like 'So Long,..', but I like the pop-feel of that particular song. Maynard's delivery is what sold it for me.

The only thing that bothers me a little (and this goes for all the new songs) is that the vocals seem a little..cold to me. Something about the mix, or Maynard's recording space, or equipment has given everything a Puscifer feel that's tough to explain. Maybe I'm crazy.

Either way, I'm eager for the songs I haven't heard and for the studio versions of Feathers/Hourglass.

I like your post a lot because you said you like the song but gave a reasoned critique of something that makes you uneasy about it.

If you absolutely hated the songs so far, you wouldn’t have needed to come in here just to say that and you also didn’t just shit all over the song or album because of one aspect.

So, 9/10 would read again.


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[thevoid99]

I really liked it. I recently saw a documentary that Billy Howerdel was in about New Wave music of the 80s as it relates to this radio station in Long Island as he mentioned that one of his all-time favorite records is King of the Wild Frontiers by Adam and the Ants.

[Krazy]

You may or may not like this new song, but they are definitely not going for a MDN 2 or TS 2 and you have to give'em credit for that. A sign of a good band is one that doesn't become a parody of itself over time.

Thats a fair statement, but it’s usually met with mixed results at best. Change for changes sake doesn’t automatically make good music. The other side is you can’t keep doing the same thing or it’ll become stale. Metallica comes to mind. I don’t like their post thrash stuff, but you can’t keep writing songs about war with heavy riffs coming from the same guitarist.

[gerbil]

Thats a fair statement, but it’s usually met with mixed results at best. Change for changes sake doesn’t automatically make good music. The other side is you can’t keep doing the same thing or it’ll become stale. Metallica comes to mind. I don’t like their post thrash stuff, but you can’t keep writing songs about war with heavy riffs coming from the same guitarist.

This really is only the second album the two have written collaboratively. MDN was mostly Billy’s life’s work that Maynard added to and tweaked and the process behind Emotive was apparently kind of done in between turns in the studio between Maynard, Billy, and Danny Lohner.

TS is a freaking masterpiece that I wouldn’t want to hear anyone try to write a sequel to and MDN is lightning in a bottle. Emotive is fine for what it is (although the live versions show you just how much better it could have been).

I don’t think this album could be like any of their previous work. It’s just too far removed.


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[Krazy]

I don’t think this album could be like any of their previous work. It’s just too far removed.


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This is kind of what I’m getting at. No one should expect whatever album part II, but it doesn’t sound like APC either. There’s mention of this album sounding like Puscifer and Ashes Divide, which is a fair statement. But that’s not going in a different direction- it’s just slapping a different (but same!) label on the product.

Bummer about that review saying it has “no rockers”. That was some of the beauty from older APC- it was diverse similar to NIN, and it doesn’t seem to be that way. Maybe listening to the album from start to finish will be different though.

[gerbil]

This is kind of what I’m getting at. No one should expect whatever album part II, but it doesn’t sound like APC either. There’s mention of this album sounding like Puscifer and Ashes Divide, which is a fair statement. But that’s not going in a different direction- it’s just slapping a different (but same!) label on the product.

Bummer about that review saying it has “no rockers”. That was some of the beauty from older APC- it was diverse similar to NIN, and it doesn’t seem to be that way. Maybe listening to the album from start to finish will be different though.

I’m not going to pay much attention to reviews. I’m all in for the long, immersive experience. I like the brooding, apocalyptic moodiness so far.

Also, it goes against my every instinct because I like Billy Howerdel and Ashes Divide so much but AD is probably closer to a relabeled APC than Puscifer. Keep Telling Myself... is probably what a TTS II would have sounded like.

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[Krazy]

I’m not going to pay much attention to reviews. I’m all in for the long, immersive experience. I like the brooding, apocalyptic moodiness so far.


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The review is one persons opinion obviously. However I'll trust the person who basically says there is nothing like The Hollow/Judith/The Outsider/Passive.

"Heavier" songs from their three previous albums. That's kind of a bummer. I absolutely LOVE Orestes, but I don't want to hear an album with songs that have the same vibe to it either. Variety is the spice of life or however the saying goes. APC did it very well on the first two albums.

[Space Suicide]

Got my updated download code that included the new single.

I guess I'm easy to please. Still loving all of these new tracks.

[ManBurning]

You can hear a live version of "Eat the Elephant" the song here. Verrrrrry slow song...