A Review of A Perfect Circle's "eMOTIVE" and "aMOTION"
| Published 12/10/04

Graphic by: Doni Neel

A Perfect Circle has always been a fresh band with their powerful lyrics and sound. Vocalist Maynard James Keenan and guitar tech Billy Howerdel, both from the band Tool, had already been the masterminds behind two successful albums ("Mer de Noms" and "Thirteenth Step") and continue the trend with "Emotive".

Like the previous A Perfect Circle albums, I have to listen to the entire CD several times to truly appreciate its great blend of rock and melody. While "Emotive" achieves greatness, it is also not the best A Perfect Circle album, in my opinion. For one, "Emotive" is a collection of anti-war themed cover songs with only two original tracks by the band. While there have been successful cover albums in the history of music, this one is not the best probably because the songs don't really fit the band. Maynard James Keenan sounds like he is struggling with a few of the tracks, but I will admit he shines in such songs like a cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and Devo's "Freedom of Choice." The CD also has a nice remix (sort-of) of A Perfect Circle's "Pet" from "Thirteenth Step" album called "Counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums" (what a mouthful)

The anti-war theme may bother other fans, as well, but in reality that is a moot point. I'm conservative but also a fan of great music. While this may not be A Perfect Circle's best album, their music is still a lot better than the majority of music played today. If you've never heard of A Perfect Circle, I recommend you pick up a copy of their first two albums, "Mer de Noms" and "Thirteenth Step," before you move to "Emotive" and can compare.

A Perfect Circle has also released a separate DVD called "aMotion" in conjunction with "eMotive." The DVD is full of A Perfect Circle greatness, such as all their music videos - including the three finalists of A Perfect Circle's song "Blue," which the band allowed their fans to create. Other great things are the unedited videos of "Weak and Powerless" and "Judith," as well as a live performance of "The Noose." There's also a set of trailers for the "Bikini Bandits" movies which look dumb as hell but are LOADED with women in their bikinis (obviously), so there's nothing wrong with that. Both Maynard and Billy provide commentaries on the videos, as well. Lastly, there is a bonus CD with remixes of many popular songs such as "Outsider" and "3 Libras".

If you are A Perfect Circle fan, this DVD is a must; if you are interested in the band, you can't lose with this selection. Well done, fellas.