eMOTIVe
Tool\'s Maynard James Keenan established A Perfect Circle as a project to serve his melodic side. This collection features some brave reinterpretations of politically inspired tunes that enhance the original versions. John Lennon\'s \"Imagine\" takes on a sense of doom that the original track (and all past covers) never, well, imagined. Nick Lowe\'s \"What\'s So Funny \'Bout Peace Love and Understanding\" sounds like it\'s being transmitted from another galaxy, with treated guitars, keyboards, and percussive sounds echoing into the ether. Marvin Gaye\'s \"What\'s Going On\" evokes the strong ambience of a 4AD Records goth project, turning the song\'s overt message into a subliminal one. Two originals—\"Passive,\" written with Trent Reznor for the since-kaput Tapeworm project, and \"Counting Bodies Like Sheep\"—are among the album\'s most aggressive. The remaining covers are intriguing. \"When the Levee Breaks\" (a Memphis Minnie track made famous to rock audiences by Led Zeppelin) has its blues gutted and a Portishead-like mystery put in its place. Brilliant!
A Perfect Circle's album of covers, eMOTIVe, falls flat and fails to raise the bar set so high by the quality of their previous two releases.