Hurrah.

*has them all*

pretty good review except i would of rated weak and powerless and blue higher

This review didnt do much for me at first. But after listening to it a few times it grew to be one of my favorite albums. Its also great to listen to when going asleep.

Blue was one of the tracks I didnt like at first, but I did grow to like it(the remix is pretty good too)

[QUOTE=Iai]I feel like the only person on these forums who hasn't posted in here yet. Hah.

I much prefer Mers De Noms - less filler, basically. Both albums are laced with pointless filler though. Like they're desperate to experiment and forget to write memorable, enjoyable songs. If you put the best tracks from both together the resulting album would be an utter classic.

Check it -

The Hollow
Magdalena
Rose
Judith
Orestes
3 Libras
Thinking Of You
The Package
Weak And Powerless
The Noose
The Nurse Who Loved Me
Pet

A 12 track classic. Most people would probably disagree with that list, including a few, getting rid of a few, but I'm sure most people agree with the general idea. Do we really need Over, Lullaby, and the like?[/QUOTE]




Yo, your right about those 12 songs, but what about the best song on 13th Step: The Outsider?

[QUOTE=adamjonesisgod]Yo, your right about those 12 songs, but what about the best song on 13th Step: The Outsider?[/QUOTE]

It could be the 13th track. There's irony there somewhere.

[QUOTE=HydrusGemini][img]http://www.aperfectcircle.com/images/album_13th.gif[/img]

For a little misc. information, APC is currently composed of Billy Howerdel (composer and guitar) Maynard James Keenan (words and vocals) Josh Freese (drums) Jeordie White (bass guitar) and James Iha (guitar). "Thirteenth Step" is their follow up album to "Mer De Noms (French for "Sea of Names"). For more biographical information checkout--
[url]http://www.aperfectcircle.com[/url]
[url]http://www.aperfectcircle.org[/url]
[url]http://www.toolband.com[/url]

[SIZE=3]Ok, now here is my breakdown of A Perfect Circle's newest album, "Thirteenth Step" song by song:[/size]


[b]"The Package":[/b] The lyrics, like most of Maynards, are fairly vague. On the surface, it seems to be about a character (Maynard?) who is struggling (or embracing/justifing) an addiction by "Feeding the monster". The addiction in this case is likely sex or simply taking advantage of others. The song starts off slow with a clean guitar and simple but deep bassline. At the chorus, the song get substancially heavier. Great Song 9/10

[b]"Weak and Poweless":[/b] Unless you've been living under a rock for the last month, you've heard this single off the album. Nice bassline, catchy chorus, but also fairly repetetive. One of the least impressive songs on the album. 5/10

[b]"The Noose":[/b] Beautiful, relaxing "meditative" intro. This song is nearly entirely driven by Maynard's voice and Josh Freeses drumming. The lyrics (again interpretable) are about someones "rightousness" being lost. People expect so much from this "character" that he/she is unable to follow up their current
deeds, and they are being (figuratively) crucified for it. Pretty song, but not up to "3 Libras" standard. 8/10

[b]"Blue":[/b] Probably the worst real song on the album. Other than the chorus, the song is pretty boring. As for lyrics, I've yet to decide whether it's a love song, or about deceiving yourself about a loved one. It could also be about asphyxiating someone you loved/trusted. A very "meh" song. 4/10

[b]"Vanishing":[/b] Very vague lyrics. It could be about anything from missed opportunities to death. It's kind of a "Chill-out, relax" type song. Musically, it's very diverse. There are an abundance of sounds, with no leading instrument. Average song. 7/10

[b]"A Stranger":[/b] Nice, beautiful, mellow song. Simple guitar picking leads the way with Maynard backing them up. I'm not convinced, but the lyrics could be about someone who is deceived by addictive drugs and "formulate[ing] Denials of your [their] affect on me [him/her]". It could also be about someone is severely antisocial and their thoughts are eating them away emotionally. Another good song. 9/10

[b]"The Outsider":[/b] The song that most fits the definition of "rock". Not to say it's generic, but it uses the average rock formula. Lyrically it's about someone who is either falsly suicidal for attention, or just a general anti-sucide song; "Why do wanna throw it away like this, Such a mess, I don't wanna watch you, Disconnect and self-destruct, one bullet at a time. What's your rush now everyone will have his day to die." Another above average song. 8/10

[b]"Crimes":[/b] Pretty much filler material, barely even a song. The only lyrics are Maynard counting under his breath. He counts up to eight, then says nine 4 times and then ten 4 times. There's probably a meaning to it, but I leave it up to you to find it (if there is one). 2/10

[b]"The Nurse Who Loved Me":[/b] A cover song from the band "Failure". Definitely the most unique (weird) song on the album. No guitar, no drums, just Maynard, a choir, and various orchastral instruments. I'm guessing most wont like it (though it has grown on me), but bonus points for having the balls to put this on the album. 7/10

[b]"Pet":[/b] The "Judith" of Thirteenth Step. Heavy and Rhythmic. The lyrics come across corny at first ("Lay your head down child, I won't let the boogeyman come"), but a child fearing imaginary creatures is a good analogy for the likely subject, deception by organized religion. 10/10

[b]"Lullaby"[/b]: Another filler track. The song is basically Maynard whispering "Go back to sleep." and woman singing "oooh oh oh ooooh oh" over and over. 1/10

[b]"Gravity":[/b] Personally, my favorite song on the album. Lyrics touch on the subject of drugs (or possibly deep meditation) giving a depressed/outcasted person a reason to live through a altered consciousness and spiritual awareness. Maynard really shows how beautiful his voice can be in this one, and the instruments emphasize the emotion tenfold. 10/10

[b]I give the album as a whole, 9/10. It's definitely another Maynard masterpiece, though it did take a while for the album to sink in. Whether it's better than Mer De Noms is debatable, but it is worth hearing none-the-less. The above are just my lyrical and musical interpretations of each song. Likely they are absolutely wrong, but I tried.[/b][/QUOTE]

I dont care if someone has said this already, i'd like to say it:

The Noose is the best song on the album. Along with "The Outsider," it makes this entire album worth buying. Not to say anything negative about the other tracks. Anyway, my take on The Noose: Halo's are gifted to angels and saints. If we all try to be saints and angels and good christians then we may get halos.

Well this song suggests that maybe the very thing we are striving for is what will bring us down or destroy us. Ultimately this song is about non-conformity to religion and "The Halo." This song asks what if this 'halo' is really like a noose but we have all be socialized to believe it is not. If a Halo were really a noose then all of us would have to reevaluate our lives and our morals and the way we live.

"Your halo slipping down to choke you now." This line alone implies to me that Halos, these "gifts" are what Maynard believes will actually be our downfall, thus, choking us.

Blue: I dont know why you dont like this song? Repetetitive: Yes. But it makes up for it with the atmosphere the instrumentals create. The song seems to be about the effects of Drugs and/or an addict in denial. Its pretty easy to see: "I just didnt want to know," "I close my eyes, Ignore the smoke, Ignore the smoke" And because of the subject matter and what theyre trying to create, the repetetiveness is a good thing; it creates the atmosphere.

I'd give the album 10/10. In fact, after careful reevaluation, i found i liked this album better than Mer De Noms. Judith, Rose, 3 Libras and Orestes are fabulous tracks, but on Thirteenth Step there are songs as just as good (or better. The Noose beats out 3 libras anyday. Orestes still beats all however) and there are more of them. Some songs on Mer De Noms just dont appeal to me, however i have yet to pick out a track (that isnt filler ie: Crimes) on 13th Step that i cannot enjoy.

10/10

PS: You got the credits wrong. Here we are:

Maynard James Keenan - Vocals
Billy Howerdel - Guitar
Josh Freese - Drums
Jeordie White - Bass
Troy Van Leeuwen - Guitar (Tracks 1, 5, 12)
Danny Lohner - Guitar (Track 3)

To my knowledge James Iha did not record anything on this album.

This CD is awesome, no more debate :D

Nice review, I probably would have given a few tracks higher ratings and a few lower ones but I would say that my favorite too it Gravity.

It seems to me that "Crimes" has to do with the whole 12 step theme. We hear a progression though steps 1-8, but at 9(the 9th step) Maynard has trouble, and has to spend some time on it. For 10, we hear the same problem. Also, the fact that it stops there may indicate a failure to make it to steps 11 and 12 and get clean.

[QUOTE=Scythe404]
Well this song suggests that maybe the very thing we are striving for is what will bring us down or destroy us. Ultimately this song is about non-conformity to religion and "The Halo." This song asks what if this 'halo' is really like a noose but we have all be socialized to believe it is not. If a Halo were really a noose then all of us would have to reevaluate our lives and our morals and the way we live.

"Your halo slipping down to choke you now." This line alone implies to me that Halos, these "gifts" are what Maynard believes will actually be our downfall, thus, choking us.[/QUOTE]
Not really(as far as I can tell, Maynard uses deep lyrics, so I might be wrong). In "The Noose", Maynard talks about a person who is self riteous but who has commited crimes and atrocities. Maynard asks how this person will "make... amends to the dead", the people he has hurt. The halo/noose is simply this individual being tugged out of this position of respect by having their halo, a symbol of riteousness and godliness, slip away and betray them. I'm not being as clear as I would like to be, but I think I've made my point

[QUOTE=MrBrick]Not really(as far as I can tell, Maynard uses deep lyrics, so I might be wrong). In "The Noose", Maynard talks about a person who is self riteous but who has commited crimes and atrocities. Maynard asks how this person will "make... amends to the dead", the people he has hurt. The halo/noose is simply this individual being tugged out of this position of respect by having their halo, a symbol of riteousness and godliness, slip away and betray them. I'm not being as clear as I would like to be, but I think I've made my point[/QUOTE]

Then explain "Your halo slipping down to choke you now"

I see the line you mentioned as a rhetorical posed to Christians in general: "How are you going to make amends to those killed in the name of your God?" is pretty much it. It fits in with the theme, and i honestly believe that my explanation is more accurate. I've listened to the song many many times and i just cant see the song being about a single person who has done such things.

"Now you stand reborn before us all"

Re-born Christians.......usually the most righteous. A halo is a symbol of holiness...how do you not see this?

[QUOTE=MrBrick]It seems to me that "Crimes" has to do with the whole 12 step theme. We hear a progression though steps 1-8, but at 9(the 9th step) Maynard has trouble, and has to spend some time on it. For 10, we hear the same problem. Also, the fact that it stops there may indicate a failure to make it to steps 11 and 12 and get clean.[/QUOTE]

I've never thought of it that way before. Very insightful. I do have to step back and say though, that i'd love to be the kind of lyricist who has people conversing and debating, no less, about song meanings.

All of their "The" songs are great on this album

The Package
The Noose
The Outsider

I have Mer De Noms and this album, but I think this one is superior. Great work. And they have a hell of a live show too

My favorate Cd's are: Lateralus, Mer de Noms, and Thirteenth Step. They all have a 10/10 rating from me, but heres the individual track thoughts from me:

my ratings:
10 - masterpiece
9 - very nice
6 - above average in music, worth listening to
5 - common song
1 - Blows


Package - 7/10 - no comment

Weak and Powerless - 10/10 - the first time i heard this, it was a common song. But later i got the tune stuck in my head, and omg, it felt awesome to just zone out into this song. The harmony in this song is perfect, all the instruments seem to form a perfect tune. masterpiece.

Noose - 9/10 - a lot of emotion, awesome song.

Blue - 10/10 - my favorate track off this album! Beautiful song. So much emotion. I cant describe it further than that

Vanishing - 7/10 - kind of a filler, kind of a song, but this song will hit you sooner or later.

Stranger - 8/10 - more calm song, cool.

The Outsider - 7/10 - no comment

Crimes - filler, i cant rate this

Nurse who loved me - 8/10 - this is more the lullaby of this album, not your ordinary song, but its apc.

pet - 9/10 - hardcore apc. its cool, but its the only apc song that non-apc fans like.

lullaby - filler. cant rate this. but its good for a filler

Gravity - 10/10 - Also, Masterpiece. its awesome. Very emotional, and perfect harmony.

So Blue, Gravity, and Weak and Powerless are my fave tracks off this album. APC is my fave band, because theyre songs (just not the fillers) are very beautiful, and emotional. It makes my day to have one of their songs stuck in my head.

JGuy, I didnt like your review, I would actually give one of my own, but the Bengals come on in 10 minutes.

My main problem is, I would consider Vanishing a filler. Its 4:51 long and all instruments are used. Its a different song, but defanitley not a filler.

Vanishing couldn't really be less filler, and it's one of my favourite tracks on the album.

[QUOTE=Scythe404]Then explain "Your halo slipping down to choke you now"[/QUOTE]
I think this means that the person(s) gives himself the halo in their self riteousness, but since they don't deserve it because they're not holier than everyone else, so their own atitude, the halo becomes a fault. Once again I'm probably not being clear enough, but it makes sense to me.
[QUOTE=Scythe404]I see the line you mentioned as a rhetorical posed to Christians in general: "How are you going to make amends to those killed in the name of your God?" is pretty much it. It fits in with the theme, and i honestly believe that my explanation is more accurate. I've listened to the song many many times and i just cant see the song being about a single person who has done such things.

"Now you stand reborn before us all"

Re-born Christians.......usually the most righteous. A halo is a symbol of holiness...how do you not see this?.[/QUOTE]
The re-born christians thing is sort of what I meant; I guess I wasn't clear enough in making my point.
[QUOTE=Scythe404]I do have to step back and say though, that i'd love to be the kind of lyricist who has people conversing and debating, no less, about song meanings.[/QUOTE]
Hear hear!

everyone heard about the new album coming out on November 2nd?

[QUOTE=incubliss]everyone heard about the new album coming out on November 2nd?[/QUOTE]
Yeah, eMotive. Isn't there also a cd/dvd package coming out around the same time?

[QUOTE=incubliss]everyone heard about the new album coming out on November 2nd?[/QUOTE]

Yea, its a political album and if its not good I will be let down more than I can express..It may be the end of APC. :upset:

I know they're covering some songs and re-doing "Pet", except its called "Count the bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the War Drum". I believe you can hear it on their site, but due to my dial-up, I havent yet.

[url]www.aperfectcircle.com[/url]

yeah, i've seen that little flash thing, it's so stupid.

the song is now rubbish, and maynard is abit of a hypocrit. what's that whole think for yourself bull**** if he's going around trying to get people to oust bush, it's stupid.

[QUOTE=incubliss]yeah, i've seen that little flash thing, it's so stupid.

the song is now rubbish, and maynard is abit of a hypocrit. what's that whole think for yourself bull**** if he's going around trying to get people to oust bush, it's stupid.[/QUOTE]


Oh man, this sux so bad. Don't even bother with looking at it ppl. Maynard joins the "modern" thing to do now: vote against Bush. Bad decision. APC have never been about politics and the fans wont like the new album, at least I wont. The remix of "PET" is awful. Adds nothing to the original, takes away almost everything. I think the reason all these bands want to "rock against Bush" is because they want to rebel against something,and since there's not much to rebel against, lets rock against Bush. Wise, isn't it?
Personally I dont see what ****ing Americans complain about. What did Bush do that was so wrong? He started a war. Oh no. So what, he shouldn't have? He should have let all the ****ing terrorists get away with it? Pacifism DOES NOT WORK. WAR, unfortunatelly, DOES. Anyone who disagrees can go **** themselves, hippies.

Im not old enough vote and dont care who wins. I dont have a problem with people discussing it, but when they say the same sh1t over and over, it gets annoying.

F*ck politics.

As for the new album (which I forgot about and Im too lazy to click edit), I think it will be decent but nothing Mer De Noms or 13th Step. Hopefully APC makes more records though.

Tool needs to record a new album rather than APC ;)

I'm craving one!!!

[QUOTE=Cambodia]Im not old enough vote and dont care who wins. I dont have a problem with people discussing it, but when they say the same sh1t over and over, it gets annoying.

F*ck politics.[/QUOTE]

123

(Art-rock, alternative) A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step
 

Not sure if this review was done in the Request A Review Thread, but here we go...
First review, by the way.

A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step (2003)

Lineup:
Billy Howerdel - guitar, backing vocals
Maynard James Keenan - vocals
Josh Freese - drums
Jeordie Osbourne-White - bass
James Iha - guitar

Track Listing:
1. The Package (7:40)
2. Weak and Powerless (3:15)
3. The Noose (4:43)
4. Blue (4:13)
5. Vanishing (4:51)
6. A Stranger (3:12)
7. The Outsider (4:06)
8. Crimes (2:34)
9. The Nurse Who Loved Me (4:04)
10. Pet (4:34)
11. Lullaby (2:01)
12. Gravity (5:06)

Every once in a while, a band comes along that transcends genres while maintaing popularity. When Tool singer Maynard James Keenan and guitar technician Billy Howerdel formed A Perfect Circle, who could have known the genious that would come from their music?
With Josh Freese, quite possibly the busiest drummer on the planet, and more recent members James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins and Jeordie Osbourne-White (a.k.a. Twiggy Ramirez) of Marylon Manson's band, they released their second album Thirteenth Step, one that was similar in sound but still different from their debut Mer De Nomes. Howerdel creates some very different tones out of his guitar, and you'll either love 'em or hate 'em, including some incredible solos. Freese is definitely one of the best still-living modern rock drummers out there, with just the right dynamic of power and control.
People have called Thirteenth Step many things, such as progressive metal, industrial, art-rock, as well as a concept album. This comes from the twelve songs' underlying meanings of drugs, abuse and recovery of them. I can honestly say I have never heard anything like this– but I'll admit something else. It took me a year before I began liking this band. I first heard Weak and Powerless, and couldn't stand the song. Over the course of many months, I grew to like this band, and they are easily one of my favorites. And now on to the individual songs:

1. The Package – a long song, especially for an opener. The song tells of a drug addict and how he goes about attaining his next fix. With a long, beautiful intro, tension mounts as Maynard's vocals enter and Billy's quiet, menacing guitar line kicks in. By the end, it is the albums roaring, loud masterpiece.

2. Weak and Powerless – the first single, a short bus fast-paced track. Amazing guitar work, thundering bass, and excellent drums, especially the pedal work, by Freese.

3. The Noose – one of the best on the album, it begins quietly, employing some industrial sounding instrumentals. Once the powerful drum beat kicks in, the song continues to mount power until the last minute or so, when strings are used to give the song an epic feel to it.

4. Blue – with very odd sounding guitar parts, and especially smooth, melodic singing during the chorus, this song depicts the terror of a drug overdose from the perspective of someone to high or stoned to do anything about it.

5. Vanishing – another industrial-type song, it employs a sort of airy beauty that only this band could do. Slow moving but very dark, and strangely listenable.

6. A Stranger – it's just Billy and Maynard here, in dark, acoustic song, using wildly distorted strings to polish off this amazing track. Very soft, but, unfortunately, too short. It could have gone on a lot longer and truly fleshed out the song beyond its abrupt ending. Similar to 3 Libras from Mer De Nomes. Here, Maynard seems to be singing of an unknown person, probably an AA or drug rehabilitation counselor, trying to reach out to him.

7. The Outsider – straight up rock, similar to Weak and Powerless; another single. Maynard's vocals are angry and by the end, he is screaming above the relentless but focused drum part. The guitar tones here are very unique, giving off an almost wicked feel to match the subject matter.

8. Crimes – starting off with some cool guitar and bass lines, this was a could-have-been. The song is short and, sadly, pointless, never picking up. Ends with the random noises of inunderstandable talking.

9. The Nurse Who Loved Me – a cover from a band called Failure, the song is from the perspective of one who has truly lost his mind from drug use, and is now warped and insane, dreaming on in a hospital, or even an asylum. A very different APC song, it has a happy yet somber feel to it, employing lots of distorted keyboards, strings, and other instrumentals.

10. Pet – probably the album's heaviest, it has a killer guitar line, and Maynard's use of "the boogyman" could symbolize many things. With another awesome solo, the song starts hard, ends hard. Another of the best tracks.

11. Lullaby – similar to crimes in that it has an industrial feel to it, and is, dissapointingly, a waste of a track. Something a little more substantial towards the album's end would have been appreciated.

12. Gravity – with the closing song, a tale is told of someone who has finally recovered from addiction, and is now down-to-earth, ready to face reality again, hence the title, and the line, "I choose to live". Maynard's vocals are pained and soft in this quiet track. It ends without really coming to a conclusion, leaving things strangely open.

Easily one of my favorite albums, A Perfect Circle has created a unique piece of art. It is the kind of music you get when a group of musicians know that there are no bounds to what they can sonically create. With many styles of music, Thirteen Step is the album for anyone... anywhere.... Too good for words, and too good for my humble review. :D

*ehem*

*looks at Reviewed List*

Ahhh ****.
Seached before I wrote, but didn't find it until just now.

Just report the problem to Bartender to merge this with the original review.

Threads merged.