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A Perfect Circle - Mer de Noms
- A Perfect Circle has put the “super” into the word “super-group.” Their first album, “Mer De Noms,” is presented to us by a very exciting team of musicians. Tool front man Maynard Keenan sings, James Iha, of the Smashing Pumpkins, plays guitar. Billy Howerdel, an accomplished producer who has worked with Pumpkins, takes up bass and production, and Nine Inch Nails tour drummer Josh Freese plays percussion. The result falls somewhere between modern rock, heavy metal, and total ambience.
Howerdel’s production is nothing short of masterful. This is clear from the opening bars of “The Hollow,” wherein he weaves guitar lines together like a tapestry, giving it texture and real feeling. We can hear his work again on “Rose.” It’s pretty clear he has a style all his own, one that gets where it is going, not by traveling in a straight line, but by taking the scenic route. His complex production complements and contrasts with Maynard’s vocals. This album finds him reserved, more so than on his other projects. But just because he’s not screaming, doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel it. His voice in the music is like a feather drifting through a hurricane. “Judith,” one of the most accessible songs on the albums, finds him doing a call and response that hearkens more to his other work, in that he barks, and bites, as well as croons. A beautiful song, “3 Libras,” finds him building up to a fantastic crescendo wherein he really goes all out.
For some songs, however, Howerdel’s production is far too complex. At times, it seems as though he cannot see the trees for the forest, and individual lines are lost in the fray. It is a minor problem, however, and one that was totally resolved by the time the second album, “Thirteenth Step,” was released.
Reviewer: Josh Brachfeld
new
Reviewer's Rating: 8
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 13-Jun-2009
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