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A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step
- It’s really great when a band improves from one album to the next without a slump. A Perfect Circle is one of those bands. Their second album, "Thirteenth Step," is fantastic. Although the album only produced two hits, almost every track is pleasure to listen to. It carries much of the same feel as their previous album, but here their attention is focused.
The band lineup remains the same: Maynard Keenan on vocals, Billy Howerdel on bass and production, James Iha on guitar and Josh Freese on drums. As on the previous album, Billy and Maynard direct the flow of the music here. Before, on "Mer De Noms," Howerdel had put production into overdrive, layering again and again. Here he has laid off of the layering, but the production is just as rich. Whereas before he could not see the trees for the forest, on this album both trees and forest come into sharp focus. This is clear on the first track "The Package," which opens with a simple guitar and drum line.
This is a concept album about addiction. With that understood, it is clear to see why this album is more accessible than the previous one. With a theme behind the songs, they become less personal and more commercial. Maynard’s songwriting brilliantly describes the effects of addiction, and his singing, understated as before, lulls the listener into a false sense of security. He really brings it to 100 percent on songs like "The Outsider," which is a view of a relationship crumbling due to addiction, and" Weak and Powerless," which describes the enslavement of an addict to his substance. These two songs were the album hits, and are probably the finest songs on the album. This does not hold true for all the songs on the album. "Pet," a song about addiction to control, is downright monstrous. There is only one sour moment. The song "Crimes," a count from one to ten set on the beat, seems like a waste of space. There is nothing to say about it because nothing is said in it. Other than that, this is a great album, cohesive in its ideas, and elegant in its delivery.
Reviewer: Josh Brachfeld
new
Reviewer's Rating: 9.5
Reader's Rating: 10.00
Reader's Votes: 1
Added: 13-Jun-2009
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