Formed in 1999, A Perfect Circle was started in Los Angeles and has gone through a number of different lineup changes. This band is also a side project for multiple musicians involved as well. For instance; the vocalist Maynard James Keenan is also the singer of the rock band Tool and Puscifer. A Perfect Circle’s Billy Howerdel is the guitarist for Ashes Divide, guitarist James Iha is the guitarist for Smashing Pumpkins, and Matt McJunkins is the bassist for the band The Eagles of Death Metal. A Perfect Circle’s newest album “Eat the Elephant” reflects a lot of different stylistic sounds that Keenan experiments with. Although Keenan has expressed that this band is in no way a “side project” to Tool, he definitely uses “Eat the Elephant” to test out the water of his listening audience. This is due to the immense pressure he must feel about creating the next “best” Tool album. Tool has not released music in over a decade, yet there are always a variety of rumors circulating about what the next album will sound like. “Eat the Elephant” exhibits a lot of space-rock type melodies (similar to bands such as Failiure), portrays Keenan’s views of the world, and leaves the listener asking themselves “what the fuck did I just listen to?”.
The album begins with its title track “Eat the Elephant” and a very slow piano introduction is played. Keenan eventually comes in and sings about how he doesn’t know where to begin, and that one must “take the bite”. These lyrics can imply that he originally didn’t know how to start off this album, and that he needed to “go all in” and get started. The old joke “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time” is further represented in the title of this track as well. This title could also present the way in which one needs to listen to this album, through one song at a time. Letting the message and lyrics set in before starting on the next track. The song ends after about five minutes and leads into the next track “Disillusioned”.
The song “Disillusioned” is definitely more fast paced than the previous song and encompasses many different guitar and piano melodies. In this song Keenan sings about how humanity has become something that flocks to whatever is new and shiny. He implies that we have a “silicone obsession” and that “we have become disillusioned”. I agree with this statement because it is clearly evident that technology is becoming more advanced every day, and that by consuming all of this technology we have lost sight on what is truly important. Keenan also touches on this fact further in this song by singing “turning into each other, lift all higher”.
Track three, “the Contrarian” has a super light, bass-ie introduction and it is super pleasing to hear. Keenan sings about how people need to beware the lies of the person who rejects popular opinion “Beware, belie his smile/as warm and calculated/as heroin” It is my belief that he sings these lyrics in the perspective of the government telling its people to not believe those who reject it. By doing so and rejecting the contrarian, the government will have complete control over its people. As the song progresses, the bass gets profoundly heavier and the guitars in the background play quickly while sounding very light. “The Doomed” follows after this track and its title can also be an example of what perspective Keenan is singing about.
Track four starts out with tribal-like drums and Keenan whisper-singing “behold a new Christ, behold the same old horde”. Throughout this light instrumental sounding track, he also includes lyrics that give meaning to a new type of religion that is being forced into the world. This song gives precedent towards Keenan’s view of the world and how it is spiraling towards destruction.
The fifth track on this album “So Long and Thanks For All the Fish” further implies Keenan’s perspective of the world because this song is a chapter in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Within this chapter, the world is ending and dolphins are flying up towards the sky singing “so long and thanks for all the fish”. This track is one of my favorites on the album due to this reference, and also because of the catchy chorus Keenan creates. Throughout this song Keenan mentions how humanity has focused too much on “fancy water, and guns, and plastic surgery”. Although once again I agree with this statement, I don’t understand Keenan’s fascination behind plastic surgery or the reason to reiterate the procedure.
“TalkTalk” is one of the rare songs on this album that sounds partially like old school A Perfect Circle during their “Thirteenth Step” phase. This heavier song starts out with a light piano introduction, but eventually gets louder. While the song gets heavier Keenan’s voice pairs perfectly with the pitch and rhythm of the guitar being played and it sounds amazing. Using lyrics like “talk like Jesus/get the fuck out of my way” and “don’t be the problem, be the solution” show Keenan’s perspective towards different religions that use the Jesus figure as an example for their actions. It also implies that one should act according to themselves, rather than to someone else’s standards.
Track seven “By and Down the River” is another favorite song of mine off of this album. This is due to the song’s easy going piano, and Keenan’s voice flowing over it. This song also uses a flawless guitar solo and although the song is one of the longer tracks on this album, I wish it were longer.
The last memorable song off this album is track ten “Hourglass” because it utilizes quick repetitive lyrics, with a heavy bass following behind it. Additionally the chorus sounds amazing because of the distortion behind Keenan’s voice, and the instruments following along.
“Eat the Elephant” does not sound like old-school A Perfect Circle, however that might not be a bad thing. I’m glad that the band released this album and I still find myself questioning what the hell is on the album cover. I hope this band continues to release music, however I hope that Tool does not have the same soft sound behind their new music. Tool was meant to be a completely separate entity from A Perfect Circle and I hope that Keenan keeps that tradition true. “Eat the Elephant” received a high 8 or a light 9 due to its lyrical interpretations, and the way the band experiments with a different sound than their previous material.
