A Perfect Circle

Mer de Noms

The Best Release of 2000

Review Score:

(10/10)
I consider this the best record released in 2000, even barely edging out the stellar KID A from Radiohead. The other reviewers are definitely correct; while Maynard's voice is a welcome familiarity, A Perfect Circle is not simply Tool rehashed. Some distinguishing characteristics of APC include shorter songs, more melodic riffs, and less of a "progressive" feel. However, that by no means indicates that APC lacks originality or depth; they are clearly one of the best hard rock bands around, and MER DE NOMS is possibly the best hard rock release since SIAMESE DREAM nearly seven years earlier.

The record kicks off with "The Hollow," a concise but brooding alt-rock tune featuring one of the best riffs I've ever heard; right off the bat you know that despite that familiar voice, this is NOT Tool: it sounds completely radio-ready (funny how garbage like The Calling and Nine Days dominated and kept this off the airwaves in the summer of 2000). "Magdalena" follows, a lustful song with a very prominent base and excellent vocals.

"Rose" is the album's most experimental track, but it works extremely well, and rates as one of the top three songs on here in my opinion. Everyone has heard the singles "Judith" and "3 Libras;" the former is a straightforward hard rock tune with Toolish lyrics (and honestly not the best indicator of the album's quality), while the latter is a simply beautiful composition with violins that focuses on lack of recognition from the opposite sex. "Orestes" is musically in the same vein as "Libras," and is probably my favorite track on this classic album.

Moving on, we find "Sleeping Beauty," a track that sounds something like a gothic Rush, and "Thomas," another fairly straightforward hard rock song. The interlude "Renholder" continues the musical theme from track 8 and introduces "Thinking of You," an interesting track that stands in contrast to the rest of the album but is still a fun listen. Closing things off are "Brena," Maynard's love song to his girlfriend (the lyrics are a little too overdone for me to handle, though), and "Over."

In summary, MER DE NOMS reveals itself to be an incredible record that I find every bit as good as AENIMA and LATERALUS (though it accomplishes this in a completely different style), and as any Tool fan knows, that's saying a LOT. So far, it seems everything Maynard has touched has been classic material, and it's not just idol worship driving me and other fans to state this. Let's hope that APC builds upon this sound for their next album (which is still a while off, I'm afraid) and, like Tool has, continues to surprise us just when we think they can't get any better.

4.9 stars

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