Once again APC has being unable to keep the same band together through the band's very nature. Listed as members of the band in the notes are Paz (who was with the band at the start) and Danny Lohner. Danny interestingly thanks Wes Boreland in his thank yous btw.

This album was obviously rushed to coincide with the U.S election and at times it shows. Maynard wanted to re-work these legendary and poingant songs to give them a new lease of life and perhaps make them relevant again. Imagine for instance is one of the best songs ever written but perhaps the lyrics have become lost in the background of such a popular tune.

My main critcism with APC is that Billy's influence has slightly lowered while it becomes more and more about Maynard James Keenan. Now MJK is amongst my fav singers but Mer Der Norms was such a great album because Billy is one of the best composers in the business.

Thirteenth Step was still a very good album and this has gone down even further. I have only listened to the album once thus far but it seems some of the best things about each song have being changed. Marvin Gaye had some very important social themes in his music. But lets be honest Marvin was all about sexuality. The APC version has none of that at all. The Tapeworm song "Vacant" appears here in the form of "Passive". This song is amongst the better songs on the album but lacks the raw aggression that the live version played by APC in earlier times had.

If almost any other band released this album I would probably hail it from the rooftops. I have higher standards for Billy, Maynard and co however and wished it wasen't so rushed. I didn't expect anything from them this year and so I should be grateful but this is not MDM or TS. This will probably still be featured amongst my better albums of the year but I guess I expected more from these guys.

Positive points are that Billy sings on this album to a greater degree than on previous albums. Billy does a fantastic job I feel on "Peace, Love and Understanding". If I was to compare him to our beloved Stone I would say the following. Stone's singing is a great novelty but Billy can seriously sing. I wouldn't put him in the Jerry Cantrall league of guitarists who can sing but he's easily one of the better ones.

Maynard sings acapella in "Fiddle and the Drum" by Joni Mitchell. He humbly states he couldn't take her on directly vocally but MJK you are are too humble. Vocally Keenan walks all over her and there is a reason he is treated as some sort of rock god.

The new APC album of covers has to be absolutely awful.

not awful but not as good as i hoped.....

It's pretty good. And Thirteenth Step was one of the best albums of 2003. Most APC fanboys just didn't get it.

TS is a VERY good album but MDR for me is just the pinnacle.

a little off topic but since we're talking MJK, here is an mp3 of him dueting with chris cornell. it is (what so funny bout) peace love and understanding that i'm sure many here have heard, but i'll post it for those that have not.

http://193.109.142.18/~skwerl/apc/stuff ... is_mjk.mp3

(thanks to skwerl the mod at apc.net)

Emotive sucks, but they put it out just to get out of their contract, so don't expect a masterpiece.

i love emotive all the way up through gimme gimme gimme and then it gets really patchy. i will still buy it though for the fantastic first half

Meh

Wonder if he's a natural blonde "down there".

thanks alot man...i hadn't heard that yet...good times

sure thing....

What is this about most APC fanboys not "getting" TS? That is a weak excuse for an album that wasen't quite as good as MDR although still a very good album as i stated earlier.

TS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MDN

Thirteenth Step sounded more mature, and more concept-album-ish, while Mer De Noms was a very angry/dark album that was more single-oriented. It's hard to compare them.

well I listened to the album this morning and here is my verdict:



how's that review? (thanks to Perfect circle I got my first locked thread ever!) I hate them even more now!

I think that this album is really good but has a few weak spots. I personally think that if Maynard would have done the vocals instead of Billy on those couple of tracks it might have flowed a little better. Also, some of the songs should have been much more aggressive, especially "Let's Have A War" I mean if Tim Robbins can do a more hardcore version of this song than APC....

I used to really dig APC. Then I turned 15.

Maynard's got a voice, that's for sure. But it all seems so immature. So "let's see how dark we can be so we can sell more t-shirts at Hot Topic." Like Brad said, this whole album was put out just so they could get out of a contract.

Logic:

"Hey.. let's just do a covers record to get out of our contract. HEY, here's an even BETTER IDEA! Let's capitalize on the fact that the youth hates Bush, piss all over a once-sacred Lennon song, and we'll sell millions. It'll be great."

ok