eMOTIVEe(Virgin/EMI)
Laced with cover songs and rush-released as an anti-war, anti-Bush protest record, there’s no denying A Perfect Circle’s noble intent with eMOTIVe. The checkered musical adventure features, amongst others, takes on Depeche Mode’s “People Are People,” Black Flag’s “Gimme Gimme Gimme,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and the ubiquitous “Imagine.” The problem though, is the atmospheric, swirling and, frankly, passive reinterpretations APC present. Dressed with little more than the occasional industrial splurt, Maynard sings almost exclusively in hushed tones and the guitars are all but muted throughout. The result is a record more suitable as a soundtrack for pushovers than a righteous rebellion.