A Perfect Circle make a triumphant return with their new album 'Eat The Elephant', their first record to be released in 14 years.
The last offering from the band was 'Emotive' back in 2004, not counting the 2013 retrospective 'Three Sixty'.
Band originator Billy Howerdel explains how 'Eat The Elephant' was written primarily on keyboards before being transcribed for guitar and other parts. “We've always relied on guitar to start things off,” Billy says.
“About three or four years ago I decided to put the guitar down for a while, give it a break and see what happens on keys. I'm not much of a keyboard player and I'm still not, but I think there's something to be said for fumbling around on an instrument where you don't know what you're doing; interesting notes come out sometimes, that was the hope.”
For 'Eat The Elephant', Billy worked once again with A Perfect Circle constant and Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan. “He doesn't leave a lot of time unoccupied,” Billy says of the enigmatic vocalist, who has recently been working on another Tool record.
“He had a whole other schedule and found the time to make this [A Perfect Circle] work again. That's the biggest thing: he's got other bands, he's got a family, he's got a winery.
“So when time allows we'll make a record and there's been a lot of time in between [albums], so we have a lot of built-up things to say in A Perfect Circle land and 'Eat The Elephant' is the result of that.”
Over the years Billy has worked with a revolving line-up of musicians that has included Troy Van Leeuwen, Paz Lenchantin and Jeordie White (aka Twiggy Ramirez from Marilyn Manson).
For 'Eat The Elephant', Billy teamed up with James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) on guitar, Jeff Freidl on drums and Matt McJunkins on bass.
Despite the personnel variations, A Perfect Circle has always retained its own sonic identity, owing largely to the creative direction of Billy and Maynard. “There's been a common thread since day one with us, which is that Maynard and I share the writing duties,” Billy explains.
“I'll write music and he puts words and melodies to it; that's still what's going to come naturally for us as musicians and certainly for me A Perfect Circle was my first baby so it really was the authentic musical ideas that I had growing up, just a melting pot of influences. So it's nice.
"I don't have to tailor or try too hard to be A Perfect Circle because it's really just what comes authentically out of me.”
With the new album out now, A Perfect Circle will hit the road for tours throughout the US and Europe.
With James Iha back in Smashing Pumpkins for their reunion run, Greg Edwards of Failure and Autolux will step in as tour guitarist. Billy says he prefers being on the road to the studio because it allows the new songs to be workshopped for live performances. “It was great making the record and it's nice to have the result of it but the process is pretty painful at times.
“Painful might be an extreme explanation of that; it's more the uncertainty of where you could go, where you're going to go and what you're happy with at the end of the day; you keep working at things until they don't frustrate you anymore.
“With the road it's the fine-tuning and honing-in on what's already there. Right now we're in rehearsal mode and trying to figure out how we're going to interpret these songs live; we're cracking that code and figuring out that puzzle now and that's another fun part.
"I'm really looking forward to playing this whole record live.”
