SONG OF THE WEEK: 7-12-2026

 

SONG:  "3 Libras" (acoustic)

ARTIST:  A Perfect Circle

ALBUM:  "3 Libras (Acoustic Live From Philly)"

YEAR:  2001

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Los Angeles, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1999 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The song "3 Libras" by A Perfect Circle is fundamentally about unrequited love, intense infatuation, and the painful frustration of being completely ignored by someone you deeply care about.

A PERFECT CIRCLE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2000 - Mer de Noms (Virgin Records)

* Peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2003 - Thirteenth Step (Virgin Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2004 - Emotive (Virgin Records)

* Peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Gold

2013 - A Perfect Circle Live:  Featuring Stone And Echo (A Perfect Circle Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - Eat The Elephant (BMG Records)

* Peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON A PERFECT CIRCLE:

A Perfect Circle formed as a band back in 1999, hailing from Los Angeles, California. The band is the brainchild of former Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel. Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan let Howerdel live with him while he was guitar tech for Tool and it allowed Howerdel to play Keenan some demos he was working on. Keenan immediately thought it was something that he could provide lyrics and vocals to and thus, A Perfect Circle was born. The band's debut album was 2000's "Mer de Noms". Thanks in part to singles like "Judith", "3 Libras" and "The Hollow", this album exploded on the music scene. Keenan saw A Perfect Circle as not a side project but a band with equal standing as his other band Tool. The band dropped their sophomore effort in 2003, titled "Thirteenth Step". This album peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts and like their debut, "Mer de Noms", also became certified Platinum. In 2004, A Perfect Circle released a covers album called "Emotive". A lot of the cover songs chosen were politically charged as Keenan was very much opposed to then President, George Bush. After the release of this album, A Perfect Circle went on a hiatus as Keenan would re-focus on his band Tool and Howerdel would proceed with a solo project under the moniker Ashes Divide. From 2010 to 2013, the band did get back together to play a few live shows but no new music. It would be yet another 4 years before anything stirred in the A Perfect Circle camp but in 2017, it was announced that the band would go on a brief tour and in 2018, the album "Eat The Elephant" was released. After touring in support of "Eat The Elephant", the band would again drop into inactivity until 2024 when, again they went on a small tour and released a stand alone single called "Kindred". The band's most recent release would be another stand alone single called "Starless".  A Perfect Circle is a much more melodic and emotional band than Keenan's other powerhouse band Tool, which has more metal influences in it. A Perfect Circle is a band that is more up my alley than Tool is. I like Tool, but I feel like A Perfect Circle has more elements of 90's alternative or even grunge which is my wheelhouse. "Mer de Noms" is just a killer album. From the first time I heard the song "Judith" I was hooked. The only thing that stinks for A Perfect Circle is that Keenan has to give a lot of his time to Tool, which is a juggernaut of a band. Keenan also focuses a lot of his time on another solo project called Puscifer as well. It's good to see A Perfect Circle put out a few stand alone singles in the last 2 years so maybe there's more to come. I sure hope so cuz A Perfect Circle is a great band!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Chevelle

Deftones

Incubus

Audioslave

Failure

TEN A PERFECT CIRCLE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Judith

2. 3 Libras

3. The Outsider

4. Weak And Powerless

5. Talk Talk

6. The Doomed

7. Starless

8. Passive

9. Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drums

10. Dog Eat Dog (AC/DC cover)

SONG OF THE WEEK: 7-5-2026

 

SONG:  "Arcadia"

ARTIST:  Ash

ALBUM:  "A-Z:  Volume One"

YEAR:  2010

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland

YEARS ACTIVE:  1992 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The meaning of the song "Arcadia" by the Northern Irish alt-rock band Ash is an earnest celebration of a powerful, "once in a lifetime" love that brings a deep sense of safety, peace, and ultimate freedom.

ASH DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1994 - Trailer (Infectious Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1996 - 1977 (Infectious/Home Grown Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1997 - Live At The Wireless (Deathstar Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1998 - Nu-Clear Sounds (Infectious/Home Grown Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Free All Angels (Infectious/Home Grown Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2002 - Cosmic Debris (Infectious Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2004 - Meltdown (Infectious/Home Grown Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2007 - Twilight Of The Innocents (Infectious Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - A-Z Vol. 1 (Atomic Heart Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - A-Z Vol. 2 (Atomic Heart Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - Kablammo! (earMUSIC)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - Live On Mars:  London Astoria 1997 (earMUSIC)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - Islands (Infectious Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2023 - Race The Night (Fierce Panda Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2025 - Ad Astra (Fierce Panda Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON ASH:

Ash is a Northern Ireland band that formed back in 1992. The band's first release, which was considered a mini-album, was 1994's "Trailer". This featured a lot of the band's previous singles with a few new songs. I guess what would be considered their "real" debut album was 1996's "1977". You could argue this is the best Ash album that the band came out with, but there may be another that you can make an argument for. 1998's "Nu-Clear Sounds" proved to be a little bit of a disappointment for the band. It almost signified the downfall of Ash, but the band rebounded with 2001's "Free All Angels". This is the other album you can make an argument for as being their best album. It was definitely their most successful album to date. The band followed this up with 2004's "Meltdown". Pretty solid album in it's own right! 2007's "Twilight Of The Innocents" was supposed to be the last full length album that Ash was going to release as they wanted to just put out singles. They would put out 2 singles a month for a year that culminated in the "A-Z" compilations in 2010. Alas, in 2015, Ash returned to releasing albums with the release of "Kablammo!". In 2018 the band released "Islands" and in 2023, "Race The Night" was released. Ash released their latest full length studio album in October of 2025, titled "Ad Astra". Like most people who became Ash fans here in the States, I discovered this band from the "Angus" soundtrack that came out in 1995. Once I heard "Jack Names The Planets", I instantly fell in love with these guys. "1977" is just an awesome album. The song "Goldfinger" to this day gets in just about every playlist I create! I loved when the band brought Charlotte Hatherley in as an extra guitarist and back up vocalist. She was in the band from 1998 until 2006. Her background vocals were just totally legit and I always thought she brought just that little extra to the band that I really loved. Plus she killed it on lead vocals on the track "Taken Out"! Even after Charlotte left the band, these guys just kept on releasing music. Ash is a super active band, coming out with albums every 3 years or so. Can't wait to hear the new record in a couple of months. Ash never got super successful here in America, but in the U.K. and Europe, they're considered a pretty successful band. If you grew up in 90's America, you gotta check these guys out. Awesome band!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Liam Gallagher

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Beady Eye

Hurricane #1

Oasis

TEN ASH SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Goldfinger

2. Burn Baby Burn

3. Jack Names The Planets

4. A Life Less Ordinary

5. Starcrossed

6. Jesus Says

7. Cocoon

8. Buzzkill

9. You Can't Have It All

10. Race The Night

SONG OF THE WEEK: 6-28-2026

SONG:  "Sentimental Halos"

ARTIST:  Scott Weiland

ALBUM:  "Happy In Galoshes"

YEAR:  2008

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  San Diego, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1985 - 2015

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Sentimental Halos" is a deeply personal track by Scott Weiland that explores themes of spiritual exhaustion, the loss of innocence, and a desperate plea for salvation amidst addiction and personal turmoil.

SCOTT WEILAND DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1998 - 12 Bar Blues (Atlantic Records)

* Peaked at #42 on the Billboard 200

2008 - Happy In Galoshes (Softdrive Records)

* Peaked at #97 on the Billboard 200

2011 - A Compilation Of Scott Weiland Cover Songs (Softdrive Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (Softdrive Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - Blaster (w/ The Roundabouts) (Softdrive Records)

* Peaked at #133 on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON SCOTT WEILAND:

Scott Weiland's musical origins date back to 1985 in San Diego, California. It was around that time that he hooked up with the DeLeo brothers and Eric Kretz to form a band called Mighty Joe Young, which of course would go on to become Stone Temple Pilots. From 1989 till 2013, Stone Temple Pilots released six albums and would become one of the biggest rock bands to come out of the grunge/alternate rock era. From 2003 till 2008, STP disbanded due to internal conflicts. During that time, Weiland became lead singer of the supergroup Velvet Revolver, which featured former members of Guns N' Roses. VR released two albums till tension rose between Weiland and the rest of the band. STP reunited in 2008 but in 2013, Weiland was fired from the band. Weiland and the rest of the members of STP were mired in lawsuits after the firing. From 2012 till 2015, Weiland wrote lyrics and contributed vocals for the band Art Of Anarchy's debut album. This would only be a one album deal as Weiland said he wasn't going to tour with or promote that band and the other band members thought otherwise. More lawsuits! From 2013 until 2015, Weiland formed a new band called Scott Weiland And The Roundabouts. Because my song of the week is from Scott Weiland's solo career, I'll dive more into that here. Weiland's debut solo album came out in 1998, titled "12 Bar Blues". This was a very diverse album stylisticly as compared to Stone Temple Pilots. He would cover various genres including blues, jazz and even bossa nova! He wouldn't release another solo effort until 2008, which was "Happy In Galoshes". Again, this album offered many different musical styles. In 2011, Weiland released two albums. The first was a cover album called "A Compilation Of Scott Weiland Cover Songs" and the 2nd was a Christmas album titled "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year". In 2015, with his new band The Wildabouts in tow, Weiland released "Blaster". On December 3, 2015, Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in Minnesota. He was just 48 years old. Scott Weiland is a legend in the music world. Stone Temple Pilots is one of the greatest bands to come out of the 90's, and while they get lumped in with grunge, they had many influences. They could be heavy like Alice In Chains or glam like the New York Dolls! Scott Weiland is definitely one of the most gifted and influential rock singers of all time. It's such a tragic story. Weiland just couldn't shake his addictions and it haunted him his entire professional life. It caused the break ups of STP and Velvet Revolver and ultimately, it cost him his life. If you put together parts Jim Morrison, parts David Bowie and parts Johnny Rotten, you'd probably come out with something that's very close to Scott Weiland. Rest in peace legend!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Stone Temple Pilots

Velvet Revolver

Eddie Vedder

Chris Cornell

Art Of Anarchy

TEN SCOTT WEILAND SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Way She Moves (w/ The Roundabouts)

2. Breathe

3. The Jean Genie (w/ The Roundabouts) (David Bowie cover)

4. Fame (David Bowie cover)

5. 20th Centure Boy (w/ The Roundabouts) (T. Rex cover)

6. Barbarella

7. Lady, Your Roof Brings Me Down

8. Missing In Cleveland

9. Paralysis

10. Into Your Arms (The Lemonheads cover)