A Perfect Circle Releases New Song: Is New Album Far Behind? [LISTEN]

A Perfect Circle has a tightly knit compilation of fans that either dig the band's ability to go from stomping menace to melodic lullaby, or they're Tool fans that need something to tide them over until vocalist Maynard James Keenan comes around. Tool hasn't released anything since 2006, and Circle since 2004, so those fans are thirsty for something (Keenan's other band, Puscifer, has put out two albums, but Music Times doesn't find them up to snuff). The kind-of good news is that A Perfect Circle released a new track, "By and Down," on October 14.

"Kind-of" good news because hardcore Circle fans have probably already heard it; The band has played the song at literally every one of its concerts post July 4, 2011, often ending concerts with it. It follows in the "lullaby" category, although it gets heavier, and guitarist Billy Howerdel occasionally follows an Indian-sound scale.

Fans shouldn't get too excited however, unless they really need a Perfect Circle greatest hits collection. Considering that the band has only released three albums, one of which was mostly covers, how the band is going to make Three Sixty worth it when it debuts November 19 is beyond us. "By and Down" will be on the tracklist, but presumably available for download as well.

Better news for hardcore Perfect Circle fans: The group will be releasing the hard-to-find A Perfect Circle Live: Featuring Stone and Echo digitally November 26. The set consists of four CD's and one DVD, containing live performances of all three of the band's LPs, video of the group's Red Rocks performance from 2011, and additional audio covers of Black Flag's "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie" and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" The original release featured only 2,500 physical copies, which went rather quickly.