In the day when the Midwest — I mean, America — decided to re-elect the village idiot, A Perfect Circle threw in their two cents with their third full-length, Emotive, an assortment of covers from Marvin Gaye to John Lennon.

Maynard James Keenan’s enigmatically sweet voice graces a dozen songs that neatly address the themes of love, pacifism and the sad cynicism we might be headed toward. Unlike any typical cover album, Emotive takes such classics as “What’s Goin’ On” and “When the Levee Breaks” and transforms them into modern electronic/alternative remixes that exhibit, for the most part, attractive alterations from the originals. Though I would be the first to attack anyone for trying to cover Gaye or Led Zeppelin, Keenan is one of the only vocalists out there who can do them justice by evoking their message through dreary rhythms that would have you charging the voting booths.

However, the most notable challenge on the album fails. A Perfect Cricle tried to devise a rendition of John Lennon’s idyllic anthem “Imagine,” and though Keenan’s melodies cry “respectful homage,” the group narrates the song with thunderous drumming that shakes away the gorgeous innocence of Lennon’s classic.