Something a Little Different for Alice in Chains
Written: Jan 21 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Six great songs--especially Don't Follow
Cons: One stinker.
The Bottom Line: Like Alice in Chains? Wonder what they'd sound like acoustic? Jar of Flies is a great place to start...
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| lambchops's Full Review: Jar of Flies [EP] by Alice in Chains |
Seattle-based band Alice in Chains knew how to record a great hard rock album. The band was fronted by a pair of talents. Layne Staley provided the band's signature growl while lyricist Jerry Cantrell provided some of the most striking songs, guitars, and backing vocals of the era. Between the two of them, it was easy to see why the band succeeded. The four-man band (completed by bassist Mike Starr and later Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney) was easily the most rooted in metal of all their early 1990's geographical peers.
Listeners first took real notice when AIC released their 1990 debut Facelift. Despite the album's underground support it took until the video single Man in the Box was picked up on MTV for people to start buying their music. Facelift was a good album, but as the band's popularity peaked fans were treated with some of the best albums of early 1990's rock. 1992's Dirt was the first to really hit pay dirt. It was here that the band's dark, dingy, and nihilistic music shines most brightly. From Rooster to Them Bones and from Down in a Hole to Would? the album is full of pain, helplessness, and uncontrolled heroin addiction. It is a striking and classic album.
While Dirt represents a band at their grinding, hostile peak 1994's EP Jar of Flies is something different. At first listen, the album is shocking in its subtlety. Whereas Facelift and Dirt (and even somewhat the painfully mediocre Alice in Chains) are heavy-handed rock albums this is a collection metal ballads. When these songs were released, I don't recall thinking "wow, that was really different." Rather, they struck me as in some ways even better than some of the other material. I guess that's why the cassette was in my personal collection until it was upgraded to CD. It is a great (though not quite perfect) EP. There is little room for filler when there are only seven songs.
First things first--don't mistake the softer sound for less emotion. AIC never holds anything back. Staley's grinding voice is richer and even bleaker than I could have ever imagined. The sense of loss is the pervasive theme--something which is impossible to miss considering the combined sound and lyrics. All of this is made even more impressive by the fact that the album is said to have been written and recorded in just a week--a week to put together the words with the music with the carefully crafted arrangement. This fact unto itself speaks to their immense creative and cooperative talent.
Fortunately the only real downer of a song (errr…musically) comes at the very end. Outside of Swing on This the band does absolutely fabulous things. In fact Don't Follow proves to be the most optimistic sounding song of AIC's career. The harmonica comes as a pleasant surprise, but it is the melodic country-rock that really sets it apart. Staley would have never been accused of having great vocal range, but paired with a little distinct Cantrell backing and enormous emotional range the song is one of the most striking of Jar of Flies. Swing on This attempts a similar experiment with blues, but it doesn't work nearly as well.
I'm also drawn to Rotten Apple, Nutshell and Whale and Wasp. All three songs are well written, well performed, and are well worth checking out. However the fact remains that Don't Follow is an absolutely incredible song and that I Stay Away and No Excuses are AIC classics. I Stay Away is a grand song dotted with violins and acoustic guitars. The end result is striking--the despair and nihilism is still here but the melody is at the forefront of the production. It is one of the most remarkable songs in the band's stellar catalogue. No Excuses is also impressive. Cantrell's guitar takes a back seat to Kinney's stark percussion and Staley's vocal performance. It is in this song that the theme of the album is best articulated:
Everyday it’s something
Hits me all so cold
Find me sittin’ by myself
No excuses, then I know
Despite the darkness and pain of Jar of Flies, it is a wonderful EP. All too often short releases are made up of discarded songs and half-hearted remixes. That is not the case with this EP. Alice In Chains changed things up on Jar of Flies but kept the same angst and helplessness themes that have been common across their other releases. Dirt may be the band's best release but Jar of Flies is their most interesting. If you're a fan of Alice In Chains it is definitely time you get this widely available EP.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Rotten Apple
02. Nutshell
03. I Stay Away
04. No Excuses
05. Whale and Wasp
06. Don't Follow
07. Swing on This
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Related Reviews:
Facelift (1990)
http://www.epinions.com/content_31494344324
Alice in Chains (1995)
http://www.epinions.com/content_47230455428
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lambchops
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Member: Shelly T.
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
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Bye-bye CL hat. Hopefully I'll write some new reviews some time soon!
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