blindsider's Full Review: Sap [EP] by Alice in Chains
As someone who was randomly stricken with Alice In Chains mania about a year ago, I've spent an insane amount of time searching feverishly for anything and everything related to the band. Whether my bliss came in the form of the now-deceased Layne Staley's side project Mad Season, guitarist Jerry Cantrell's solo albums, or the black and red Alice In Chains hat I recently bought for $20, 2006 was my 'year of AIC,' and these days, it's honestly rare to find me not listening to them.
One of the more recent additions to my Alice In Chains collection was Sap, a quaint little EP released prior to 1992's Dirt. A brief offering, just shy of twenty-one minutes, Sap can almost be referred to as a "blink and you'll miss it" type of thing. Is it foolishly overlooked by many AIC fans? Well, not really -- though it has been outshined by Jar of Flies, the band's amazing 1994 EP.
For an EP so short, Sap surely makes a strong, quick impact on its listeners. It's also heavy on guest appearances. The slow, emotional "Brother" has one of the loveliest vocal melodies of all AIC songs, and Heart's Ann Wilson backs Jerry Cantrell's tender vocals in the chorus. To be honest, I much prefer the version on the Unplugged CD/DVD, probably because the Unplugged version just sounds more...raw. The strange vocal effects used on Cantrell's voice are nice, but I prefer straight-up Staley/Cantrell harmonization with no additional studio tweaking.
"Got Me Wrong" is highlighted by unforgettable guitar hooks and incredible vocals by both Staley and Cantrell. I especially love the way Cantrell urgently cries out, "Something's gotta turn out right," before the song dives right back into those calming, steady guitar melodies. The liner notes make a humorous reference to "Right Turn" as being performed by 'Alice Mudgarden,' due to the fact that there are guest appearances by Mark Arm from Mudhoney and the brilliant Chris Cornell (ex-Soundgarden/currently in Audioslave). This acoustic treat manages to sound both depressing and optimistic at the same time, and Cornell's passionate vocals make it a must-listen.
I believe "Am I Inside" is one of the most unique Alice In Chains songs of all. It has this bizarre, multilayered ambience to it, and Staley's vocals alternate unexpectedly from soothing to furious. Ann Wilson from Heart makes her second guest appearance here, but I feel that her vocals don't really work as well in a song like this, a song so dark in tone; as Staley is murmuring lines like "Chaos and hate shadow me," Wilson's shrieks just feel unwelcome.
The infamous bonus track "Love Song" -- no relation to The Cure's excessively covered song of the same name -- is nothing more than a gag track with Alice In Chains messing around, and it's instantly skippable. I guess that hearing random sniffles and distorted vocals demanding that you "kiss the midget" might bring a few laughs every now and then, but when I listen to AIC, I'm not typically looking for laughs or goofiness. From what I understand, most fans feel the same way.
Sap isn't something that those brand new to Alice In Chains should look into IMMEDIATELY, but of course, it's essential for die-hard fans of the band. Those who have already gotten all three of AIC's studio albums may wonder where to go next, and I would suggest getting the unplugged CD or DVD (maybe even both), the live album simply titled Live, and the superior EP Jar of Flies before finally getting Sap. This EP certainly contains very good music, but as a whole, it's far from AIC's most lovable output.
Great Music to Play While: Laughing at the fact that this EP is called Sap because of a random dream AIC drummer Sean Kinney had about the band at a press conference, announcing they had a new EP called Sap.
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