Written and recorded in about a week, Jar of Flies solidified Alice in Chains' somewhat bizarre pattern of alternating full-length hard rock albums with mostly acoustic, allad-oriented EPs. That quirk aside, Jar of Flies is a low-key stunner, achingly gorgeous and harrowingly sorrowful all at once. In a way, it's a logical sequel to Dirt -- despite the veneer of calm, the songs' voices still blame only themselves. But where Dirt found catharsis in its unrelenting darkness and depravity, Jar of Flies is about living with the consequences, full of deeply felt reflections on loneliness, self-imposed isolation, and lost human connections. The mood is still hopelessly bleak, but the poignant, introspective tone produces a sense of acceptance that's actually soothing, in a funereal sort of way. Jerry Cantrell's arrangements keep growing more detailed and layered; while there are a few noisy moments, most of Jar of Flies is bathed in a clean, shimmering ambience whose source is difficult to pin down, but is well served by Cantrell's varied guitar tones and even occasional string arrangements. And coming on the heels of Dirt, the restraint and subtlety of Jar of Flies are nothing short of revelatory -- though it was written and recorded in about a week, it feels much more crafted and textured than Sap. Perhaps Jar of Flies would have gotten more credit if it had been a full-length album; as it stands, the EP is a leap forward and a major work in the Alice in Chains catalog.
I think that my first post on this thing was an AiC post, and now I'm back with some more. I've begun to think that their acoustic stuff (Jar of Flies, Unplugged) is in so many ways superior their more 'grunge' sounding material. If Nutshell doesn't give a little chill...I don't know what's wrong with you. For those of you who care, I actually managed to find a copy of the Jar of Flies cd on ...
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Wow...this place looks like a Death Cab For Cutie fan convention! I am not judging...i love them too, just making an observation!So I felt obliged to remind some of you youngsters that there were really good bands from Seattle pre-DCFC....like Alice In Chains! But the real reason I want to post this is to show what will happen if you have too much free time on your hands! I mean who sits around...
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I remember seeing this apple sitting next to the stove a few weeks after I bought it and thinking to myself, "Damn, I guess apples just don't go bad." It was a Honeycrisp apple, and I paid so much for it that I was afraid to eat it. I guess I was wrong.I remember another time when I ate about a quarter-ounce of mushrooms and closed my eyes while listening to this song. I saw dragons and kale...
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Ever notice that everything seems so much more tranquil outdoors at 2:30 am. For years I ran at night, late at night. And I never slowed down to notice certain things.Even though the wind blows all day long, the majority of the time, long after the mainstream traffic has deceased, it becomes creepy and still. Well, at least that's what happens in my part of Maryland anyway.There is a surreal qu...
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Originally posted on September 20th, 2006We're one week into this! Woo-Hoo!When I met my friend Tracy, there were only three bands that we both liked a lot. Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, and Journey.Yes…Journey. I am aware that it is probably not very cool to like Steve Perry and co.At any rate: Tracy had a background in hard rock/heavy metal. I had a background in 80’s music, rap, and oldies. Wh
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I think that my first post on this thing was an AiC post, and now I'm back with some more. I've begun to think that their acoustic stuff (Jar of Flies, Unplugged) is in so many ways superior their more 'grunge' sounding material. If Nutshell doesn't give a little chill...I don't know what's wrong with you. For those of you who care, I actually managed to find a copy of the Jar of Flies cd on ...
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This one takes me back a few years. Yes- I am one of those guys that bought into the grunge movement in a big way back in the 90's. I was realizing the other day, that I sometimes listen to old Nirvana or Soundgarden and I still like Pearl Jam after all these years- but I haven't really gone back and listened to a lot of Alice in Chains in a while. So I waded through my collection a bit and pul...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Rotten Apple |
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| 2 Nutshell |
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| 3 I Stay Away |
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| 4 No Excuses |
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| 5 Whale & Wasp |
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| 6 Don't Follow |
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| 7 Swing on This |
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 "Jar of Flies")
