Alice in Chains Album: “Jar of Flies [EP]”

Despite being AIC's shortest and softest album, and despite my opinion that "Dirt" is perhaps the most exemplary display of the band's sound, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that "Jar of Flies" is the most perfect album they have ever done. Not only that, but I'll also say, without a moment's hesitation, that this is one of the most perfect albums ever made, by anyone. It was here that the band's warm, emotional side really shone through like never before. The music is largely acoustic (with some electric here and there), and Layne really just sang his heart out.

The album begins with "Rotten Apple", one of the band's most epic and beautiful pieces, with a mesmerizing guitar/bass melody, and those haunting AIC style vocal harmonies we all love. "Nutshell" and "Don't Follow" are acoustic ballads of incomparable emotional power; "I Stay Away" is super-creepy, with perfectly executed string arrangements. "No Excuses" is the catchiest song, with a great chorus. "Whale and Wasp" is a short instrumental, which is very tranquil and somewhat elegiac, and again we have some nice strings. The album ends with a curve, with "Swing On This". This song is sort of bizarre and jazzy, and makes for a fun ending to an otherwise dark and dreary listening experience. Despite the surprise it presents, it still fits in very well.

You know something? This review is crap. I could sit here and talk about this album all day, and still not possibly give you an idea of how amazing it really is. You really just have to hear it for yourself. "Jar of Flies" is 30 minutes of pure brilliance, and no one should be without it. Just having it has greatly enriched my life, and I hope it can do the same for you.

This is my personal favorite of all the Alice In Chains' albums. Where their other masterpiece Dirt was bludgeoning heavyness to the extreme this album is almost the direct opposite(along with Sap), but a step in the right direction. Even their heaviest work was melodic, this ep is very experimental, I dont mean in the avant-garde sense, but Alice In Chains take chances and succeed admirably. Rotten Apple features vocoder and spacey guitar solos and effects, I Stay Away has a great lead melody and Layne's voice combined with the string section is truly menacing, No Excuses is mostly acoustic but still rocks and is one of their best tracks(however every song here could be considered their best in my opinion), Whale And Wasp is a big surprise being an nearly progressive rock instrumental, Swing On This closes the record and is the biggest surprise, being a funky blues metal showcase with some slight jazzy touches. All in all this is a very diverse album, with elements of metal, punk, folk, jazz, classical, progressive, blues, funk, space, psychedelic, and even a little avant-garde and the fact that the album is only a half hour in length makes the diversity all the more remarkable.

Dirt is regarded as Alice In Chains' best album for many reasons. It rocked. It was depressingly introspective, but still catchy. Singer Layne Staley poured his heart and soul into every track, which made it a cohesively strong LP. It came out in the middle of grunge-mania, so it wasn't hard for the album's sludgy subject matter to find a warm home on mainstream radio. And it spawned a lot of hit singles.

Yes, Dirt is a great album. But Jar Of Flies... man, THIS is a masterpiece. It's like if somebody were to throw an Alice In Chains party, all the casual fans would chill out in the living room and listen to Dirt, whereas the more seasoned fans would be inclined to quietly retreat to the basement and listen to this EP in total darkness (which is, incidentally, the best way to listen to this band's music). I think this is, bar none, AIC's best album.

It's a softer, more melodic album than it's blockbusting predecessor. There's little nuances spread throughout the album that make it a bit more "thoughtful." It paces itself perfectly, and there isn't a single weak track to be found in the bunch. There's even a two minute instrumental in the middle of the album (that's eerily reminiscent of Metallica's "Orion") to let the listener catch a breather before the last two songs finish out this masterwork.

They've rocked harder on their LP's, but this 7 song EP is the cornerstone of the Alice In Chains legacy.

RIP - Layne Staley

JAR OF FLIES! This one is mind-blowingly good and I still remember how my ears pricked up when I first heard this. They stepped into a softer realm on this mini-album and revealed a more melodic side to them that is quite stunning. There's actually some heavy rock passages to be heard here, their relative scarcity adding to their power. Top-tier guitarist Jerry Cantrell's playing is supple and sophisticated. On JAR OF FLIES, he completely steps out of the shadow of Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, although haters will point to a Sabbath song like "Laguna Sunrise" and start clucking. Just wink and smile, they can't blab forever.

As I sit in my chair after hearing of Layne Staley's death with Nutshell on repeat, I come to find that this CD perfectly fit what Layne had become. The lyrics are beautiful and the music does nothing but paint a wonderful melodic picture for them. Layne Staley really made this band. Jerry wrote the songs, but Layne was the personification of everything Alice in Chains signified. And he's gone. It's like he knew everything that was going to happen to him. He knew he couldn't recover. Still, while listening to his music, I can't fathom him gone. Some people may say they are happy for him being finally healed through death of his horrible addiction, but I'm not. Everything about his death says why you should never do drugs. Layne died. He lost. This album shows what it was like in his short lived life. He had so much more to do. Drugs stole it from him. My heart goes out to Jerry and the band...family, friends and fans. He lives in music. Listen and learn.