Alright, no pumpkins today.
Jar Of Flies was really not supposed to be a thing. The band had just come off a big tour in support of the punishingly heavy Dirt and had found themselves booted from their homes. Having no where else to go, the band headed to the studio to crash, under the pretense of knocking out some impromptu songs. Its quite apparent this casual and unpretentious attitude was integral to the creation of this amazing EP. They showed that beneath the grungy metal band lay talented musicians capable of writing nuanced and moving songs.
Theres a beautiful, melancholic air to this EP, something that always brings me back to the cool fall night I first heard it, driving around our small home town. Th guitars are so clean and slick, like on the thwapping snaps of the low-end lick from 'Rotten Apple'. 'I Stay Away' is a fantastic example of the dynamics the band can work in - the verses are gorgeously picked acoustics while Staley's howling is backed by Jerry Cantrell's signature noodling. Plus the video is some freaky-deaky, always unnerving stop motion clay puppets. 'No Excuses' is a great, driving track that shows how strong they are, even without the grunge trappings.
My favorite track on the EP doesn't even have vocals - the moody 'Whale & Wasp' creates an amazing atmosphere through the melody and the chord changes. It's that intangible air to it that really moves me. This is followed by the amazing and uncharacteristically sweet 'Don't Follow'. Built around a warm melody and Cantrell's husky voice, it's a great track and a sign of the amazing unplugged stuff on the horizon.
Someday, though, I do intend to take a look at the Aeroplane set in depth. After gorging on a huge double album I thought I'd display a little self control. In contrast to the hugely popular behemoth let's take a look at Jar of Flies by Alice In Chains.
Once again the cool older brother gets full credit here. Alice In Chains was always his favorite of favorites, his band that he was into that I never quite hooked on to. Not to say they weren't a phenomenal band, by all means their Unplugged album still is hauntingly beautiful, a glimpse into a fractured and damaged band, revealing the beauty beneath the surface. I don't intend to do the typical dour look at the crumbling of troubled frontman Layne Staley - it's been done by every one else.
If you've never heard this EP, do yourself a favor and pick it up. Its still an amazing work almost twenty years later. The songs are distinct and dynamic, yet a cohesive and tightly made package. It's simply phenomenal and criminally overlooked.
