By: Ben Watson
Alice in Chains is a band that formed in 1987 in Seattle, Washington. They were one of the first bands to break out of the Seattle scene in 1990 and became known for their sludge infused heavy metal sound with songs like “Man in The Box” and “Would?” from their first two albums being some of the most popular songs of the early 90s. After some extensive touring they would re-enter the studio and create an EP (extended play) that incorporated a more acoustic based sound like their last EP Sap, and introduced new bassist Mike Inez to the lineup. Named after a science class experiment that guitarist Jerry Cantrell did in first grade, this EP is titled Jar of Flies.
Track 01: “Rotten Apple”
The highly rated EP opens with a dark sounding acoustic bassline played by Mike Inez. This bassline is quickly met with an electric guitar solo played by Jerry Cantrell which really sets the tone for the album. This song discusses lead singer Layne Staley’s introduction to heroin at the age of 24 and his descent into a crippling drug addiction. The hauntingly harmonized “Hey, ah-na-na” gives a sense of drug-induced carelessness as he falls deeper into his addiction. The overall haunting sound of the track really shows how Staley’s drug addiction was really starting to haunt him at this point in his career. It is an overall amazingly haunting track the sets the tone for the rest of the album.
Track 02: “Nutshell”
“Nutshell” introduces a repeating theme throughout this album of looking for belonging and feeling alone as Staley sings “and yet I fight/This battle all alone/No one to cry to/No place to call home” in the first verse to signify how he feels lost and alone as he battles his addiction. Each verse is followed by a haunting electric guitar solo that wails as if it is feeling the pain that Layne Staley feels. This track is a pain filled cry for help from a man who is embarrassed by his dependency on drugs.
Track 03: “I Stay Away”
“I Stay Away” was written by Layne Staley after one of his early stints in rehab. The track describes how he finally feels free but fighting the urge to relapse had now become a battle itself. He is trying to stay clean and stay away from drugs and is even willing to leave his old life behind to make this happen, but in a moment of weakness he relapses. The song opens with a beautiful acoustic guitar melody that repeats throughout the song and even features a string quartet. However, after each verse the song enters a chorus that is very reminiscent of the band’s second album Dirt and this song has even been compared to the song “Them Bones” from that album as both songs are played in the same tuning. As the song reaches its outro, Layne Staley desperately cries out “I stay away” repeatedly which heightens the sense of how desperate he is to get clean and stay clean.
Track 04: “No Excuses”
“No Excuses” was written by Jerry Cantrell about how his relationship with Layne Staley had become strained as a result from their individual substance abuse problems as Cantrell was struggling with his alcoholism at the time. Cantrell goes through trying to be there for Staley but struggles to understand what he is going through before stepping back and realizing he was having similar struggles too. Cantrell ends the song by concluding that no matter how far apart they are he will always love and be there for Staley. Unlike the previous guitar and bass-led tracks, drummer, Sean Kinney’s, percussion skills take the front wheel with a memorable performance. However, Jerry Cantrell still shreds some electric guitar behind Layne Staley’s powerful voice in the chorus and even provides another solo during a break in the song.
Track 05: “Whale and Wasp”
This track serves as an interlude on the project, but that does not take away from its haunting sound as Jerry Cantrell’s guitar wails in pain like it does on “Nutshell.” The painful guitar wails over an acoustic guitar and acoustic bass before being replaced by a string quartet in a way that feels like Cantrell’s guitar is having a conversation with the beautiful strings. They continue this back and forth before the music pauses for a beat and comes back with the strings and guitar singing together in beautiful harmony. The song ends with more back and forth of haunting and painful wails from the guitar, but the strings barely reply almost signifying someone leaving a person and that person is left feeling abandoned desperately begging for them to return. For an interlude “Whale and Wasp” may be one of the best tracks in the band’s discography.
Track 06: “Don’t Follow”
Jerry Cantrell steps up once again, this time as the lead singer of “Don’t Follow.” He sings the story of a man that feels he is so far gone into his drug addiction that there is no hope left for him. The song feels like a lullaby with the beautiful acoustic guitar melody and Cantrell’s soft vocals. It also incorporates some blues harmonica that almost feels like it is having a conversation with Cantrell before it starts a solo that leads to Layne Staley taking over on vocals and the instrumentation gets more aggressive. Layne belts out a haunting bridge and as it ends everything softens leaving the previous moment to just echo out before Cantrell returns repeating a line from the first verse, “Say goodbye, don’t follow.”
Track 07: “Swing on This”
“Swing on This” is the last song on the EP, and it is also the most different from the others as it has more of an upbeat swing rhythm to it. While it may be a more upbeat song it still follows Layne Staley’s struggles with drug addiction as he is trying to convince everyone that he is okay and tries to act okay all while knowing he has lost control of his addiction. The chorus is again reminiscent of Dirt as it breaks away from the swing beat of the rest of the song. The song ends with a long Jerry Cantrell solo that seems to end the album on a good note despite the it’s dark themes.
This year marks 30 years since its release and this EP is one of my all-time favorite records because the band masterfully intertwines acoustics into their haunting grunge sound. You are able to feel the pain, emotion, and the passion throughout every second of the album. Layne Staley provides haunting vocals over Jerry Cantrell’s pain filled guitar combined with beautiful acoustics that make everything feel like a lullaby. It all gives a look into mind the Staley as he battles with his addiction. “Don’t Follow” is definitely my favorite track and “Whale and Wasp” is a close second. Listening to this album sends chills down my spine every time. You don’t have to enjoy grunge music to enjoy this album. It is an amazing album, and the talent of each band member is very present throughout it. This album makes for a great introduction to Mike Inez who replaced founding bassist Mike Starr towards the end of the band’s touring in 1992. Like I said I love this album, and I think you will too so if you are reading this and you have not listened to it then go take a moment, sit down, and do not just listen to the album, but really soak in every second of it.
(Listen to ‘Jar of Flies’ here)
