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Alice In Chains
Jar Of Flies
1994, I was liked how Alice In Chains would pump out these mini-albums between bigger releases. And I feel like they tended to be a bit more daring on them (for better or worse). But this one is interesting in that it was basically an album of acoustic tracks that the band recorded in a single week session. "Rotten Apple" is a super moody dirge that goes on for seven minutes, and "Whale & Wasp" is a rather creepy instrumental. The two big singles here - "I Stay Away" and "No Excuses" are solid, and totally sound like slower, more mellow versions of the heavier prototypical Alice In Chains. The closer "Swing On This" kind of fucks things up for me, as its upbeat country tone just feels out of place and feels like it ends things on a bum note. But overall I like what the band did here. It's kind of low stakes deal and a bit outside of the comfort zone of the sound of their proper albums. It's also a brisk half-hour which can be refreshing.
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