Alice in Chains
Jar of Flies (Columbia) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
This seven-song, 31-minute EP was recorded in a week last September, an obvious stop-gap to give the Seattle quartet a little breathing room between albums and tours. But “Jar of Flies” is an ear-opener for those who respected but couldn’t quite embrace the club-footed dirge-rock of the band’s first two albums. There’s still a sense of impending doom on cuts like “Rotten Apple,” but the broodings of singer Layne Staley now seem to float instead of grind. Acoustic guitars, harmonica, strings and a heightened sense of melody are seductive additions (exception: the whining chorus of “I Stay Away”). On the bluesy swing tune that closes the EP, these guys sound like they’ve even found a sense of humor. With its stylistic daring, “Jar of Flies” just might be Alice in Chains’ “Led Zeppelin III.”
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