Dirt

Now for the tunes. Carefully crafted into three sections this tortorous album goes from really bad, to even worse, and then to a state of pseudo-positivity. The opener "Them Bones" relentlessly crushes the skull of any unprepared listener and then quickly shifts into an even higher gear of underappreciation with "Dam That River." The third track "Rain When I Die" emphasizes how truly alone we all are with lyrics like "Is she ready to know my frustration/Slowly fogging my lights/Slow castration." By now my therapy session turns to a complete nightmare as "Sickman" utters a woeful tale of dissillusionment and unforgiven behavior, only to be followed by the Vietnam epic of "Rooster." The next four tracks mark the second part of this intoxicating contorted behemoth. Full blown addiction to chaos (or in Layne Staley's case heroin) pushes a normal person to near suicidal thoughts in these warped accounts of dangerous living and numbs the mind of all trivial distractions that life has to offer (i.e. love, happiness, or understanding). Then, while near the depts of despair, the album shifts to a sketchy and possibly achievable sense of change, healing, and expected recovery from a hellish prison sentence of pain. In the emblazened confession of "Angry Chair," the tormeneted addict finally accepts his insanity and screams out "I don't mind yeah, I don't mind/Lost my mind yeah, can't find it anywhere." Coming to grips with this disease is the first step towards redemption and "Down in a Hole" expresses this sentiment even further with beautiful structured lines like "I have been guilty of kicking myself in the teeth" and "I'd like to fly, but my wings have been so denied." The finale, "Would?" is perhaps the most uplifting and melodious of the AIC catalog with phrases like "Am I wrong, have I run too far to get home?/Have I gone, left you here alone?" In an attempt at cleasing his body, mind, and soul of the toxins which afflict his psyche, the half-inebriated Staley makes an offer to be the person that he was before the demons twisted his fragile shell. Whether as a pesonal promise or an attempt at conciliation with a former lover or friend, Would? brilliantly works on multiple levels.

In sum, "Dirt" is a psychological masterwork that documents many of the problems of not just herion addicts but all of those who struggle with self-doubt, pain, rejection, and aimlessness. A serious piece indeed, which stands out as one of the most creative and original albums of the 1990s. Not for the faint-of-heart but still digestable for the masses willing to sound out their problems with the best of the worst.

P.S. for all of you 3rd person shooter or war video games fanatics, the best song to play to is Rooster.

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