Customer Reviews

Jar Of Flies

5 star:		(122)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is a must have if you're a true Chains fan.The transition from the heavy and grinding albums like Facelift and Dirt to the melodic sounds of Jar of Flies and Sap is really exceptional,most bands don't have the versatility to do what they have let alone to do it so well.Alice in Chains has my vote for artists of the nineties.

two words - buy it.
but this has to be at least twenty words long i think i just passed that!

Alice in chains was one amazing band. personally, i think they had the potential to be another legendary band like a zeppelin. they just had so many different sounds that it will amaze you! i think every rock fan should have all their albums. jar of flies is awesome too!

Rotten Apple- This is an awesome song, the way Staley sings in this song takes a few listens to get used to but hey, the main riff is bumbling, and the wah intro is very catchy.
Nutshell- Very good song not as good as Rotten Apple, kinda boring but it's fun to sing to.
I Stay Away- Best song on the album, written by both Inez and Cantrell, the very is very pretty, the chours adds a crazy touvh to the song, I love the voilins.
No Excuses- the same as Nutshell, the drums are very fun to listen to.
Whale & Wasp- Although there is no singing, it captures the AIC feel, one of my favorites to play along with.
Don't Follow- Another favorite, it's fun to play and sing with, very pretty, the chorus is catchy and bluesy.
Swing on This- Very bluesy, the bass and drums follow right along with the guitar, the chorus is the best part, and the solo at the end is easy to geoove to.
It's amazing how they wrote one of their best albums in just seven days.

This album is ridiculously amazing, just as is Dirt. Man oh man, it doesn't get much better than Alice in Chains, which in my opinion is the best grunge band of the early 90's (although all of them were stellar!) Fluffdiggity, you have some amazing taste in music... almost identical to mine. Although I would have to replace Nirvana with Tool for the best band of all time, but Nirvana is also freaking amazing.

I suggest any rock fan to get this album for Nutshell, Don't Follow, Whale & Wasp... well, pretty much every song on the album, but those in particular.

now i'd like to say right off the bat that if you like AIC's heaverier side, most likely you'll find this album to be no more than mediocre at best. as I can say for myself, i used to have that opinion of AIC, until i listened to the entire album. these songs aren't loud by any means but if you have a nack for great music, if you listen, their beauty will strike you.

most of the songs on this album aren't my cup of tea, too slow for me or too quiet, but...i do understand that they are works of art and respect them...kinda like noone listens to classical but has a profound respect for it. saying that, i should then say that the songs that i listen to least on this album (not that i dislike them) are whale and whasp and don't follow...although whale and whasp has some phenomenal guitar play and don't follow, just past halfway through I believe shows Layne's ability as far as range is concerned. I'd have to say that my favorite song on this album is nutshell.. the lyrics are sorrowful and perfect and it has a sleepy-groovy guitar riff that runs through your body.

i can't really say that this album is better or worse than other AIC works because it is somewhat aside from their rest.

One last thing I would like to say, I sure hope that the world realizes all of the generic bands that are out there. Seriously there are like a ton of punk bands that have the same exact sound as the one before it as well as the overexausted rap beats that require no talent, just a computer handy. I would like to note that anyone thinking that i hate black people by saying i hate rap, would be wrong. I enjoy blues, which anyone who knows music knows that almost all of todays music originated from the blues era.
I listen to bands that are UNIQUE (noone has done their material, or vice versa) such as Alice In Chains, Tool, Perfect Circle, Deftones (hey i said i listen to all types of music didn't i?) ,Soundgarden and my favorite band of all time, NIRVANA!

Album Suggestions:

>Alice in Chains- for starters, get "Best of the Box"

Somehow they also produce the ability to make acoustic seem as if it isn't boring. when you hear someone play acoustic, it may turn you off because of it's lack of strength as opposed to the screeching power of an electric guitar. AIC is, as you'll agree if you listen, even better in acoustic

>Tool- best albums are a tie between "Aneima" and "Lateralus"

This is the infamous MAYNARD's main band...unmatched and OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!

>Deftones- best is "white pony"

>Perfect circle- best is "thirteenth step"

MAYNARD's side project, also very, very powerful

>Soundgarden- best album "superunknown"

Cornell shows his extraordinary voice and the bands guitar ability

>NIRVANA- the most accessable album for the best understanding of Kurt's talent would be "In Utero"...if you'd like to dive deeper into their awe-inspiring underground, look on Ebay for "Outcesticides" numbers 1 through 5

If any people are listening to music and don't know what is what, here are my suggestions.

The hardcore scene has become generic as well, unfortunately. Best bands among hardcore are Deftones, Hatebreeed and Slayer and i hope that all you little Metallica-maniacs have finally realized after St.Anger where metallica's eyes are set, not on production of art, but on your wallet

*FACT* Lars singlehandedly destroyed napster

Ignore mainstream, follow your groove and listen to what excites and moves you, what makes you feel like you're in another demension. Don't watch MTV, don't listen to the radio, listen to your friends, after all you're friends because you share the same interests in everything, chances are you'll share the same taste in music as well.

Turn it up, Rock on, Peace Out!

Alice in Chains. Even mentioning the name in the presence of a random sampling of individuals will result in maybe HALF as many responses as there are sounds and textures on Jar of Flies. Alice in Chains have secured their position in the pantheon of rock and roll by crafting memorable songs out of talent, emotion, and just a pinch of elusiveness. Polarized as people's thoughts on the band are (most people either love 'em or hate 'em), the pure refusal by the band to be categorized is what keeps bringing many listeners back for more. From the early 'Facelift' that was labeled Heavy Metal, until the moniker "Grunge" was crafted by the rock writers of the day, and applied to the next effort, 'Dirt.' 'Jar of Flies' takes the quartet in a new direction entirely - jazzy/fusion/country/rock/metal. Sound impossible? I would have thought so too, before many years of prolonged listens to this album.

At seven songs, most differing greatly from the one before or after it, the listener is taken on an interesting ride, that ends before the journey becomes too exhausting. "Rotten Apple" and "Nutshell" have the listener that might be expecting "them Bones" scratching their heads, saying "what happened to the Dirt album?" Once the inital curiosity wears off however, Cantrell's masterfully textured and layered guitars set a steady, and level platform for the distinct voice of the late Layne Staley. The bass and percussion carry this album however. The fusion of the two, keeping a consistently 'on the toes' feeling, yet never off balance.

"I stay away" and "No excuses" begin to sound a bit more like the Alice in Chains that people know and love, but with a sligtly more matured outlook on their craft. "No Excuses" percussion arrangement and sonic characteristics are reborn almost a decade later on Tantric's debut album (Track 2 - Live your Life) - possibly due to the efforts of Toby Wright, a producer/engineer on both efforts.

"Whale and Wasp" could have an entire article written on it alone, and is unlike anything the banc had done to date, and simply needs to be listened to over and over to capture all of Jerry Cantrell's subtle efforts.

As I mentioned earlier, Alice in Chains isn't for everybody, and even those that care for the band's earlier recordings may not dig Jar of Flies as much. But I urge you all, regardless, to give this album a try. It will take some time most likely to fully grasp your attention, and force you to listen intently, but once that happens, you'll thank your patience.

This is a great album, although very short, but its still of very high quality.
Rotten Apple: Good opener, starts off with a real good bass line. 10/10
Nutshell: One of their greatest songs, simply incredible. 10/10
I Stay Away: Not one of my favorites on the album, but still very good, mixed a little bit of string in on this one. 9/10
No Excuses: Good song, I love the beginning. 9/10
Whale and Wasp: Great Instrumental, wish it could've been longer. 10/10
Don't Follow: A personal favorite, they bust out the harmonica on this one. 10/10
Swing on This: Good song, doesn't really fit the album though. 9/10.
All in all, excellent work by an excellent band.

A truly emotional EP. My only qualm is that I wish it were longer than an EP...

Every song is gut-wrenching, along with being produced perfectly. It's shimmering without being slick, and certainly could teach those Bright Eyes-listening kids a thing or two about "emotional" music. Also, if you play guitar, almost every song can translate to a great campfire song! Once again, almost every review here gives 4 or 5 stars. Genius once again from the minds of AIC. Layne, this one's for you.

Alice in Chains was a band that could succeed at whatever it wanted to do. If it wanted to make a deafeningly awesome metal record (Facelift, Dirt), so be it. If they wanted to make something sober and challening (the selftitled, also known as Tripod), so be it. If they wanted to make something melancholy, touching, ear dominating, and eerily gorgeous... well, that's what Jar of Flies is.

Melancholy ("Rotten Apple", "I Stay Away"). Touching ("Nutshell", "No Excuses", "Don't Follow"). Ear Dominating ("Swing on This"). Eerily gorgeous ("Whale and Wasp"). Jar of Flies is compact, but it also is emotional and artistic perfection, in that there is no single song... no lyrical line... no moment... that is out of place or not worthwhile.

And remember... it's okay to cry. Sometimes it's the best thing, actually.