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Rating:
7 songs, 7 emotions. And here the review of this EP by Alice In Chains could end.
A record that represents the other side of the band. If you were used to the Heavy Rock outbursts of Facelift and Dirt, this work will confuse you, showing you an acoustic side decidedly characterized by a claustrophobic and dying sound. The unique voice of Layne Staley caresses the dark notes created by the guitar of the great Jerry Cantrell, the light drumming of Sean Kinney, and the bass of Mike Inez. Jerry Cantrell proves to be a 360° guitarist, worthy of being considered one of the best ever.
"Rotten Apple" appears with a sick and vaguely bluesy sound, which accompanies us for seven minutes, introducing us to this wonderful creation of the Seattle group. "Nutshell" is a song as simple as it is deep and moving, where the echoes of Cantrell's electric guitar are reduced to the bare minimum until the solo arrives. It also leaves a bit of sadness when Layne sings "...if I can't be my own I'd feel better dead", a sort of prelude to the end. In "I Stay Away" during the chorus, violins accompany us and Staley's scream hurts us. "No Excuses" I find no words to define it other than a great song. The instrumental "Whale And Wasp", if listened to in silence, leaves the body numb and incapable of reacting to stimuli. "Don't Follow" is a song where country and gospel merge to create another emotion. Cantrell's voice accompanies us in the first part only to leave us, Layne Staley takes us by the hand and carries us with his voice until the end. "Swing On This" appears as a song with a more cheerful text and concludes this little gem set in the Alice In Chains discography.
One of the peaks of Alice In Chains, one of the few bands that has consistently produced albums of excellent quality.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Rotten Apple (06:59)
Hey ah na na
Innocence is over
Over
Hey ah na na
Ignorance is spoken
Spoken
Confidence is broken
Broken
Sustenance is stolen
Stolen
Arrogance is potent
What I see is unreal
I've written my own part
Eat of the apple, so young
I'm crawling back to start
Hey ah na na
A romance is fallen
Fallen
I repent tomorrow
Tomorrow
Is suspended my sorrow
Sorrow
Recommend you borrow
Borrow
02 Nutshell (04:19)
We chase misprinted lies
We face the path of time
And yet I fight
And yet I fight
This battle all alone
No one to cry to
No place to call home
Oooh...Oooh...
Oooh...Oooh...
My gift of self is raped
My privacy is raked
And yet I find
And yet I find
Repeating in my head
If I can't be my own
I'd feel better dead
Oooh...Oooh...
Oooh...Oooh...
03 I Stay Away (04:14)
Yeah, hey yeah
I want to travel south this year
Won't prevent safe passage here
Why you act crazy, not an act maybe
So close a lady, shifty eyes shady
Yeah, hey yeah
Tears that soak a callous heart
Why you act frightened, I am enlightened
Your weakness builds me, so someday you'll see
I stay away!
Why you act crazy, not an act maybe
So close a lady, shifty eyes shady
I stay away!
I stay away!
I stay away!
I stay away!
04 No Excuses (04:16)
It's all right
There comes a time
Got no patience
To search for peace of mind
Layin' low
Wanna take it slow
No more hiding
Or disguising truths I've sold
Everyday
Something hits me all so cold
Ya find me sittin' by myself
No excuses that I know
It's okay
Had a bad day
Hands are bruised from
Breakin' rocks all day
Drained and blue
I bleed for you
Ya think it's funny
Well you're drownin' in it too
Everyday
Something hits me all so cold
Find me sittin' by myself
No excuses that I know
Yeah, it's fine
Walk down the line
Leave our rain
A cold trade for warm sunshine
You my friend
I will defend
And if we change
Well I love you anyway
Everyday
Something hits me all so cold
Ya find me sittin' by myself
No excuses that I know
07 Swing on This (04:05)
Mother said come home
Father said come home
Sisters said come home
So my friends said come home
I said
Let me be, I'm alright
Can't you see, I'm just
Fine
Little skinny, okay
I'm asleep anyway
Then I heard a voice
Said "son you have a
choice"
I then slapped my face
Let me be, I'm okay
I'm awake anyway
It's too bright over there
I can shift, cannot steer
So I drive them away
For a while, then I stay
Little skinny, okay
I'm awake, anyway
Now I have to go home
Do as, when in Rome
Let me be, I'm alright
Can't you see, I'm just
Fine
Little skinny, okay
I'm asleep anyway
Let me be, I'm okay
I'm awake, anyway
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By bONJ
You realize you can no longer live without these gems.
Only some distorted echo of the word 'grunge' remains in your head, buried under thirty minutes of amazing music.
By Bluice
Layne Stanley’s voice, expressive and very sweet, throws in everyone’s face the private pain that slowly crumbles him from the inside.
Their acoustic and intimate side is worth as much as or perhaps more than their Metal-Grunge component.
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"'Nutshell,' the track that all, guitarists or not, would dream of writing at least once in their lives."
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