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Rating:
I put the vinyl on, it starts.
It begins with "Rotten Apple," distorted guitars that give an almost old-west vibe, then Layne starts singing. Low and suffering verses, almost evocative.
Right after, "Nutshell," a fantastic melody with a hint of melancholy in the background. The singing part begins, Layne sings about the futility of life, how sometimes one might be better off dead.
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With a lighter tone, at least apparently, "I Stay Away," a captivating and engaging song as the guitars become heavier in the chorus. Extremely melancholic.
And here we are at "No Excuses," one of my favorite tracks, speaking about friendship and maybe, why not, even love. For the first time, it seems that a happy ending can be glimpsed through the overall melancholy, even the melody suggests it.
"Don't Follow" is another beautiful piece, with some southern rock influences that Layne immediately makes his own.
It closes with the unique "Swing On This," composed of faster rhythms and choruses, it's perhaps the most experimental song of this EP.
Extremely evocative is the cover of Jar of Flies. Unsettling but intriguing at the same time.
Jar of Flies is undoubtedly one of the best musical products of the 90s, a monumental work but at the same time so experimental and different from the classic tone of Alice in Chains.
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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Other reviews
By AndJusticeForAll
7 songs, 7 emotions.
'No Excuses' I find no words to define it other than a great song.
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.
By andre'79
"'Nutshell,' the track that all, guitarists or not, would dream of writing at least once in their lives."
"Jar of Flies, an apparently ordinary cassette, is one of those 'proofs' that cannot leave anyone indifferent. Authentic and heartbreaking confession."
