Alice in Chains - I Stay Away Album: Jar of Flies [1994]
in many ways, alice in chains was the definitive heavy metal band of the early '90s. drawing equally from the heavy riffing of post-van halen metal and the gloomy strains of post-punk, the band developed a bleak, nihilistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock with subtly textured acoustic numbers. they were hard enough for metal fans, yet their dark subject matter and punky attack placed them among the front ranks of the seattle-based grunge bands. while this dichotomy helped the group soar to multi-platinum status with their second album, 1992's "dirt", it also divided them. guitarist jerry cantrell always leaned toward the mainstream, while vocalist layne staley was fascinated with the seamy underground. such tension drove the band toward stardom in their early years, but following "dirt", they suffered from near-crippling internal tensions that kept the band off the road for the remainder of the '90s and, consequently, they never quite fulfilled their potential. in the wake of dirt's success came drug addiction and following its release, bassist mike starr left and was replaced by mike inez. the album's gloomy lyrics launched many rumors that staley was addicted to heroin, which he ultimately was. the band soldiered on in the face of such criticism, performing successfully on the third lollapalooza tour in 1993, and released the low-key EP "jar of flies" in early 1994. it debuted at number one upon its release, becoming the first EP to top the album charts. despite the band's continued success, they stayed off the road, which fueled staley's addiction speculation. they released one final album, 1995's "alice in chains", and on the verge of disbanding, finally played live - their first in three years - in 1996, performing for an episode of MTV unplugged, which was released as an album that summer. despite its success, the album did nothing to dispel doubts about the group's future and neither did cantrells's solo work. cantrell and the band's record company (columbia) basically started releasing rarities, live, and greatest hits albums because they couldn't get staley to work. in april 2002, the news that every fan had been fearing for years had finally come to pass: layne staley was found dead due to a lethal overdose of cocaine and heroin. autopsies later revealed that staley died on april 5th in his seattle apartment, though his body wasn't found until april 20th when the bank alerted the police that he hadn't made any transactions. back to the music - written and recorded in about a week, "jar of flies" solidified the group's somewhat bizarre pattern of alternating full-length hard rock albums with mostly acoustic, ballad-oriented EPs. that quirk aside, "jar of flies" is a low-key stunner, achingly gorgeous and harrowingly sorrowful all at once. in a way, it's a logical sequel to dirt - despite the veneer of calm, the songs' voices still blame only themselves. but where dirt found catharsis in its unrelenting darkness and depravity, jar of flies is about living with the consequences, full of deeply felt reflections on loneliness, self-imposed isolation, and lost human connections. the mood is still hopelessly bleak, but the poignant, introspective tone produces a sense of acceptance that's actually soothing, in a weird way. cantrell's arrangements keep growing more detailed and layered; while there are a few noisy moments, most of the EP is bathed in a clean, shimmering ambience whose source is difficult to pin down. 17 years removed from it's release, it is regarded as perhaps the most thrilling EP's of it's generation. "i stay away" is quintessential. the seeming schizophrenia between massive rock crunch and gentle acoustic numbers that characterize the band are both highlighted, as the two impulses fused to create what on balance was the band's most uplifting song, sonically if not always lyrically. beginning with a lovely, folky jerry cantrell guitar, strings softly gliding in, "i stay away" finds the normally doom-laden layne staley beginning on a note of hope about 'going south this year.' a recurrent descending riff finds cantrell bringing out the electric guitar, joining with staley in the off-center harmonizing that so often defined the group, but for the most part the tone is calm and reflective. it's on the chorus that everything really hits the heights, with staley invoking the title like a declaration of intent and the arrangement suddenly becoming an anthemic surge, the orchestral backing resulting in a truly beautiful moment. cantrell's electric solo adds just enough bite.
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