Alice In Chains - Dirt

donkeydoo · 12-09-2020, 02:09 PM

Again, a bit of a personal review-

DIRT

If any of you know me, you're not going to accuse my tastes of being happy and uplifting. That said, this album is about as low as you can go, absolute rock bottom. Nihilism incarnate in sound. Grunge wasn’t exactly a happy genre to begin with, but AIC turned the moodiness up to a hundred. While their competition similar to Nirvana had sounds more similar to punk bands (raw, unpolished) in terms of layers and complexity, AIC instead took sensibilities from hard rock and metal bands (layered guitars, melodies, solos, etc) and concocted a fusion which appealed to rock fans who appreciated instrumentation, but with enough substance and emotion for the grunge fans too.

I’d been aware of AIC from early teen years listening to Nirvana/Soundgarden/etc but it wasn’t until closer to the end of school that their blend of blues, grunge and hard rock really penetrated my favourite artists list. I got into this album and their Jar of Flies EP at the same time, which are perfect complimentary records. While this was stooped in heavy hard rock guitars, the EP took a more acoustic direction. Don’t be fooled though, while softer on the ears, it’s no less nihilistic.

For me, no-one’s vocals carry as much painful emotion as Layne’s…sorry Jeff Buckley. I like Post Malone’s I Fall Apart as much as the next person, but that's a joyful ballad compared to anything on this. If you're looking to see what a cry for help looks like, Dirt is the dictionary definition. As much as I love AIC, I don’t think it’s easy for non-fans in 2020 to get into them, unless they have a love of hard rock already, or been through some serious issues in their lives. The music expressed a moment in the 90s that we will never recapture and it’s sad that an album like this will never be made again.

Fav Tracks: Would?, Rooster, Them Bones, Dirt, Down in a Hole

12-09-2020, 02:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
donkeydoo Groupie Join Date: May 2020 Location: London Posts: 37	Alice In Chains - Dirt Again, a bit of a personal review- DIRT If any of you know me, you're not going to accuse my tastes of being happy and uplifting. That said, this album is about as low as you can go, absolute rock bottom. Nihilism incarnate in sound. Grunge wasn’t exactly a happy genre to begin with, but AIC turned the moodiness up to a hundred. While their competition similar to Nirvana had sounds more similar to punk bands (raw, unpolished) in terms of layers and complexity, AIC instead took sensibilities from hard rock and metal bands (layered guitars, melodies, solos, etc) and concocted a fusion which appealed to rock fans who appreciated instrumentation, but with enough substance and emotion for the grunge fans too. I’d been aware of AIC from early teen years listening to Nirvana/Soundgarden/etc but it wasn’t until closer to the end of school that their blend of blues, grunge and hard rock really penetrated my favourite artists list. I got into this album and their Jar of Flies EP at the same time, which are perfect complimentary records. While this was stooped in heavy hard rock guitars, the EP took a more acoustic direction. Don’t be fooled though, while softer on the ears, it’s no less nihilistic. For me, no-one’s vocals carry as much painful emotion as Layne’s…sorry Jeff Buckley. I like Post Malone’s I Fall Apart as much as the next person, but that's a joyful ballad compared to anything on this. If you're looking to see what a cry for help looks like, Dirt is the dictionary definition. As much as I love AIC, I don’t think it’s easy for non-fans in 2020 to get into them, unless they have a love of hard rock already, or been through some serious issues in their lives. The music expressed a moment in the 90s that we will never recapture and it’s sad that an album like this will never be made again. Fav Tracks: Would?, Rooster, Them Bones, Dirt, Down in a Hole __________________ My Spotify