Jane's Addiction - End to the Lies by paniko
When Jane's Addiction came charging out of the bowels of L.A. like a half-digested demonic burrito in the late 80's, they unknowingly set in motion a musical tidal wave that forever change the alternative music scene. Truth be told, they, along with Guns 'n' Roses, all but killed hair metal. Nirvana, of course, would deliver the death blow and go on to accept a lion's share of the credit for revolutionizing alterna-rock.
What very few people fail to realize is that the first Lollapalooza Festival, which criss-crossed the US during the summer of 1990, was pre-Nevermind. By then, the band had released two albums for Warner Brothers (1988's Nothing's Shocking and 1990's Ritual de lo Habitual) and was top dog on the alt. rock scene with such MTV and radio hits as "Jane Says", "Mountain Song" and "Been Caught Stealing".
Sadly, JA's greatness has been heavily overshadowed in the wake of Nirvana. It seems a lot of cool alt stuff, everything from R.E.M. to the Pixies to Jane's, got marginalized after Nevermind hit. In the case of Jane's Addiction, at least part of the blame falls on them due to their '92 break-up and inconsistent output over the past two decades.
Their only studio album since - 2003's Strays - seemed to reveal a band that was more follower than leader and sounding a lot like Velvet Revolver in the process.
Thus, when we heard that original bassist, Eric Avery's return in 2009, we could not help but be excited. To many, Avery was as integral to the band's sound as a spine is to you and I. His joining the band for a string of small club shows hinted at bigger things, soon culminating in a tour with Nine Inch Nails and a trip into the studio to record studio versions of a couple tunes that had been included on the band's debut live album.
That would be the end of it, though, as Avery bailed in 2010. Duff McKagan, formerly of Guns 'n' Roses joined the band at this time, again leading to a large amount of excitement and speculation, but his stay in the band would last a mere six months.
Again, Jane's fans were left wondering what had gone wrong.
Enter Dave Sitek of the band TV On The Radio, who stepped in to play bass and produce the band's new album. While we're not a fan of TV On The Radio, we must admit that Sitek's work with the band - at least per "End To The Lies" - seems tobe just what the band needed.
The song itself is an atmospheric, otherworldly rocker that seems a tad dissonant at first, then seems to shift into high gear. The track has that bigger-than-life quality that so much of their early material had and, while the production touches are decidedly modern, they don't overshadow the material at all. In this case, it is precisely what the song calls for, helping to heighten the tension for maximum pay-off.
OUR VERDICT: YAY!