Reviews

[leviticus]

Artist Direct gave a great review, though their typically quick to dish out praise to even the most sterile drivel. Now we have one coming from BeatWeek, whoever they are. I suppose we can start collecting the reviews now.

Here is the BeatWeek Review:

Album review: Jane’s Addiction – The Great Escape Artist is shocking

September 9, 2011 Bill Palmer

by Bill Palmer

Jane’s Addiction more or less invented the alternative rock genre as the eighties gave way to the nineties, but didn’t stick around long enough to take advantage of what they’d created. Amid breakups, relapses, and reunions over the decades, the band is finally getting around to releasing its fourth album in October. Their first record all those years ago was titled Nothing’s Shocking. This one could be called This Is Shocking.

Those familiar with the ambitions of Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, and Stephen Perkins won’t be surprised that Jane’s is breaking new ground on The Great Escape Artist. But those expecting the album to be along the lines of what a twenty-something year old rock franchise tends to crank out (most typically, a standard fare album as an excuse to tour) will be caught off guard by Escape Artist: all these years later, it finds the band as hungry as they are confident.

Navarro’s guitars swirl on “Splash A Little Water On It,” creating the kind of sonic textures only he can. The driving rhythm section on “Curiosity Kills” points to Jane’s eternal revolving door of bassists having become an asset, as TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek takes over bass duties and teams up with Perkins to deliver results no less than thundering. Amid all of it, Farrell’s vocals soar across the sonic landscape, doing what he does best: telling stories of broken people. In fact one of the songs even employs that concept as its title.

There’s nothing on here which sounds all that much like “Jane Says” or “Been Caught Stealing,” but that’s a good thing, as self imitation rarely produces inspired results. Instead the band eagerly pushes itself into new territory, seemingly more interested in delivering another visceral gut punch to a once-again sagging rock landscape than in merely serving up a nostalgia trip. Of course there’s enough Jane’s DNA on this album that it works as the latter as well, if that’s what you came for.

But this is no veteran rock record. Rather than being one of those affairs in which longtime fans are merely relieved the band finally released something, The Great Escape Artist is going to catch some folks off guard. At a recent screening, a roomful of music journalists hears the album and cheerfully debates which new track is their favorite. Now that “End To The Lies” and “Irresistible Force” have hit the radio, the third single is anyone’s guess, as there are a number of candidates.

Despite the varying tempos, the album never really lets up in intensity. In fact, thanks to the driving nature of closing track “Words Right Out Of My Mouth” the album goes out with a bang. Its release date is October 18th. And if this somehow ends up being the final Jane’s Addiction record, or the last one for some time as has been the case with each of the last two, then the band is going out with a bang as well.

[JOEinPHX]

Shit.

It almost sounds like the album is good.

[Larry B.]

Shit.

It almost sounds like the album is good.

yup... a fine piece of marketing. it actually raised my hopes.

[creep]

Shit.

It almost sounds like the album is good.

i know....

[CaseyContrarian]

Man, in traveling right now and haven't had a chance to check the board, but this gets me ever-so-slightly excited.

[Matz]

yeah pretty cool.

[Deconstruction]

Leak nowwwwww. I'm actually excited about this.

[creep]

was this posted already? hard to take this one too seriously though. no one will like it that much.

"This was a real Jane's Addiction record," said producer Rich Costey [Muse, Interpol] while summing up the legendary quartet's fourth studio album, The Great Escape Artist.

No one would know better than Costey either. The producer was there for every moment of The Great Escape Artist's creation, and his signature style certainly shines through.

Standing in the center of El Dorado Studios, Costey introduced the album for an intimate listening session. Before pressing "play", he revealed an interesting fact that The Great Escape Artist was actually recorded on the same console the band cut Nothing's Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual on. As soon as the music begin to unravel during "Underground", that same magic from those two seminal works of art also intoxicated the tightly packed room.

Guitar god Dave Navarro's thunderous fretwork raises the curtain for The Great Escape Artist. As a wall of warm distortion builds, galactic bells pierce through as Perry Farrell begins a vocal love letter to the "Underground" that figures so prominently in his lyrics. Navarro's lead cuts through the haze with a controlled chaos as Farrell delivers one of his most potent choruses to date exclaiming, "I try and get some love from up high. There just ain't enough to go around".

Just as the drama reaches a climax, everything subsides into a psychedelic tribal drum break from Stephen Perkins. It's intense, infectious, and immortally incredible. It's Jane's Addiction at their finest.

The energy mounts on "End to the Lies" as a slow bass thump falls into Navarro's six-string hum. Farrell calls out liars of all kinds with an angelic intonation that sees him reaching mind-bending heights as a vocalist while Perkins lays down an intricate percussive palette.

TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek collaborated with the group on the entire album, and his otherworldly influence accentuates the songs with just the right dose of daring. As a result, songs such as "Curiosity Kills" sound like Led Zeppelin in outer space. After a watery echo, Navarro's guitar emanates a siren squeal as Farrell once again transfixes. A stellar solo sails off following the bridge of Farrell sensitively cooing, "Look away, look away, but you couldn't look away".

It's impossible to look away from "Irresistible Force (Met the Immovable Object)" either. It's starkly soulful and sexual all at once. That seductive side comes out full force, and it sees the band examine one of their favorite topics—sex. "I'll Hit You Back" captures the punky spirit of Jane's Addiction at their most raw via Costey's unparalleled modern production style.

Another standout, "Twisted Tales", floods the senses with more sonic ambrosia. The guitar part could be the theme to the next James Bond film or it could fit over Last Tango in Paris. It's sleek and soaring, once again illuminating that Navarro fits alongside Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, and Tony Iommi as one of the greatest to ever pick up an axe.

During the elegant thrashing of "Ultimate Reason", the band dives headfirst into a vibrant violence only they can comprehend. However, "Splash A Little Water On It" paints a voyeuristic visual of either recovering from an insane party or preparing for one. Take your pick. Farrell's elegant wordplay is so mystical that it could be one or the other. He doesn't have to tell either. It'd ruin one of the most incredible songs the band has written.

"Broken People" conjures the spirit of "Jane Says", but the acoustic guitar is piped through a funnel of effects. Still, it's got another classic chorus. Everything closes out on "Words Right Out Of My Mouth". It's the album's heaviest track, and all kinds of demons flurry out of the instrumental assault. Still, a calm persists during the bridge's acoustic break and the yin and yang of Jane's Addiction's sound hits harder than ever.

Jane's Addiction have architected another timeless record by simply doing what they do best—being "real". Behind every verse and riff, there's a surprise. The Great Escape Artist will live with listeners forever because of that honesty.

—Rick Florino
09.09.11

[NYRexall]

I'm confused. We're still well over a month away from the album's release and critics are already weighing in on this thing? There hasn't been an official track listing or even tentative album artwork posted yet. Not to mention the album was pushed back three weeks for no plausible reason.

Exactly what kind of marketing department does Capitol employ? We could be looking at the first major label album leaked before anyone has any idea what it looks like or what its running order is...

[Pure Method]

There was a "listening party".


So we have two separate articles that mention the James Bond thing for two separate songs? Seems strange.

[Larry B.]

"This was a real Jane's Addiction record," said producer Rich Costey [Muse, Interpol] while summing up the legendary quartet's fourth studio album, The Great Escape Artist.

No one would know better than Costey either. The producer was there for every moment of The Great Escape Artist's creation, and his signature style certainly shines through.

In order to properly determine what "a real Jane's Addiction record" is, you'd have to ask Mr. Eric A. or Mr. David J. The other 3 members of Jane's have lost all perspective, and anyone else simply wasn't around during Jane's 1.0 and have no fucking clue. Except for us, of course.

[Hokahey]

There were similar musings about Strays before it came out. Price I Pay was called the "spiritual successor to Three Days."

I don't buy this stuff. It is fun to read and imagine if it's right though.

[Larry B.]

There were similar musings about Strays before it came out. Price I Pay was called the "spiritual successor to Three Days."

I don't buy this stuff. It is fun to read and imagine if it's right though.

I thought Price I Pay was great, though... until the "I'm buying now and paying later" part and the stupidest ending to a Jane's song ever. "oooh dude, we changed the time signature! we're badass precision-guided musicians!!"



It remains one of the songs I can listen to in that album, along with Strays.

[leviticus]

There were similar musings about Strays before it came out. Price I Pay was called the "spiritual successor to Three Days."

I don't buy this stuff. It is fun to read and imagine if it's right though.

I thought Price I Pay was great, though... until the "I'm buying now and paying later" part and the stupidest ending to a Jane's song ever. "oooh dude, we changed the time signature! we're badass precision-guided musicians!!"



It remains one of the songs I can listen to in that album, along with Strays.

I like that tune, the ending as well. And I do remember that article and these little preview/reviews smell too much like it for me to get to excited. I'm glad we have a track list and that all signs point to this thing coming out by the 18th.

[NYRexall]

Price I Pay was called the "spiritual successor to Three Days."

Thanks a lot, asshole.

I ought to bill you for the mouthful of coffee I just spewed all over my monitor and keyboard

[JOEinPHX]

There were similar musings about Strays before it came out. Price I Pay was called the "spiritual successor to Three Days."

Seriously?

i hope that journalist no longer maintains steady employment as such.

[erotic cheeses]

is beatweek partisan? sounds like a good review but does the reviewer hold any credability?

[Matz]

is beatweek partisan? sounds like a good review but does the reviewer hold any credability?

would be interesting to know what he thought about Strays back then

[Hokahey]

is beatweek partisan? sounds like a good review but does the reviewer hold any credability?

would be interesting to know what he thought about Strays back then

Their archives don't seem to back beyond 2010.

The website says copyright 2004-2011.

Don't think they existed back then.

[Pure Method]

someone working for a corporate interest promoting said interest's product? Well, I never!

what is a reliable music criticism source these days? I have to say, I'm suspicious of handpicked journalists at a listening party putting something serious out.

[Matz]

that's a good point. If a journalist completely trashes an album after having been to a listening party there's a good chance it was his last listening party, which he's not interested in. Probably wont get any real reviews until it comes out

[Pure Method]

that's a good point. If a journalist completely trashes an album after having been to a listening party there's a good chance it was his last listening party, which he's not interested in. Probably wont get any real reviews until it comes out

I like how you said this better than how I said it. nice

[Tyler Durden]

I thought Price I Pay was great, though... until the "I'm buying now and paying later" part and the stupidest ending to a Jane's song ever. "oooh dude, we changed the time signature! we're badass precision-guided musicians!!"



It remains one of the songs I can listen to in that album, along with Strays.

The lyric is "I'm FLYING now and paying later".

[Larry B.]

I thought Price I Pay was great, though... until the "I'm buying now and paying later" part and the stupidest ending to a Jane's song ever. "oooh dude, we changed the time signature! we're badass precision-guided musicians!!"



It remains one of the songs I can listen to in that album, along with Strays.

The lyric is "I'm FLYING now and paying later".

true, true