Rollingstone review **1/2

[Forge]

**1/2

Great Escape Artist
Capitol

Alt-rock stalwarts turn down the guitars, get lost in murk

The second Jane's Addiction album since 1990 - and first to feature Dave Sitek, of TV on the Radio - is a slog through murky waters, with a submerged sound far from the torrid near-metal of 2003's Strays. Perry Farrell strives for a Radiohead vibe that leaves guitarist Dave Navarro confused (though he gets his on "Words Right Out Of My Mouth"). The ambiance fits Farrell's obsession with L.A dark-sliders lost in an uncaring world, and on "Broken People," he sticks up for them like a black-finger-nailed defense laywer - "Help them out?/No, you can't help them out." But buried in this sleepy disc you wonder if they'll ever hear it.

-Jon Dolan

Key Tracks: "Words Right Out of Mouth," "Broken People"

[Jasper]

Wow, that's an entire half star more than they gave RDLH! RS is finally catching on to JA! If only Rolling Stone were still semi-relevant, like back then, instead of completely and utterly irrelevant, as they are now, they could influence a lot of people with their vital and important views on music.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/album ... l-19901018

[Jasper]

I mentioned this on xiola a few years back. It's my friend's response to the original Rolling Stone review of Ritual de lo Habitual. Thinking about that review pissed me off enough that I finally dug up his response (from the Nov. 29, 1990 issue) and scanned it. Notice that the letter directly to the lower left is a defense of Faith No More written by Mike Patton's mother.



The original RS review of RDLH:

Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual
** (two out of five stars)

by Erik Davis
October 18, 1990

One of the funniest things about Nothing's Shocking, Jane's Addiction's much-ballyhooed 1988 release, was how it skewed the conventions of L.A. Sunset Strip metal, managing to be distinctively perverse in a world already saturated with bad taste and bacchanalia. At times the music was glorious, playful psychedelic metal, as Perry Farrell's avant-gypsy garb, weird eye makeup and prepubescent voice plugged you into the visionary amorality of children. With its trippy nature imagery and porno bent, Nothing's Shocking struck the gong.

Ritual de lo Habitual finds Jane's Addiction thin and wandering, blowing ploys that worked before — overdubs and echoes, loose jamming, Farrell's playground melodies. Split into a hard-rockin' side and a prog-rock side, the album doesn't cohere — whatever the band members have been doing for the last two years, they haven't been practicing much. Sure, there are moments — the opener, "Stop," has an amazing bridge, "Ain't No Right" admirably sums up Farrell's creed ("Ain't no right/Ain't no wrong/There's just pleasure and pain") and "Been Caught Stealing" is a real jewel. A shuffling, upbeat bouncer with silly jazz chords and the best use of dog barks since Pet Sounds, the song expresses a bare logic of desire ("I want something and don't want to pay for it") that makes shoplifting seem as fun as collecting tadpoles.

Side 2's miasma begins with "Three Days," which starts out as fine, tempo-twisting bongload metal but loses it after Stephen Perkins's great percussion solo. I haven't been able to get through the rest of the side without nodding out — the dreaminess is pleasant enough, but I expected more. Unlike King's X or Faith No More, Jane's Addiction hasn't figured out that a successful prog-metal fusion requires tightness. The great bits here — gypsy fiddles, "Aladdin Sane" piano flurries, strange lyrics about crickets' bones and an erotic Jesus — are overwhelmed by meandering vocal melodies, orchestral keyboards and David Navarro's rote guitar wanking. Two-thirds of the way through, Ritual de lo Habitual starts sounding like a fourteen-hour layover in Kashmir, a long-distance runaround with only Juggs magazine and a pack of purple Bubblicious to pass the time.

[kv]

thanks and welcome forge ( if you are new )

[leviticus]

sounds good to me

[Japhy]

Yep, far from Strays sounds good to me too. Getting a little bit stoked to hear the album now... maybe, just maybe it'll be close to half decent.

[leviticus]

It's funny that a poor review has made me more intrigued and excited about the album.

[Japhy]

It's funny that a poor review has made me more intrigued and excited about the album.

yeah, i don't want anyone to "get it"... that's what always made them my own little secret favourite band. I hope 2 and a half stars is as good as it gets anywhere!!!

[JOEinPHX]

So it's not a guitar record where Dave just riffs and solos all over the place?

PERFECT.

Sounds more like a 5 star album to me.

[Kajicat]

"...a submerged sound far from the torrid near-metal of 2003's Strays."

"The ambiance fits Farrell's obsession with L.A dark-sliders lost in an uncaring world..."

"Perry Farrell strives for a Radiohead vibe..."

This all sounds great to me! Obviously Rolling Stone didn't understand Ritual, so now I'm really getting my hopes up

"...a Radiohead vibe that leaves guitarist Dave Navarro confused" Somehow I doubt that. I think Dave had a LOT to do with the production of this album and it was he himself who decided to go more ambient with the guitars.

[JOEinPHX]

"...a Radiohead vibe that leaves guitarist Dave Navarro confused" Somehow I doubt that. I think Dave had a LOT to do with the production of this album and it was he himself who decided to go more ambient with the guitars.

Agreed. Dave was the one who seemed to be in the studio the most. This is Dave's record. Hopefully he redeems himself to the people who say he's not a good songwriter.

[Smokestack]

Funny how this works. Everything the reviewer said he didn't like, sounds exactly like what I want to hear. If would've said "A great guitar driven album that blows Strays away," I'd be bummed.

This really makes me want to hear it now.

[Warped]

"...a Radiohead vibe that leaves guitarist Dave Navarro confused" Somehow I doubt that. I think Dave had a LOT to do with the production of this album and it was he himself who decided to go more ambient with the guitars.

Yes that's what he said repeatedly on Dark Matter.

[JOEinPHX]

Rollingstone is the same magazine that gives Bob Dylan 5 star reviews just because he's Bob Dylan.

They are the same magazine that wants people to listen to Dylan and Springsteen, but they put Britney and Gaga on the cover.

Fuck them. They don't know shit about music or art.

[Hokahey]

I find it very odd that so many of you are ragging on RS for giving a mediocre review to an album we all expect to be mediocre.

[LJF]

Yep, far from Strays sounds good to me too. Getting a little bit stoked to hear the album now... maybe, just maybe it'll be close to half decent.

Yes according to RS a whole half star more decent then Ritual. I agree with what a lot are saying the more the reviews come in that are bad the more hope I actually have for this CD. Just a matter of time now only a few weeks unless it gets pushed back.

[JOEinPHX]

I find it very odd that so many of you are ragging on RS for giving a mediocre review to an album we all expect to be mediocre.

That mediocre review is the thing giving us hope that the album is actually good.

[LJF]

I find it very odd that so many of you are ragging on RS for giving a mediocre review to an album we all expect to be mediocre.

I don't know the last time I looked at RS, I was always more of a Spin or NME guy. I also find reviews a waste because how the fuck do they know what I like or dislike.

[Smokestack]

I find it very odd that so many of you are ragging on RS for giving a mediocre review to an album we all expect to be mediocre.

If it's something that RS likes, chances are it blows. I just found it funny that in that short reivew, everything the reviewer didn't like is what I'm looking for in this album.

[leviticus]

I just found it funny that in that short reivew, everything the reviewer didn't like is what I'm looking for in this album.

[Japhy]

I find it very odd that so many of you are ragging on RS for giving a mediocre review to an album we all expect to be mediocre.

I find it very odd that the simple fact of it being an RS mediocre view was lost on you. Had they said it was great, just like many of the main mags did for Strays, i would have been a tad concerned. Now that they don't like it, and apparently for the reasons that we would like it, i'm feeling better!

End of the day, i just really hope this album is bloody brilliant.

[cursed male]

**1/2

Great Escape Artist
Capitol

Alt-rock stalwarts turn down the guitars, get lost in murk

The second Jane's Addiction album since 1990 - and first to feature Dave Sitek, of TV on the Radio - is a slog through murky waters, with a submerged sound far from the torrid near-metal of 2003's Strays. Perry Farrell strives for a Radiohead vibe that leaves guitarist Dave Navarro confused (though he gets his on "Words Right Out Of My Mouth"). The ambiance fits Farrell's obsession with L.A dark-sliders lost in an uncaring world, and on "Broken People," he sticks up for them like a black-finger-nailed defense laywer - "Help them out?/No, you can't help them out." But buried in this sleepy disc you wonder if they'll ever hear it.

-Jon Dolan

Key Tracks: "Words Right Out of Mouth," "Broken People"

Well, it still made Rolling Stone's Season's Hottest Albums list...

Jane's Addiction - 'The Great Escape Artist (10/18)

It's taken Jane's Addiction eight years and four bass players – including TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek – to release the follow-up to 2003's Strays. But Perry Farrell is confident about the finished product. "It's a strange mixture of that post-punk goth darkness Jane's had with Muse and Radiohead," he says. The disc has a loose concept about a Harry Houdini-style escape artist. "It could be about escaping to the outdoors," says Farrell, "or we might even be able to escape the expectations of old Jane's fans with another great record."

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photo ... 18-0911382

[Tyler Durden]

The disc has a loose concept about a Harry Houdini-style escape artist.

Oh jesus...I don't like the sounds of this. Does this character meet a "lovely assistant" for his magic tricks, who happens to be Asian?

[Hokahey]

I find it very odd that so many of you are ragging on RS for giving a mediocre review to an album we all expect to be mediocre.

I find it very odd that the simple fact of it being an RS mediocre view was lost on you. Had they said it was great, just like many of the main mags did for Strays, i would have been a tad concerned. Now that they don't like it, and apparently for the reasons that we would like it, i'm feeling better!

End of the day, i just really hope this album is bloody brilliant.

I think there's some selective interpretations of words going on here to warrant optimism.

"...a submerged sound far from the torrid near-metal of 2003's Strays."

Could really be a comment on poor production.

"The ambiance fits Farrell's obsession with L.A dark-sliders lost in an uncaring world..."

I don't even know what the hell that's supposed to mean.

"Perry Farrell strives for a Radiohead vibe..."

Sounds like nonsense unless the entire album is VASTLY different from what we've heard so far. In any event, I'm not a Radiohead fan.

And I can play this game too.

is a slog through murky waters

that leaves guitarist Dave Navarro confused

this sleepy disc

[JOEinPHX]

The disc has a loose concept about a Harry Houdini-style escape artist.

Oh jesus...I don't like the sounds of this. Does this character meet a "lovely assistant" for his magic tricks, who happens to be Asian?

i'd bet money on it.