14 October 2011
"I've replanted my feet / back in the underground," yelps Perry Farrell at the start of the comeback CD from his band Jane's Addiction.
But is that really possible?
The version of Jane's that speaks to us today would have a hard time approximating the wild-eyed crew that stormed out of L.A. in the mid-'80s. Then, they communicated a hedonist's abandon, told in everything from their brutally askew riffs to their lyrical paean to free sex and the joys of shoplifting.
The members' current ages, fame level and bank accounts make that kind of anarchic pluck difficult to pull off. But it's still theoretically achievable. Unfortunately, the music they came up with on "The Great Escape Artist" - their first new studio recording in eight years, out this Tuesday - sounds too comfy to occupy any current underground.
It's hardly lame. Dave Navarro's guitar takes some needling new turns, the riffs have appeal, and there's always Farrell's loopy character, and foghorn vocals, to sway us. There's even some new blood injected, in the form of bassist Dave Sitek from TV on the Radio. But you'll find little of that band's arch abrasion here.
Essentially, "Escape Artist" offers respectable fodder. It's generic Jane. Of course, that still has its charms. So should the band's concert appearances, two of which take place Monday and Tuesday at Irving Plaza. Even if they're not cutting-edge, they're heritage events by a band talented enough to deserve one.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... for_c.html
