10 Alt Rock Songs That Are Impossible To Play On Guitar
9. Nutshell - Alice in Chains
Most people putting on Jar of Flies by Alice in Chains aren't going to be tuning into a good time or anything. Coming off of the heroin haze that coated most of Dirt, this is the rehab album where everyone is on the mend, and Layne Staley contemplates whether he'll even survive his fight with his demons. All of that pain is on display on a track like Nutshell, until Jerry Cantrell's guitar provides a bit of light in the darkness.
Contrary to the acoustic feel of the record, the last few seconds of this song has a nice crunchy guitar break from Jerry, which actually starts out more in the country vein by drawing out notes like you would hear coming out of a pedal steel guitar. Halfway through the solo, something seems to change with the different fast runs he pulls off, going into full legato mode for the last few bars that would make any beginner guitarists' hands cramp up if they had to play it on the spot.
Considering this entire record revolved around the gloom that comes with drug addiction, this sudden rush of notes practically feels like the constant paranoia that you get when your mind starts vibrating, feigning for another kick before being laid back to normal once the drugs kick in. Alice in Chains were one of the few bands from Seattle that had one foot trailing back into metal most of the time, and the kind of finesse on this solo is something that someone like Steve Vai would have definitely been proud of.