5 Essential Alice In Chains Songs

3. Nutshell - Jar of Flies E.P. 1994

After the tour for 'Dirt' took up the better part of two years, the boys just wanted to get into a studio and play some new music together, the result was 'Jar of Flies'. Seven songs make up the record and it holds the record as the first E.P. ever to reach number one on the Billboard top 200. It has now sold four million copies worldwide. Not bad for a release that took only a week to write and record. The songs are mainly acoustic based and show a softer side to the bands sound but the melancholy signature ambience is still prevalent. 'Nutshell' is the second track and easily the saddest offering in the set. I nearly chose third track, 'I Stay Away', as it is the center piece of of the E.P., but I opted for this one because there is just something very poignant about the lyrics and overall feel now that Layne has left us. The chord progressions are beautifully delicate and moving. 'Nutshell' is also unusual because it features Staley's vocals alone. No harmonies from Cantrell, in fact no harmonies at all. Just a lone vocal track. The Lead lines from Cantrell's electric guitar are inspired and float over the top of the layers of acoustic guitars and bass. the rendition that opens the band's legendary 'MTV Unplugged' recording is sublime.