Out of all the grunge bands of the 90's we remember 4 of them today. They are Nirvana, Sound Garden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains. Out of all those bands, Alice in Chains is considered by many to be the heaviest and most technical of all the grunge bands. Through out their career they have had many in your face songs that are considered by most to be more metal then grunge. Even the band themselves have admitted to having mostly metal and hard rock influences. However, they were also able to tone it down and take it slow when prompted. One of their best slow songs is "No Excuses".
Out of all the slow songs that Alice in Chains has made, "No Excuses" is the easy listening song. The acoustic guitar sounds very soothing and relaxing. The drum work is pretty basic, but for a song like this you don't want to be over the top so this is a good thing. The bass lines in this song are very catchy and adds to soothing sound that this song goes for. I have to give props to the vocal work in this song. While I don't think that Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley are the best singers on the planet, they do have a good vocal combination that not a lot of bands have and this is one song that showcases that combination very well. They sound good singing together and as a result it creates very good sounding vocal work on this song.
Lyrically, this is a song about knowing someone with drug addiction. By this time, it had become clear to Jerry Cantrell and the rest of the band that Layne Staley had drug problems. He had become addicted to heroine and the band was concerned. This song addresses that and basically talks about dealing with someone in that state. Jerry Cantrell was basically saying that he wants to help Layne overcome his addiction but even if he didn't they were still friends. These lyrics are clearly personal and truly reflect what the band is feeling and that is what makes good lyrics, is when you know they are personal.
Clearly, this is a very personal song to the band and they executed it very well. The music is good and is pretty unique to the genre that they were associated with. Lyrically, it is coming from a real place that expresses what the band is feeling. This makes the song real and very expressive, which is very important in music. I give "No Excuses" a 4.5 out of 5.
Lyrically, this is a song about knowing someone with drug addiction. By this time, it had become clear to Jerry Cantrell and the rest of the band that Layne Staley had drug problems. He had become addicted to heroine and the band was concerned. This song addresses that and basically talks about dealing with someone in that state. Jerry Cantrell was basically saying that he wants to help Layne overcome his addiction but even if he didn't they were still friends. These lyrics are clearly personal and truly reflect what the band is feeling and that is what makes good lyrics, is when you know they are personal.
Clearly, this is a very personal song to the band and they executed it very well. The music is good and is pretty unique to the genre that they were associated with. Lyrically, it is coming from a real place that expresses what the band is feeling. This makes the song real and very expressive, which is very important in music. I give "No Excuses" a 4.5 out of 5.
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