[Our "Pick of the Week" for mid-October '03 was the lone album from former Jane's Addiction members Dave Navarro and Eric Avery's new band. Now that, fifteen years later, it is considered a cult classic we thought we'd look back on one of our fave albums from the '90s. - KJ]DECONSTRUCTION
self-titled
[American - 1994]
With vocalist Perry Farrell joining forces with drummer Stephen Perkins and attempting to recapture the magic of Jane's Addiction in Porno for Pyros, the other half of the L.A. art-rock quartet--guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist Eric Avery--opted for a similar approach and released this one-off to much fanfare but very little sales. Puzzling, considering that at its core this is simply a Jane's record without Farrell's vocals, in and of itself an enticing proposition for any fan of the band. However, Avery's vocals are most certainly an acquired taste--even if Farrell's float your boat. His bass playing is stellar, of course; Navarro is at his most inspired on quite a few of the tracks; and drummer Mike Murphy--who's no match for Perkins--gets the job done in an admirable manner.
Dark, brooding and at times rather insular, but with all the virtuosity, controlled bombast and majesty that marked Jane's Addiction's best moments, Deconstruction is definitely worth the attention of anyone who enjoys both Van Halen and the Velvet Underground. Sadly, this baby is out of print. But that's what eBay and Amazon are for, right?
[Album cover courtesy of allmusic.com]
