new album Jane's Addiction, The Great Escape Artist

The second Jane’s Addiction album since 1990 – and first to feature Dave Sitek, of TV on the Radio – is a slog through murky waters, with a submerged sound far from the torrid near-metal of 2003's Strays. Perry Farrell strives for a Radiohead vibe that leaves guitarist Dave Navarro confused (though he gets his on "Words Right Out of Mouth"). The ambience fits Farrell’s obsession with L.A. dark-siders lost in an uncaring world, and on "Broken People," he sticks up for them like a black-fingernailed defense lawyer – "Help them out?/No, you can't help them out." But buried in this sleepy disc you wonder if they'll ever hear it. 


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