Self-titled Eponymous Debut

After the demise of Jane's Addiction in the early winter of 1991, two of the former groups' key members, guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist/writer Eric Avery, chose to work on a new project together and although within the earliest development of the trio, ex-Jane's drummer Stephen Perkins was considered, instead drummer Michael Murphey lent his skills to the project. The music that's contained within certainly has a bit of Jane's flavor interspersed with some aural textures of sound, making it somewhat arty and abstract in the process of listening thru its 72 minutes of duration.

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One hears the howling, biting attack of Navarro's metal-like tone and dexterous lead playing on songs like Get At 'Em, Dirge, America and the record's opener L.A. Song mixed in with Murphey's pounding, steady beats and Avery's solid and propulsive bass lines, culminating within a trio that works and blends well together. It's a bit of a shame that this turned out to be a one-off project for all involved, but then again, I don't think this record would remain as interesting of an artifact of sorts without this point of circumstance. Avery handles most of the singing and its obvious he's no Perry Farrell by any stretch, but for the music that's cultivated, his "sing-speak" approach and style works rather well for the music that's presented. One of my favorite tracks is Big Sur and it displays the strengths of this unit performance-wise, containing a number that features an ambient instrumental section until it resolves with an explosive outro that feels like a nirvana in the brain. Navarro's guitar playing is prolific, engaging and simply stunning on this release and it really shows how much of an integral and important member he was within his former band, and, at the same time, this project allowed him free reign to express himself further as a musician. 

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Deconstruction remains something of a cult classic of sorts and I repurchased this earlier in the year as I had forgotten how much I liked this when it was new in '94. It's still as great as it was back then and I'm proud to say that it hasn't lost any of its edge or appeal within the years past. Whether or not you're a Jane's fan or if you appreciate crucial and important music with an abstract, yet cutting edge on the heavier, weirder side of things, this release should certainly appeal to those particular spectrum's of the listening mind.

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Rating Grade- A