Those choruses burst out, and there is hope even in low places.

Is it too much to call Alice In Chains the Beach Boys of grunge bands? I just think, like the Beach Boys, their harmonies defined their sound far more than any other group recording at the time. They tended to settle excessively on lots of parallel 5ths in those harmonies, but in songs like "Grind" there is more layering and movement.

The verse is this jagged two-guitar attack and a daft, dark vocal (sung by guitarist Jerry Cantrell rather than lead singer Layne Staley), where the drums do their best to make everything a bit weirder.

The solo is vintage, daring Jerry Cantrell, a master in maybe the last generation of great guitar soloists before the thrill of rock solo virtuosity was outsourced to cute almost-like-you're-doing-it-yourself home video games.

The major chords in those choruses stand out so brilliantly. But the bass lays in some half-step dissonances just in case anyone was getting a little comfy.

Remember that Alice In Chains was an original Seattle band. They played in that indy scene along with Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Green River, Mother Love Bone, Nirvana and down the list. Sometimes I feel they don't get the respect of founders that they deserve. This is not Bush we're talking about here. Please improve your tone.