By Colt Langley/managing editor
With an assortment of guitars, flutes, random percussion instruments and an in your face drum-kit, drummer Jack Irons delivered his new record last month.
No Heads Are Better Than One is Irons’ first solo attempt since 2004’s Attention Dimension.
The first song, “Sonic Tonic,” starts the record off with gradual drum fills and keeps going until xylophones, shakers and other ambient sounds create a world of relaxing meditation, one that resembles “Underwater Circus” on his last album.
The record quickly jumps up a beat with “Doubloons.” The song features what sounds like overdriven baritone saxophones looped in with tenor saxes.
Coming in third is “Right Between the Ears,” which begins with what sounds like winning slot machines followed by a waterfall of tom-tom rolls. The song then fits right in with the style and direction the record takes.
To help with additional guitars on the album, Irons enlisted the help of his son Zach Irons and more notably Alain Johannes, most currently known for his work with Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures. Johannes also plays flutes and saxes on the album.
The first single off the record, “Love Is All We Want,” is one of only two songs that feature a vocal track. This, however, is expected for a Jack Irons record since he is a percussionist.
The other song on the record with a vocal is called “Nothing Opens Everything,” sung by Johannes. This may be the rockiest tune on the record. It features a kind of poppish drum beat as well as some great guitar hooks, and the vocals are not bad either.
Irons is best known for being a founding member of both the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Eleven as well as for his years in the band Pearl Jam.
The new album can be purchased at one of three outlets: iTunes, Amazon and Pearl Jam’s website www.tenclub.net. Those who buy from iTunes or Amazon will receive a bonus track with their order. To obtain a physical copy of the album, buyers should go through Pearl Jam’s website.
