THE PANIC CHANNEL
(One)
Capitol
· Alt-rock icons go through the motions.
Another year, another middle-aged supergroup. The Panic Channel is one such supergroup, consisting of former Jane's Addiction members Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins as well as replacement Jane's member Chris Chaney and former MTV VJ Steve Isaacs. The pre-release hype of the band would lead one to believe that The Panic Channel is what the Jane's Addiction reunion should have been – a hard-rocking and creative collection of music made by four seasoned pros.
Unfortunately, the results are even more forgettable than Jane's last gasp. The trouble with the album is that while none of it is horrible – virtually all of it is completely generic. (One) consists of the same polished production and arena-ready hooks that everyone is by now familar with. Instead of recapturing the freewheeling spirit of the early days of grunge, the band instead treads familar radio-ready territory, coming off as an American equivalent to Canada's various "Theory-of-a-Nicklefault" bands.
This wouldn't be so bad if it were at least fun to listen to, but the boys barely manage to get in some competent headbanging throughout the album’s duration. There are songs that stand out as "singles," but that is only because of the obviousness of their hooks and choruses.
Navarro is one of the most original guitarists of the last 20 years and Perkins and Cheney are a powerful rhythm section, but they are professional to a fault on (One), never truly cutting loose.
Although I'm sure these guys are more than capable of putting on an entertaining live show where their musicianship can shine, on their debut album they're doing little more than coasting on their (admittedly considerable) reputations.
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