Grunge: The Lost Civilisation. Our musical archaeologist? Dave Navarro, former Jane’s Addiction guitarist and part-time MTV celebrity, joined by his former bandmates, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Chris Chaney. Filling the Perry Farrell role, none other than renowned vocalist/guitarist Steve Isaacs. Yep, that’s Steve Isaacs of Skycycle fame. No, me neither. Call it a supergroup, or Jane’s Addiction minus Perry Farrell, either way, The Panic Channel are a gang of guileful period revivalists, reassembling remnants of once great empires. There’s a smattering of angsty, Soundgarden ire in ‘Left To Lose’, a smidgeon of lowlife slumming a la Alice In Chains in ‘Bloody Mary’, and a smattering of existential ennui courtesy of, erm, Stone Temple Pilots on ‘Outsider’. Musically, One provides a fine facsimile of grunge golden greats. That said, Isaacs, though competent in a brash, snarling and typically alt-rock fashion, lacks the singular vocal style of an Eddie Vedder, Layne Staley or indeed Perry Farrell. Lyrically the songs are direct, occasionally bordering on cliché, our heroes either abandoned by bad women or ensnared by bad drugs.
Still, credit where it’s due, songs such as ‘Awake’ and ‘Blue Bruises’ spark the rock synapses, whilst the prolonged ‘Night One (From Planchette)’ ventures manfully into the prog-rock wasteland. Nothing new perhaps, but The Panic Channel’s reinterpreting of a once omnipotent musical genre proves more than enjoyable.