American

First things first: Those pining for the erstwhile Jane’s Addiction will find Deconstruction—a one-time project by former Jane’s bassist Eric Avery and guitarist Dave Navarro—a more gratifying surrogate than Perry Farrell’s lame Porno for Pyros. The duo (along with drummer Mike Murphy) ably reconstitutes Jane’s volatile mix of alternately serene and howling guitars underpinned by solid bass, though at excessive length; the disc is a marathon 71 minutes. Avery’s lyrics are earnestly existential; he quotes from personal ads on “Single,” channels the broken spirit of the U.S. on “America,” and appropriates concepts from Mike Davis’ City of Quartz for “L.A. Song.” Deconstruction’s tunes are hardly the stuff of revolution, but their somber mood—particularly in light of the group’s dead-on-arrival status—is refreshingly nihilistic.