John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer
A Sphere In The Heart Of Silence

Do you like John Frusciante? No? No problem... you'll still love this album if you enjoy good music. This time, in fact, the Red Hot Chili Pepper has completely hit the mark with his goal, which was to create "escapist" music away from the usual simple and linear rock. For this work, as in others, he enlisted the remarkable and multifaceted contribution of multi-instrumentalist Josh Klinghoffer (who, among other things, also participated in PJ Harvey's last tour, not a minor feat, as a guitarist/drummer).

John and Josh's voices blend together without confusion, and after an eight-minute completely electronic and instrumental intro, yet very, very catchy ("Sphere"), we move on to "The Afterglow", whose merit unfortunately lies only in that sleepy chant mumbled by Frusciante first with his voice, then with the guitar, recurring throughout the piece. The notable track on the album, however, is "Walls" with an excellent electronic introduction soon overpowered by Frusciante's "shouted" voice accompanying it in its spasmodic, crescendo progression. A small break with "Communique", a relaxing and refined piece, almost exclusively performed by piano and the milky voice of Klinghoffer, which fades into the next track, another rare gem named "At Your Enemies". Here, the always electronic sound of a xylophone acts as the base for Josh's increasingly feminine and ethereal voice. "Surrogate People", the next track, is a good duet between the two protagonists of this album, with Frusciante's voice warmer and less strained compared to "Walls". The album closes with an excellent minute and a half that seems to pick up the suspended notes of "Communique" to complete the work with a delicate piano and John's falsetto.

In short, contrary to what one might think, the album is a calm and subdued record at times, and harsh and edgy even in the most innocent tracks. A must-have for your collection!