John Frusciante
Dc Ep

The most incredible thing about Frusciante's six-disc series is that it effortlessly shifts from one genre to another. After the psychedelia of "Automatic Writing", who would have expected an EP of pop tunes? Well, "Dc Ep" is exactly that; a short (about 15 minutes) and relaxed work, without any pretensions. One might complain, say it's a useless piece of work, and in part, it's true. Personally, I've learned to appreciate it for what it is. A pop record, light and easily accessible. It's undeniable John's ability to write catchy melodies with minimal effort. Certainly, it's not an innovative or particular album like some others by John; within its scope, however, it's a little box of secrets. John's sweet guitar manages to fill the tracks with its vibrant sound.

The opening "Dissolve" has a simple and carefree motif. Everything revolves around the guitar that sets the tone; it draws infinite harmonic circles, stops, jumps ahead, launches into a final solo, then calms down. In short, the musical elements present in this EP are few, but they manage excellently to let us savor the bittersweet taste of John's life. Suspended between a tragic past and a serene present. This is precisely the theme that runs through John's music during these years. "Goals" manages even better to convey all this. A few piano notes, the voice almost whispered. Then enters the sweet guitar accompanied by the pulsing beat of the drums. In the end, it grows with a strong sense of liberation. A fresh and absolutely intimate, sweet, and emotional piece. "A Corner" is a simple and light song. It has nothing extraordinary, but it strikes and fascinates, like all four songs on the disc. I don't understand what Frusciante's secret is; he manages to touch the deep strings of the soul. With his unstable voice and his teasing guitar. The last track "Repeating" is a desperate lullaby. Striking contrast between the sweetness of the sounds and the bitter tones of the singing. It is the most intimate and sincere song on the album, the most intense. "Believing In A Thing You See To Disbelieve". From an objective point of view, "Dc Ep" can be dismissed in a few minutes as a useless record of overly slender and immediate ballads.

From my point of view (therefore subjective), it is instead an album that gets the most out of the domain in which it operates (the pop). John, it cannot be denied, is capable of putting a bit of himself into everything he does. His voice and his guitar form an intense wall of sound and emotions. "Dc Ep" is a test of courage; it takes guts to make an EP of four such intimate pieces. But John is not conditioned by anything and plays what he feels, without restrictions or constraints. Musically modest, without new ideas, but rich in communicativeness.

Music is not made of technique, but of emotions.

You'll find them here.