John Frusciante
Shadows Collide With People

THE REVIEW

Conceived during the same compositional period as the drowsy By The Way, the first true misstep by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (of which we will not speak further and which are mentioned as a simple reference point), Shadows Collide With People shares with its half-brother the authorship of guitarist John Frusciante and occupies a crucial position in his solo discography, that is, after leaving behind purely lo-fi sounds and anxieties (the successful To Record Only Water For Ten Days) and just before the bulimic slew of more or less successful works published between 2004 and 2005.

It's not an easy position, but perhaps it's the key to understanding the personality of this work: on one hand, we find a Frusciante finally at peace and at the height of his compositional abilities, while on the other, we are still far from the overconfidence and desire to overdo that often marked negatively the subsequent episodes of his musical journey. The result is an album with a clean sound and born from Frusciante's passion for melodies and vocal harmonies.

Opening the album is the majestic Carvel (preceded by a relatively brief introduction that, to be fair, sounds rather pointless, a flaw that we will also find in the instrumentals –00Ghost27 and Failure33 Object), where the guitarist showcases his regained vocal ability accompanied by the unmistakable falsetto choruses, now a true trademark. The following Omission is a bittersweet ballad where his friend Josh Klinghoffer provides the second voice, followed by the melancholic and effect-laden Regret, dedicated to Frusciante's tumultuous past.

But the best is yet to come, and it's in Ricky that we find one of the album's most successful tracks: a few simple guitar chords frame the beautiful vocal harmonies, creating a sweet and incredibly catchy pop gem; a characteristic that we also find in the excellent Song To Sing When I'm Lonely and the concluding The Slaughter (though unfortunately marred by a horrific vocoder in the intro). In between are pleasant but non-essential tracks such as the vaguely garage Second Walk and This Cold, heavily influenced by Iggy Pop's The Passenger, the carefree chant Water, a pleasant Wednesday's Song, and the melancholic Time Goes Back and Chances (one of the two tracks featuring Omar Rodriguez from Mars Volta on guitar; the other being 23 Go In to End).

Overall, we are faced with an extremely melodic and well-crafted work that does have its slips (the poor instrumentals and some unnecessary intros) but where the average quality is remarkable and often very inspired, and one can't help but think that if By The Way had been at this level, perhaps there wouldn't be as much criticism: John Frusciante is undoubtedly one of the most overhyped guitarists of the past decade for various reasons, yet it must be admitted that not many "young" artists can boast the melodic talent present in this album.