John Frusciante
Shadows Collide With People

THE REVIEW

Cool album of the month! (I'm surprised it hasn't been reviewed yet). The phoenix rises high, wrapped in flames. Frusciante's 360-degree art direction incorporates into the album some elements that make it, right away and in advance, a must: Omar Rodriguez (At The Drive In, The Mars Volta) on guitar in two tracks, Flea makes a fleeting appearance on just one track, the photos in the booklet were taken by Vincent Gallo (they are just regular black-and-white photos, but, you know, if Vincent Gallo takes them, they're cool...), Chad Smith on drums and John engaged in vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizers, keyboards, and percussion respectively. Produced by himself. 18 songs for 65 minutes of music.

The dominant color that bursts forth, in the hypothetical picture representing this album, is definitely red.
Red like fire, blood, passion...The passion that can be felt in songs like Second Wall (a minute and thirty-six of music just to remind the world who is among the best rock guitarists around...).

The first part of the album explores within the boundaries of classic rock, with references to the Beatles, Neil Young, Beach Boys, without abandoning the aggression and frenzy of modern electric rock. In some tracks, it feels like the best Ben Harper sweating on stage, while in others, the reference goes solely and exclusively to the more twisted and dark Pink Floyd. The second part of the album (especially the last tracks) greatly combines the electronic paths (vocoder, crazy synthesizers, computerized loops filling spaces) with the purely rock ones (move over Matt Bellamy…).

The songs never exceed in any direction: neither too baroque nor, for that matter, boring pop songs.
The acoustic guitars often give way to the roaring and distorted ones. And it's precisely on those guitar parts that you find the key to reading the album. A great, great work of Alternative Rock. Already halfway through the album, just as you're smiling with pleasure, the fateful question begins to arise, which won't leave you even at the end of the tracks: “But why does this guy, if he's so good, insist on staying with the Red Hot?” Mystery of faith. Or money…