John’s new LP, Enclosure out April 8th + free mp3 of “Scratch”
Barely a year and a half from release of PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone, John’s new full-length album, Enclosure, is out late next month (April 8th – no rock-solid info yet), as usual on Record Collection Music. With Brown Bunny vinyl re-release, Black Knights’ stuff released so far and more hinted and Kimono Kult’s debut, this truly is going to be the spring of JF.
You can order the album LINKS TO BE ADDED ONCE THERE’S ACTUAL STUFF.
Here’s a free mp3 of Scratch, the song that came about during The Empyrean sessions in 2007 or so and was recorded during the Enclosure sessions.
Go to the entry on John’s official website to download the song in hi-res.
Here is the cover art for Enclosure.
And here is the track listing.
- Shining Desert
- Sleep
- Run
- Stage
- Fanfare
- Cinch
- Zone
- Crowded
- Excuses
Here is what John says about it.
“Enclosure, upon its completion, was the record which represented the achievement of all the musical goals I had been aiming at for the previous 5 years. It was recorded simultaneously with Black Knights Medieval Chamber, and as different as the two albums appear to be, they represent one investigative creative thought process. What I learned from one fed directly into the other. Enclosure is presently my last word on the musical statement which began with PBX.”
– John
Here’s a (p)preview written by Tessa Jeffers for Premier Guitar. She rates the album 4 out of 5 picks.
A dark, pounding synth pulses as John Frusciante’s falsetto spreads over it and chants, “I’ll tell you… I’ll tell you”, in the opening track of his latest solo excursion. This juxtaposition is just one recope from a composer who knows how to build authentically and has become extremely gifted at layering imagery over catchy melodies. Even if some of the ideas spiral off into dissonant directions, the parts still jell.
Just as Frusciante’s last few albums were forays into the prog-pop landscape, Enclosure uses drum machines and expansive effects to set the mood. Though Frusciante interjects guitar solos seemingly at will, some fans may feel the genius guitar playing he’s known for is understated here, especially when compared to the influential work of his Chili Pepper past. Yet over the nine tracks, Frusciante’s solos – like the one that kidnaps the entire last half of “Stage” – arrive not as mere tangents, but as the main event: Guitar is an oscillating vehicle that carries his music into new planes.
Several tunes give off a refreshing ’80s vibe without going too far – think good ’80s, like Peter Gabriel but with the sensibilities of Radiohead. Frusciante uses effects like organ sounds to create depth behind his strong voice as it volleys through verses, and he skillfully weaves complex guitar and keyboard harmonies into the accompaniment. All tracks have vocals except “Cinch”, a more than six-minute opus framed entirely by distorted guitar arpeggios and fretboard flexing.
Frusciante is pushing the limits of his singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist palette, and the art he’s making is a god marriage of groove and noodle, possessing the kind of balance that keeps a song a song without getting too messy or alienating the audience. It might be difficult to hear the songs as a cohesive statement across the entire album, but each individual gem is such an enjoyable capsule of creation and tinkering that it’s quite an adventurous and athletic listen.
MUST HEAR TRACK: “Crowded”
More information to follow in this very post as it will be available later today, so – WATCH THIS SPACE.
– I <3 M
