Badger Herald review of TROWFTD
20th February 2001, Badger Herald (USA)
According to Warner Brothers, “Between 1992 and 1997 John Frusciante had many periods where his main social activity was with spirits manifested as voices, thought waves, astral bodies and decay of physical matter. The things they taught him (sometimes in non-earth language, but often in English) are contained in this record’s words. The feeling of this music is the feeling of the spirits John Frusciante is friends with.”
Obviously, the effects of being a former heroin addict still lives within the “spirit” of Frusciante. The immensely talented John Frusciante is best known as the guitarist for funk-rock superstars The Red Hot Chili Peppers, but life has not always been so good for the 30-year-old guitarist. Manic depression and a bipolar lifestyle take on a whole new meaning for the once-tortured artist who nearly lost it all.
The California native found inspiration from music at an early age. After dropping out of high school, Frusciante made his way around the Los Angeles club circuit. Fusing the funk of groups like Funkadelic with the punk of the Germs resulted in a style all his own. In the late ’80s, Frusciante got his break when a friendship with Flea turned into a full-time gig as the Peppers’ guitarist. The 1989 release Mother’s Milk found many interested ears in the world of college music, but it was 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik that changed Frusciante’s life. The immense pressure of creating hit music, combined with relentless touring, was too much for the troubled guitarist. He left the band and crawled into a world of heroin use and depression that left the guitarist frail and near death. The eerie similarities between Frusciante and the end of Kurt Cobain’s life are very evident today. With the help of friends and rehab, Frusciante kicked drugs and rejoined the Peppers to record the critically successful Californication.
Frusciante is not a rookie when it comes to releasing solo albums. The 1995 release Niandra Ladies and Usually Just A T-Shirt and 1997’s Smile From The Streets You Hold were obscure, but then again, that was the point. The creative outlet and lack of pressure is something that Frusciante needs to keep himself from cracking. In 2001, Frusciante is returning to his solo work with the release of To Record Only Water For Ten Days.
To Record Only Water For Ten Days is as obscure and layered as it is melodically centered and impressive. The first track, “Going Inside,” is a fine example of the possibilities available to a rock star with the opportunity to write and perform music that is so unlike his superstar band. One of the surprising things about Frusciante is his rich and on-target voice. The track fuses acoustic and electric guitars with a drum machine and bass to create a staggered and layered piece of music that lays a background for Frusciante to sing his heart out. The lyrics are personal, “You don’t throw your life away/ Going inside/ You get to know who’s watching you/ And who besides you resides/ In your body,” but they mesh well with the guitar tracks.
“The First Season” opens like a ballad, and the melodic guitar/vocal exchange showcases Frusciante’s versatility. An acoustic guitar and some samples on a keyboard lay the foundation for the rich-sounding track. Frusciante sings, “Let the pretend take over/ And that season be the first/ Shadows we’re in become us,” and although the cryptic meaning of these lyrics challenges the average listener, they make perfect sense to the Frusciante, and that’s where he draws his audience.
It’s refreshing to see someone who can make so much sense out of so much chaos. In order for music to go to new levels or change from the simplified structure of today’s verse-chorus-verse pop, chaos must be thrown into the mix and when it works itself out, fresh sounds help create the music of the future. Frusciante may not be making the music of the future but by jumping headfirst into a musical world of different textures, rhythms and structures, he’s opening up paths to a new musical world.
“Remain” is another fine example of the continuity between the tracks on the record. A drum machine, samples, acoustic guitar and fading vocals mesh to form a track that refuses to fit any mold. The lyrics are sparse but fit the music perfectly. Frusciante sings, “I’m crowded when I’m gone/ I live here to seep thru this song/ Hey la/ I can’t go on/ I’m lost.”
The album closes out on a more upbeat note with the track “Moments Have You.” Throughout the record and on this track, Frusciante seems to be referring to the mysterious spirits that surround him. “All around you is to feel and watch you/ They make patterns to peel the sound/ And I find it a pain that goes along.” The guitar and drum track have a “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” feel to them at points throughout the song, but to end the song on an upbeat note is only fitting for Frusciante. This is a man who has been to both ends of the spectrum of life. He’s looked out into a sea of thousands of people adoring him as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and he’s looked into the walls of an empty home, frail and hooked on heroin. It only goes to prove that fame and money won’t solve all of your problems. Frusciante fought the demons in his life and for the moment has turned it all around.
To Record Only Water For Ten Days is a diverse and textured batch of folk/rock/indie music that draws strongly on drum loops and acoustic guitars. Obscure and challenging lyrics propel the record forward over the unconventional yet melodic music tracks of this excellent record. This is yet another milestone in the life of talented guitarist John Frusciante. For his sake, hopefully he won’t ever fall back into a world of drugs because, when healthy, he has so much to share with the world, even if a lot of it doesn’t make sense.
