oxfordstudents.com
25th January 2005, oxfordstudents.com
Many moons ago a young lad met a guy called ‘Flea’, who just happened to be looking for a guitarist to replace his recently deceased former band member. Sound like a likely story?
Perhaps not, but that’s when it all began, and the young, burgeoning band that is the Red Hot Chili Peppers sprang alive. Since then the band, not least the guitarist in question, John Frusciante, have (willingly or otherwise) lived life to the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll-fuelled full.
But how times change. After splitting from, then rejoining the RHCPs in ’99, the new (clean, straight…) Frusciante has a story to tell. His plan: six albums in as many months. Anybody sceptical? But as the sixth of these, Curtains contains every ounce of the raw emotion and maturity you would hope for. Showing a blatant disregard for mainstream desires, the songs have a simple, open, startling beauty – the result of a tempestuous two decades. The lyrics are telling and substantial, from the opener ‘and then the past recedes and I won’t be involved’, through darker spells right to the close.
Combining subtle acoustics and electric licks, pianos and harmonicas, it sometimes smacks of Dylan, but he pulls it off effortlessly.
by Rosie Spencer
