Q Magazine
June 2004, Q Magazine (UK)
The tale of John Frusciante is one we’ve heard already this year. It’s about a guy who’s part of a successful group. Who, after some dark episodes, vanquishes his demons. And who, after a few misfires, makes a solo album that’s more coherent than his others. News to him, probably, but John Frusciante is the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Graham Coxon.
As The Will To Death is at pains to show, though, it’s much more serious than that. Frusciante is the random element in the Chili Peppers – he’s the experimental music buff – and this album, avowedly the first of six in six months, sees him trying to reconcile his commercial side with his more esoteric pursuits. As ever, compromise proves a tricky business.
There’s definitely a side to the record that smacks of hanging out in a loft discussing prog rock with Vincent Gallo. However, it’s one that’s less easy to find than the one that contains some potentially highly commercial music, were it not for the underwhelming production. Heavily loaded with good ballads like Loss and Unchanging, you occasionally find yourself craving Pro-Tools and an overdub, even wondering how Elton John would perform the songs. While signature Chili Peppers qualities – accessibility, tunes, the dark side of the Californian dream – are in evidence, in the main this is a severely bummed-out album, seeming to recount a period in Frusciante’s life when he felt he should probably buck his ideas up a bit. After a nice head-clearing walk, say, maybe it would have had a greater sense of purpose, but that kind of focus can perhaps be saved for the day job.
