Daily UW review of Enclosure
Shirts weren’t the only thing missing during the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ (RHCP) Super Bowl halftime performance this year. John Frusciante, whose fleet-fingered riffs are featured in RHCP’s greatest hits, was also absent. While not surprising — having quit the band in 2009 — the lack of his soulful presence on stage was glaring.
Since his departure from the band, Frusciante has been busy pumping out records and EPs as a solo act: “Enclosure†is his 11th solo studio-album to date. It presents a markedly different sound than Frusciante’s work with RHCP. “Enclosure†dwells solidly in the realm of experimental electronica, rather than the funky punk-rock sound that helped to make him into a household name.
Several times throughout the album Frusciante completely dispenses with making music as we know it and instead revels in acoustical chaos, mishmashes of stoic vocals, discordant drum beats, abrupt hi-hats, soaring violins, and distorted guitars.
Fortunately, Frusciante is able to tease out riveting melodies from all the discord. He constantly toys with the fuzzy boundary between noise and music and offers up something that is undeniably original.
At its chaotic high points, “Enclosure†sounds like a Jackson Pollock drip painting: Numerous disparate melodies splattered over a blank canvas, each vying for attention but also collectively working together to evoke something greater.
While the experimental nature of “Enclosure†tries its hardest to alienate listeners by jarring ears at seemingly every turn, Frusciante always seems to have some method to his madness.
For those not frightened by the first few tracks, Frusciante treats listeners to “Cinch,†a track centered around a single beautifully structured and pensive guitar solo that shines as the emotional climax of the journey and also offers a soothing reprieve to weary ears.
As one of the most preeminent guitarists of his generation, Frusciante’s solo in “Cinch†stands up to his best guitar work with RHCP. It recalls hits like “Dani California†and “By the Way†with Frusciante’s distinctively deft, pinpoint timing and judicious strumming that compel his guitar to sing a captivating melody.
Unfortunately, not all aspects of “Enclosure†are similarly swell.
Despite Frusciante’s best attempts at balancing and juxtaposing the chaos with soothing vocals, the album as a whole feels daunting and almost pedantic. Frusciante’s lyrics are next to invisible throughout, his voice seemingly scripted for its sound rather than for adding any substantial sustenance. As a result, it’s not entirely clear whether there’s any coherent theme, message, or plot to the whole proceeding.
In the end, “Enclosure†is exactly the kind of album Frusciante set out to make when he left RHCP in 2009.
In a letter to fans explaining his decision, Frusciante said, “For me, art has never been something done out of a sense of duty. It is something I do because it is really fun, exciting, and interesting.â€
Free from the shackles of being a part of a commercially successful band, Frusciante explores music as he sees fit. And, for those who are open-minded and adventurous, “Enclosure†is a stunning, fun, and novel journey.
Just don’t expect any grand destination at the end of it all.
The verdict: “Enclosure†is lush and vibrant but a little thin in substance.
– Kewin Kwong
