This was my favorite album of 2004 and I almost didn't buy it. I knew John
Frusciante as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers who left the band in
the middle of a tour and the nearly destroyed himself over a drug addiction. I
never would have imagined him as being such an amazing lyricist, nor would I
have ever dreamed that he'd have such an appeasing voice. Luckily for me, both
these things are true.
John seems to have traveled into a different time and space after (or
during) his drug binging days, but that in combination with his impressive
interest in what most would consider complicated mathematics makes this CD
original and refreshing. The entire album, even with a track like "Regret",
which only has two lines repeating through the entire song ("I regret my
past/Stay alone"), makes you find yourself both emotionally crippled and
mentally renewed. Many may also enjoy the religious undertones that are
prevalent through the album, but not in favor of Christianity.
There are three "breaks" in the album which are still songs in
their own right, but seem to be more experimental then intentional. The first
two, -00Ghost27 and Failure33Object, I can't tolerate listening
to for more then a minute due to the high pitched tones and repetitiveness. The
third, 23 go in to end, is actually very beautiful and well arranged. I
never skip that track!
This was released on Warner Brother Records, but John released 6 albums/EP's
within a 6 month time period on a label known as 2004 Record Collection. They
aren't as high quality as Shadows... is, but they are still worth
owning.