Review: John Frusciante - Enclosure
[Record Collection; 2014]
Rating: 7/10
By Abbie Doyle, Copy Editor
Key Tracks: “Cinch,” “Stage,” “Run”
Boy oh boy. John Frusciante. Where to begin?
Just to give the unknowledgeable an idea of what this musician is like, let’s start by stating a fact: the man is wild. He’s a music-making machine who has fine-toed the line between life and death, who rocket-launched the Red Hot Chili Peppers to fame as well as a satellite containing a stream of his latest album, Enclosure. In 2012 he released the album that seriously catapulted him into the world of strangely experimental avant-garde, PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone.
This experimental realm, which has thick roots in the worlds of rock ‘n’ roll, electronica, classical and R&B, is a place in which Frusciante intends to stay. In 2013 he released the EP Outsides, which was as intriguing as it was weird. Made especially interesting by the contrasting titles, Enclosure picks up where Outsides left off and takes an even further journey into a world of strange.
“Shining Desert” kicks off the album and lets the listener know what’s in store. The difficult track begins with ominously low electronic beats and Frusciante sings, with several harmonic vocal tracks, “I tell you / I tell you / You hold my cards / You did from the start.” The guitar kicks in after a minute, and the essence Frusciante has created for himself--that of an uninhibited guitar master--begins to shine through. A rapid-fire drum machine creates beats no human could create, which is why Frusciante loves the equipment so much.
His love for the machine, however, can grow tiresome. It’s a little bittersweet to compare Enclosure to releases like Inside of Emptiness or The Will to Death, which are so painfully human and rooted in rock. Frusciante knows everything he possibly could about playing rock ‘n’ roll, which is why he’s so damn good at it. The massive amount of electronic effects is rather isolating; it lacks the personal touch that made Frusciante’s previous work so easy to absorb.
Only one instrumental track graces Enclosure, “Cinch.” The guitar work is John motherfucking Frusciante, loud and clear. The only difference between this style and his previous work is the mind-blowing amount of electronica. The record’s longest track, it is obviously a focal point and changes, grows and adapts in its whole seven-minute span.
“Cinch” builds and slows, then builds again in a different direction. The guitar carries it along, while the drum pattern varies drastically in its intensity. The rhythm changes from chilled-out to chaotic. It’s disorienting, it’s beautiful, it’s John Frusciante.
Frusciante goes slightly out of his way with the track “Fanfare.” Not one for blatant love songs, Frusciante surprises when he sings, “Stay with me every night / It’ll make you come to where life is never ever done / Forest green, it’ll say so / You know my heart is in my head / Cobalt blue, it will soothe you / It cleans the eye of misuse / I miss you.” During the bridge the guitar grows exponentially in power, reminiscent of a Led Zeppelin rock ballad.
Clearly Frusciante knows what he’s doing; there’s an undeniable sense of order and technicality to his release. Those not willing to dive into the weird may not appreciate this work. Acceptance may also be difficult for those who expect Frusciante to remain in the mold carved by his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The man will always be a rock god, but as an ever-growing and developing artist he refuses to stay in this niche. His expansion may turn off old fans, but those with a strong allegiance to Frusciante will undoubtedly find reasons to love Enclosure.
