REVIEW: John Frusciante’s “PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone”
If you have followed the music of John Frusciante during, in between, and after his visits with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, you know that the use of the word eclectic is putting it lightly. For his new album, he is not only going deeper into that, but also elsewhere. It seems Frusciante now wants to explore his electronic side.
PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone (Record Collection) is an album that shows he still has a love for clicking his microphone on and playing the guitar, but the biggest different between this and older projects is that he now wants to explore the sample-based world and add everything from trusted breakbeats to jazz flourishes, and then getting electro and synthy to the point where some might say “what in the hell is he doing now?” I would compare this to Ad Rock & AWOL’s BS2000 project if they merged the trippy greatness of thelr self-titled debut album with the later work where they focused on the development of proper songs. One has to put faith in Frusciante’s work and say “okay John, take me for the ride, I don’t know where you’re going but I know I am secure with you.” Yet even with that faith, some of what he does here is a bit of a shock only because he has never gone down the electronic route in this fashion. Then again, considering that the tastes in the Red Hot Chili Peppers are also very diverse, perhaps this was a route unexpected but one that I’m glad he has taken. For me, it sounds like the album I’ve always wanted to make for myself, and I hope this gives courage to those who wish to express themselves in this manner. Mr. Frusciante, thank you.
(The album is available as MP3′s, vinyl, CD, and cassette directly from JohnFrusciante.com. Those who wish to order from Amazon will be able to buy the vinyl and CD versions only. If you click the Amazon boxes below, make sure you see which format you’re about to purchase.)
bread posted: 03 Oct at 9:34 am
this album is to the XXI century what niandra lades was to the 90`s, an avant garde masterpiece!I reed on the 90 the worst reviews ever about liandra lades ,now they call it a masterpiece, maybe to the square mind pbx will need another 20 years to be understood!
I personally love the album I have been waiting for a new liandra for 20 years,maybe this is it!It´s growing in me every time I listen to it !!thank you very much John!!!
thisisjohnbook posted: 03 Oct at 11:15 am
Most welcome. NIANDRA LADIES was one of my favorite albums as well, because it was so off-center and warped but I tend to be moved towards music like that. This new one is crazy but in a different way. The parallels make sense, and I agree.
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