The Empyrean
John Frusciante released The Empyrean on January 20th 2009 and I stole it online a couple days after that. I still feel guilty about this because this is an album that actually deserves to be paid for. I am looking around Tokyo for John Frusciante T-shirts or something so I can somehow, mystically, make up for this.
The sounds and the blends and movements in this album are so sublime and the heightened sensitivity and aesthetic sensibilities that Frusciante has developed in the last few years are amazing.
Over the years including his time with the The Red Hot Chili Peppers, his five years of intense drug addiction and solo recording then his return to the Peppers and since, John Frusciante has continued to adapt and shape shift. He plays with everything from classic rock guitar methods from the Masters like Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa to electronica like Depeche Mode and other bands including The Cure and old school punk mainstays like The Damned and Fugazi. It can all be found in some way or another on “The Empyrean”.
It has been said by Frusciante that this album is telling a story both Lyrically and musically. This is not the type of album you buy to hear one track you “really” like. This deserves to be listened to in its entirety. The album is speaking a lot about life and how you can live it and mortality and the passage of time. Heavy and thought provoking. According to Frusciante its good “Late at night, at high volume in a living room.” I concur. Mix a drink and sit down on the sofa and soak this up. I really believe that the musical genius contained in this album transcends a lot of the standard boundaries people seem to have about the “genre” of music they like or don’t like.
This is the best album of 2009. Unless something really amazing happens in the next two months I don’t see anyone stealing that trophy away either.
Click here listen to John Frusciantes “Central” if the youtube video doesn’t work Listen
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Gaijinass 
Another group that I would describe in a similar way is “God Speed You Black Emperor.” Listening to a single song of theirs, or even several of them out of order doesn’t do it justice. It’s a band that you need to be doing nothing else but listening to them.
Hard to find music like that these days but it is out there.
I agree with everything you’ve said about Empyrean, I only got it 3 weeks ago but nothing else will do now!
Tamsyn…watch it….That album will totally take over your life musicly.
I was listening to it and it also dawned on me that it must be hitting like between 2 and 3 thousand megahurtz at certain points what with all the electronica he used…point is that’s heavy brain stimulation. I love listening to this when I write or when Im just zoning out and thinking. Whats your favorite track or do you even have one? They are all sublime and interconnected.
I LOVE them all but if I had to pick one, it would be Central.
I listen to the entire album at least once a day, musically- it’s magical!
yeah I agree. Central is really good…its also the most poppy and mainstream, but good.
Whatever- all his music is fantastic, and that is that!