Hey Everyone,
Today I’m reviewing John Frusciante’s latest venture “PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone”. Please feel free to comment and or leave suggestions for further reviews. OK, let’s get started.
OVERVIEW
PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone is Frusciante’s 11
th studio album. It was released by Record Collection Music and features 9 tracks (the Japanese release features 11 tracks)for a run time of around 38mins. The album was written, mixed, and produced by Frusciante himself. Frusciante does all of the instrumentation on the record with the exception of one track which features Laena Geronimo on violin. He also does all vocals and backing vocals throughout the album with exception on one track featuring a rap from
Kinetic 9. The genre of this album is described as “progressive syth pop”, but in actuality covers a VERY wide range of genres. If you are looking for a mainstream pop album or anything that closely resembles Frusciante’s work with the
Red Hot Chili Peppers, I would not recommend this album for you, for it is a far cry from that. There isn’t much profanity on the album, I believe the only profanity comes via
Kinetic 9’s rap. However due to the complexity of the album I would recommend for ages 16+.
LYRICS
Frusciante definitely has a main lyrical theme throughout the album. It is one of understanding and acceptance. His lyrics really push you to accept who are, for that it is the only way to make sense of your life. He shares a lot personal experience through his music, both positive and negative, and sheds light on his struggles with stardom and living up to expectations. In a nutshell his lyrics push you to see past your own set personal expectations set by others. Free yourself from their bondage, be yourself and set yourself free. The lyrics are deep, poetic and not always very easy to understand. Like most of the album it’s very complex.
RATING: 3.5(of 5)-GOOD
SOUND
As with the lyrics Frusciante is definitely expressing himself freely, at times too freely. The songs are constantly changing musically which can make it somewhat hard to follow. However, I personally enjoy this, it is a nice break from the “cookie cutter” formula of mainstream pop. The tracks “Ratiug” and “Mistakes” are the most mainstream, but are still a long shot away from most music hear on the radio these days. The best way I can describe the sound of this album is a kind of avant-garde electronica sound. It’s kind of as if Captain Beefheart came back to life and used modern recording techniques to make a new album. Needless to say it’s not for everyone, but I would highly recommend this album for the more “adventurous” listener.
RATING: 3.3(of 5)-GOOD
PRODUCTION VALUE
Overall I felt the album was well produced, especially for the amount of instrumentation going on throughout. However, at times throughout the album I felt the vocals were pushed too far back making them hard to understand. Also at times throughout the album there are abrupt stops in the music as it changes, which in my opinion hinders the flow of the song. Being that this album was produced with a very small production team (Frusciante), I have to say it was done pretty well and in my opinion should be enjoyed as LOUD as you like it.
RATING: 3.3(of 5)-GOOD
CUTTING EDGE FACTOR
Now we get to this albums strong suit. With the amount of genres that this album crosses it is very “unique“. With that being said it’s audience is going to be very eclectic. As I mentioned before it’s not for everyone. If you are someone who enjoys music that you won’t hear on the radio, or someone who enjoys the chaos of free jazz arrangements I would highly recommend this album for you.
RATING: 4.8(of 5)-AMAZING
OVERALL
3.7(of 5)-GOOD
As always thanks for reading and please comment and or leave suggestions for future reviews. I hope you found this review helpful. -Gary-
If your are interested in checking this album out for yourself please click the link below.
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