John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer A Sphere In The Heart Of Silence. Release Date : November 23, 2004. Label: Record Collection. Rating: Andy doesn't dig rating stuff. Is this the last entry from John Frusciante for a while (it's not, I just got a new one the other day)? I don't know, I didn't get all of his newish cavalcade of CDs yet, so there may be more. An album a month for six months is quite the task, and most people would run out of ways to make that much quickly-released music really interesting and diverse. Not so with Frusciante. His well of twisted creativity seems to never run dry. Ah, the effects of drugs and an arty mind... This one is under the names John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer, and from all indications early on, it's a strange collection of science-film soundtrack noises, all electronics and ambience. It sounds like mytosis or something. Separating cells, reproduction, fast motion comes to mind... anything sciencey on fast motion... clouds overhead, a blooming flower, changing seasons. It doesn't really seem to go anywhere in the first song. It just meanders along for a while. Is this some sort of strange trip-out session, or an interpretation of what's heard when tripping out, or are they inspired by trance raves, or what? No matter, it's pretty gutsy to toss something like this out there... I can't imagine many situations I'd be in where I'd say "hey I really feel like listening to that album..." Unless I were actually tripping out. Oh wait here we go. Near the end of "Sphere," the first song, we get a beat, very heartbeaty, and a simple but soulful guitar overtop of everything. And it builds. Ah so they just kept us waiting for a bit to see if we'd stick around. Now we're going somewhere. Not far, but somewhere. More noises are tossed onto this heaping pile of sounds... everything seems like it's building up to something. It's either gonna stop suddenly or morph into the next song is my bet...oh I was wrong! It just starts slowing down again. That heartbeat is still there though. Now I am intrigued. Now I'm drawn in. I bet this was their plan. I kept hanging on because at some point, I thought, these guys have to be clever enough to make something worth my while on here. I feel like they were testing us with that first song. "The Afterglow" is rave music. Frusciante uses his high, sad-sounding voice here just for some awwwww's and distorted, repeated vocal lines. It's more like a remix of one of his own acoustic songs than anything else. So far I'm kind of feeling like this album is really self-indulgent, but I'm all for exploration. It's a nice-sounding song though. It becomes more of a song as it goes along. And there's strings in this (synth or not...), and you all know well enough by now what strings do to me... they often make me fall in love with something. It has a feeling of being thrown together chaotically, but everything seems to serve a purpose. And Frusciante starts yelling at the end. Powerful stuff. This is a good song. As with some of these other albums, these songs are super long, but never boring. It's an album that needs to be dissected... there's a lot happening beneath the surface on here, lots of sounds you can't pick out until you listen closely. But maybe they aren't supposed to be consciously registered. Frusciante just breaks into insane screams in "Walls". This is like Frusciante meets Bjork. There's lasers and beats and chuckiddy background noises. It's all pretty jarring... the middle of "Walls" suddenly heaps full of these hacked up drum pieces. I'm honestly a bit spoooked now. If the songs until now were tripping out, this is a bad, bad trip. Maybe we're being taken on one of his/their horrible drug experience(s). Considering Frusciante's past, that wouldnt be surprising... people need to gain awareness, and artists always bore a track straight through their own minds for people to explore. And on the next song, "Communique"... a peaceful calm ... wind and piano. The juxtopistion is disturbing, going from the jarring "Walls" to this. Very feminine vocals from Klinghoffer come in... beautiful. And still spooky. It's like death has descended after someone went stark-raving mad. And it's a song that really doesnt end... but gets a bit louder... The voice is warbly, and I'm almost unable to make out different words. But there's talk about trying to start a fire, no doubt to get out of this wind we're hearing. Man, this is harrowing to listen to, it's really emotional. Simple things can be incredible. Some people can make a never-changing song amazing, where others just beat a dead horse. I envy these mens' talents. I love the opening melody of "At Your Enemies". It sounds like we're underwater listening to a submarine. These feminine vocals again. Klinghoffer has a very delicate voice. Now there's a helicopter-like sound, still distorted... this drips all sorts of visuals into one's brain. A light guitar tick suddenly and briefly hints of something coming up. We're plunged back and forth between silence and noise with wild abandon. They are really messing with us. Wow. "Surrogate People" is disturbingly feminine and gorgeous. Chanting, trance... it reminds me of something but I can't place it. That electric hum at the core of the song is very familiar. No matter, it's really turning out to be a nifty disc. Frusciante's backing vocals are a bit weird on this one... it sounds like the dentist just asked him to say 'ahhh.' But oddly, "My Life" is just a repeated statement of 'my life goes blank' by Frusciante over a piano... who let Josh Groban into the building? Or... a male Tori Amos... it's very pretty and tinkly and acrobatic. What a strange collection this is. The songs barely go together, but because they are put together and we have no choice but to hear them this way, they create one helluva story... that's a short song to end it succinctly. Life was never what you thought. Song of choice : After all that, the self-indulgent "The Afterglow" ends up being my favourite! Although that short track "My Life" is pretty amazing too. -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere John Frusciante website Published : February, 2005.