The Empyrean

John Frusciante | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 27, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Adrenaline Records
• ASIN: B001MW0J2Y
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,948 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #32 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Emo

Editorial Reviews

The eleventh solo album from this enigmatic singer-songwriter and producer, best known as The Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist. This concept record features Flea, Sonus Quartet, Johnny Marr, and The New Dimension Singers. It's a record suited to dark living rooms late at night.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Takes His Listeners to the Empyrean, February 5, 2009

By 

Jeffrey A. Lunt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Empyrean (Audio CD)

John Frusciante is an amazing artist, a unique song-writer, and a remarkable guitarist (so expectations were high when I purchased this album). Initially, after listening to this album once (from track 1 to track 10), my thought was, "Great, John's gone soft. Where's the hard rock? Why do rock 'n' rollers go soft?" After I finished listening to the album, I was disappointed because I was expecting something heavier. (And by the way, this album isn't all soft; there are several moments of hard rockin'.)

Disappointment fades. I listened again...and again, a third time (from track 1 to track 10). Music has a tendency to grow on you when you take the time to appreciate it. Then, after several listens, I grabbed my dictionary and looked up the word, "empyrean." The "empyrean" refers to the highest heaven, or the Celestial Kingdom. Knowing this, I better understood the content and the overall feel of this album.

This piece of music, as John might say, is a representation of the empyrean, the highest heaven. Therefore, this music is meant to sound heavenly (not heavy or rock 'n' rolly). I was expecting a rock `n' roll experience, but John delivered a heavenly experience.

John: thank you for taking us to the empyrean with your guitar; thank you for taking us to a place where rock music almost never dares to ascend.

The Empyrean rocks...in a soft, heavenly sort of way. Buy this album and enjoy!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Albums Are Those Which Can Draw No Comparisons, January 27, 2009

By 

Hans Gruber (AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Empyrean (Audio CD)

John Frusciante's web site describes this album as "...the ways in which a person strives for what is beyond his reach. In his effort to go higher with every step, he sometimes dives down, only to find that when he reemerges he is always higher than he was before. The musical dynamics work in tandem with these inner rises and falls he experiences. He necessarily remains in a state of confusion and longing but is grateful for that, as without that he would not be becoming anything."

The record's concept of hitting rock bottom before ascending to heavenly heights accurately reflects the tone of the music, which ranges from solemn piano-guided nocturnes to epic rockers which peak with seemingly unending crescendoes. In between lies lush electronica, VAST-like soaring choirs, eerie orchestrals, and ambient noise. If there is an album with which to compare this to, it remains unknown here; The Empyrean sounds like every other John Frusciante album in that it doesn't sound like any of the other John Frusciante albums. This is the trademark which makes the man's music so sincerely unique; the pinnacle which every great musician must strive for.

Longtime Frusciante collaborator Josh Klinghoffer returns to this recording on keys and drums, while Flea delivers his own unmistakable style to many of the tracks, the lack of The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez being the all-star lineup's only letdown. Though the album is still new on the market, it has already sunk in it's bittersweet claws in that there are enough odd intricacies, fine details, and moments of repeated track listenings to guarantee this to be a record which will only sink in deeper with time. Forgive the cliche, but The Empyrean reflects Frusciante's entire musical career up to this point as a fine wine which only improves with age.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Record, February 19, 2009

By 

Iron Lion - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Empyrean (Audio CD)

Excellent work. Gets better with each listen. Lush and beautiful melodies abound as we'd expect from John. The instruments and choral vocals are brilliant. Was wishing for a little more rock and roll guitar, but this album's more holistic in its musical approach. The guitar adds texture to these beautiful songs.

John's vocal range is much improved and very expressive. There's still that guttural cry of his every now and again; imperfect but highly expressive. Delicate falsetto brings the best out of the melodies.

Not many if any radio friendly tracks under 4 minutes or whatever, which makes this release all the more worth buying. An excellent record for fans of music.