Customer Reviews

Shadows Collide With People

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After gorgeous "to record wateer for ten days only" and two avantgarde previous releases Frusciante was touring with RHCP,he released another minimal music album through the internet. while first news about new studio release appeared i thouhgt that it will be another acoustic and drum machine based collection of introspective melancholic songs. i was wrong. i was truly shocked when i bought it and switched on my cd player. i also didin't knew any songs from it before.

"carvel" starts with ambient bubling but around 1.30 it grows into powerfull rocker.we have Bass,real drums,keyboards,guitars,clean good production - almost everything that was missing on his previous efforts.even John's vocals sound more powerfull.
other songs including highlights like "in relief","cut-out","the slaughter" and "every person" are amazing melodic guitar based songs with very personal lyrics.some cuts sound like some red hot's "by hte way" b sides ("water","this cold"). Frusciante's best friend,Josh Kilinghoffer plays amazingly on drum set and bass guitar,he even gets lead vocals on haunting "Ommision". My favourite songs is powerfull "Time goes back" were vocals,guitars and heavy bass sound just perfect.i bnet that it would be a hit if promoted by video and released as a single. There are three experimental ambient songs like creepy "000ghost7" that sound much different and wierd but they grow on you with every listening.

Overall,it is amazing piece of true rock genius,Fru is Ten years younger than all RHCP crew and he is still their most talented member. A stunning piece of music,get it now!

most people i know who hear johns first two albums are appalled and offended, usually refering in some way to a dying cat. or a man with his weiner slammed in a car door... i dont understand where theyre coming from those two records have remained two of my favorites, niandra for almost ten years, and smile for atleast six.. as a guitar player AND a singer there really isnt anyone in the same room with him. Smile From the streets you hold was a document from the bowels of heroin addiction with similar depth and bile as william burroughs' naked lunch.... and now john is clean his two albums since getting sober glow with the same elusive peace and gratitude that his first two could only shiver in the corner and dream about so few of us are pulled from those gates of insanity and death im so glad that today john is among them....

What can I say about John Frusciante that hasn't already been said? The man is a walking miracle, overcoming a near-death battle with heroin and parlaying the sanity he almost lost into one of the most successful comeback stories in rock history. While the first of his two comeback albums with the Chili Peppers, Californication, was a little too RHCP by-the-numbers for my taste, By the Way, the second, was the most musically mature pop album the Chili Peppers have released in their two decades as a group. I'm convinced that it's success stems not from the stereo-typical, fan-favorite tandem of Keidis and Flea but from the creative wellspring and innate guitar prowess Frusciante channels from the spirits and demons he has admitted he uses as inspiration. Following up on his wonderful, but inconsistent, To Record Only Water for Ten Days, SCWP offers overwhelming support for the above hypothesis. The opener Carvel, with a NES Metroid-like blipping, effervescent interlude, soars with the triumph of a man who has momentarily overcome that which none of us can escape, death. Carvel feels almost like a spiritual catharsis, a song that is on the precipice of translating a mystical experience into music. Omission, with the dichotomy of it's somber verse and upbeat sweeping chorus and solo could have easily fit in on By the Way. The song ends with a primal scream that sounds like it could have been delivered from the mouth of Kurt Cobain or Plastic Ono Band-era Lennon. Regret, when taken in context with John's first solo, Niandra Des Ledes, is poignant and beautiful, even if it is a little redundant. Water, the funkiest and perhaps most catchy and poppy track on the album, is another listening pleasure that could have been recorded for a Chili Peppers release. Perhaps my favorite track, Chances, is a collaboration with sonic wizard Omar Rodriguez of Mars Volta fame, on whose album De-Loused in the Comatorium, John provided lead guiatr work for the 13 minute jam-session that comprised the track Inertiatic ESP. Chances, which clocks in at barely two minutes, is a druggy track with a Revolver-era Beatles feel. It seems to be a retrospective look at John's life by the artist himself, with an assurance to himself and potentially despondent listeners that they still have a part to play in their lives even if it feels as though they have destroyed a much of it. Frusciante sings that "in the multi-dimensional scheme, you'll know what I mean." The song leads into another spacey instrumental, ambient-noise track, reminiscent of Meddle-era Pink Floyd that I appreciate but normally skip over because I've heard enough of the real the thing to last a lifetime. The final track, the Slaughter, a collaboration with bandmate Flea, is a great love ballad, an ode to loss that like most of Frusciante's songs has an undercurrent of hope beneath the exterior. SCWP is the most listenable, and accessible of John's albums, but not the best; that honor goes to the painful to listen to Niandra des Ledes & Usually Just a T-Shirt. It does however surpasse almost every other piece of work the man has created, and that even includes his famed recordings with the Chili Peppers from his teenage years and his last brilliant solo album. This, combined with the Frusciante-fueled progressive direction the RHCP took on By the Way, means we, as music fans, have much to look forward to from this artistically gifted phoenix.

I should first say that I am a HUGE fan of John Frusciante as both a musician and a human being. But even I was shocked upon first listening to this album at just how good it is. Many of the lush sounds of the Chili's BTW album are built on here, with John having singular artistic control. Some of the production values are raw, which some reviewers count off for, but I for one see as an endearing thing. (As in the case of the Beatles White Album). So much of the music here is simply beautiful, particularly the oddly titled "Slaughter" and "Omission". "Wednesday Song" sounds like authentic 60's pop, while "Carvel" reminds me of 70's prog music. This album is not easy to classify, but suffice to say it is worth owning for any lover of adventerous and beautiful music.

Those expecting to rock out are going to be disappointed. However, liking melody and depth over artists that use the same 3 power chords and sounding angry, this music struck many nerves (in a good way) that a lot of other works havent. the Lo-Fi sounds mixed in with the slide guitars, string arrangements, and other quirks and oddities make this John's best performance that I have listened to. It all seems to bind together in a way that most albums do not. Carvel is a great opener as it lets the listener know what they are in for; A more effects driven album rather than all guitars and drums. Every Person is tied for my favorite song on this album with its sweeping slide guitar over vocals ever few seconds.. really does something as far as bringing out emotion.. 23 go in to end is an absolute gem as far as listening to a song tell a story without words. Time Goes Back is my other favorite as it is a classic song with a classic rock feel to it *which is my style*
Overall, this album is forever in my car and on my computer available to listen at the touch of a button. Excellent work.

Shadows Collide With People is John Frusciante's fourth solo release (fifth if you consider From The Sounds Inside, his free internet album) and, in my opinion, his best. While the music is more polished than ever, what makes it different from his other albums, in my opinion, is the wider range of instruments and sounds used. Now it's not just John on vocals, guitar, and keyboards with a drum machine, but he also plays bass, and has Josh Klinghoffer (formerly from The Bicycle Thief) on guitars, bass, keyboards, and vocals; and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) on drums, on nearly every song. Other guest appearences include Omar Rodriguez (Mars Volta) on slide guitar on 'Chances' and '23 Go Into End' and Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) on bass on 'The Slaughter'.
While these set this album apart from the others, this is still John Frusciante, and each song is charged with emotion, and represents some of the most beautiful music I've ever (and possibly that you've ever) heard. In John's own words, Shadows is all about "interesting chord progressions." The music is as simple as it can get, the guitar usually plays just chords. But it does so in an amazing way.
While, as I said, this is his most polished album yet, this album's still not for everyone. If you think the vocals have to be good for the music to be good, you might not like this. John is not a typically good singer (not at all) and people sometimes cannot accept this. I personally think they're wrong.
This CD is unique in its own way, and it's the kind of music you can listen to a million times and still love it just as much.

this cd is awesomely great it shows the listener what a genuine and true musician john is, it also features a young talented musician by the name of josh klinghoffer who has proved himself to be a worthy musician the album is great from start to finish frusciante has some extremely wonderful tracks wednesdays song is one of them, this cold , second walk, song to ply when im lonely, and one of my personal favorites water.this cd is a must have u will ask yourself how could have went living without having this cd in your life

Sooner or later, every artist faces the dilemma of having to choose between popularity and artistic integrity. John Frusciante chose both. On "Shadows collide with people" he follows the same path as on the recent Red Hot Chili Peppers albums, writing catchy tunes and adding his deeper-going, multi-dimensional touch.

"Carvel" opens the album with eerie synth sounds leading into what seems to be a conventional pop song. However, the variety of sounds, themes and vocals John uses here is simply astonishing. "Omission" features co-songwriter Josh Klinghoffer on vocals. The interplay of the voices is just beautiful to hear. On "Ricky" and "Second Walk" John shares his newly-won life philosophy : "Be who you are, do what you do, not win or lose". "Every Person" and "Wednesday's Song" manage to be catchy and deep at the same time.

The highlights of the album are undoubtedly the last few songs beginning with "In Relief". Especially "Water" takes you to almost every station of John's musical career: the funky riff, the falsetto vocals, the somber yet joyous solo ot the end. "The Slaughter" is one of my favorite songs ever written by John.

All in all, "Shadows" is definitely John's most polished solo album yet, which doesn't prevent it from being as groundbreaking. Now he's proved he can work with conventional methods and still emerge with something fresh and new. Even the use of 60's harmonies and synths serves as a trampoline to the future. Which, according to John Frusciante, is very promising. This is the first Frusciante album with a clear positive and optimistic message, he stands up for everything he's gone through and thanks life for the experiences that made him who he is now.

This is the sequel of the story about the man who's won a life's struggle. John Frusciante is the I-narrator.

What a shock. I was really pleased with the Cali pop rock leanings of the last RHCP album and this record confirms the genius behind that sound. (Check out his website to hear three songs in full.)

"Carvel" is my current favorite among a large batch of great songs. This record is a grower, getting better with each listen. It is also a record that will make fans proud. After some rough years, this man will finally get the artistic acclaim he deserves. This record is smart, challenging and full of heart.

not a huge pep fan, really on and off with em. seen them twice live once with frusciante and their last concert with dave navaro. i saw them in 89 or something on the positive mental octopus and was taken aback when john did a solo song, a cover of something i dont remember but it made a huge impression on me.

i just had a listen to this record at the record store. it was the same way i approached to record only water.

i skipped to track 2, omission. that song hooked me right from the start.

what a great track. irresistable. i didnt get much of a chance to go through the whole cd but that song touched something deep inside me. i kept wandering back to get another taste of it. such pure raw emotion pouring out of the guy.

john if your happen to read this, man that song is beautiful! i could really feel it. so genuine.

well i am at home now and regret not having scooped it up. not sure how long i will be able to go without hearing that song again.

i say it is a keeper. probably will get it tomorrow.