Album Review: John Frusciante - PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone

PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone. The words are emblazoned on the album cover in crudely painted scrawl as a warning sign, as if to say “beyond here there be some weird shit”. We have learned not to be fooled by his long residency with The Red Hot Chili Peppers: guitarist/singer/songwriter John Frusciante is one trippy cat. If you have mistakenly wandered into this album expecting to hear an 'Under The Bridge' or 'Scar Tissue' turn away and run. This time around he is indulging his electro freak persona and the strange is turned up to 11 rather than the guitars. It is a crash course in experimental electronics and it yields some amusing results that are bound to draw in some as it turns others away.

Guitars are certainly present but they rarely take center stage. Instead we are treated to an assortment of booming bass synths, buzzing keyboards, drum machines, and banks upon banks of effects peddles. Here and there, among all of this, nuggets of his sharp pop mind surface. Behold the gorgeous mumbled harmonies of 'Ratiug' (hint: read it backwards) and the tasteful use of Wu-Tang affiliate Kinetic 9 to punch up the finale. The funky beat that slides into the last 30 seconds of closing track 'Sum' is a genius stroke that teases before shutting up completely. Some of these concepts are simply too unwieldy to execute; others are all the more endearing for existing in spite of that. On the surface 'Uprane' is just a jumble of acid-damaged trip hop, but there is actually a coherent song buried under all that noise. 'Bike' collapses into mountains of avant jazz and break beats and becomes entirely incomprehensible. These compositions are volatile but Frusciante's knack both for the abstract and the beautiful make it work far more often than it falters.

I don't usually write about bonus tracks on albums unless I consider them of particular importance to said album. That is the case here with an A Capella version of 'Ratiug' and 'Walls & Doors'. The former will honestly make some people leap for the fast forward button. It is exactly what it says it is: one of the album's best track stripped of its guitars and inherent funkiness but you cannot deny that he has a heavenly voice. The latter was released to the public a few weeks before the album dropped. It really has no need to exist outside of the main album tracks as it would fit in seamlessly. It turns out he found a way to fuse prog rock with drum and bass.

If nothing else, PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone serves as a reminder of the power of unbridled creativity. John Frusciante has not held back an ounce in the creation of this album and that alone would be worthy of our attention. The fact that it has some moments of absolute brilliance in it is just a bonus to the listener.

Rating: B+

Recommended tracks: Ratiug, Sum

From the Professor's Page: The end of 2012

The beginning of September heralds many things. One is the beginning of Spring (or Autumn / Fall if you're in the Northern hemisphere) but it also marks the beginning of the end for the current year. Everything gets busier and ramps up as the months slip by and, before you know it, its goddamned Christmas already. With this in mind I have set about highlighting five albums that should make this final third of 2012 a more joyous and awesome (or perhaps bearable) time to be a music fan.

1. Down – Down IV Part 1: The Purple EP (September)

As a metal fan it is practically mandatory to be a Pantera fan. Although I can't count the number of times I have had a raucous party that involved giving The Great Southern Trendkill a spin they were never my favourite of the metal pantheon. When I first heard Down in 2002 I fell in love with their downbeat metallic stylings. Their long awaited new album Down IV is being released as series of four EPs. These are the first recording with new bass player Pat Bruders (Crowbar) and promise to be every bit as captivating and ruthless as the previous records. Parts two, three, and four will all apparently be released next year which gives us even more to look forward to.

2. John Frusciante – PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone (September)

Is it a coincidence that Frusciante's more conventional solo albums (To Record Only Water For Ten Days, Will To Death, The Empyrean) came while he was in the thick of his “day job” with the Chilis? It is time to put that theory to the test. Since stepping away from you-know-who he has been keeping a very low profile and keeping his cards close to his chest. Who knows what it is going to contain other than a particular cryptic quote about being “progressive synth pop” and the bizarre Letur Lefr EP released earlier this year . The title PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone … first off, what the hell? … is apparently made up of words that Frusciante feels describe his creative process. Godspeed you strange, strange man.

3. Tame Impala – Lonerism (October)

Australia's Tame Impala really took me by surprise with their full length debut Innerspeaker in 2010. All of a sudden Aussie rock was about more than daft haircuts, spilled lager, and black wifebeaters. This young trio embraced the might of 70s psychedelic rock and came off like the golden bastard child of The Beatles and The Flaming Lips. To say I'm eagerly anticipating Lonerism is a severe understatement. Hopefully these talented cats can sidestep the dreaded sophomore album slump but the two songs released from the record so far ('Apocalypse Dreams' and 'Elephant') all seem to be pointing in a positive direction.

4. Deftones – Koi No Yokan (November)

The last Deftones album, 2010's Diamond Eyes, was a triumph and an emphatic return to form in the face of tragedy. While bass player Chi Cheng's future remains uncertain after the terrible accident in 2008 the band are forging ahead and striking while the iron is hot with Koi No Yokan. Vocalist Chino Moreno has stated in interviews the similarities between this new album and genre classic White Pony. Since I'm pretty sure he says that about every album of his before it comes out perhaps the wisest move is to wait until the November 12 release date and see for ourselves.

5. Soundgarden – King Animal (November … or whenever)

Forgive a little skepticism on my part but the release date for this is anyone's guess really. Soundgarden were also met with skepticism by some when they announced that their reunion tour was not a nostalgia trip but a full-blown return. I for one am intrigued at what the veterans will come out with. I maintain my position on this despite their only new song ('Live To Rise' from The Avengers soundtrack) being lukewarm at best. If nothing else they have earned our patience though and I am happy to wait for as long as it takes.

It has been a great year so far and if these five examples are anything to go by then the good times are nowhere near over yet.

- Professor Ricardo K