The Empyrean

John Frusciante at some of his best. (Hard to say with him, because so much of his music has been so excellent and great.) Certainly at his most elaborate and "psychedelic" (as one of my buddies, and fellow long-time Frusciante fan, put it). I find myself re-listening to this a lot. The lyrics are often amazingly good, but perhaps a little more enigmatic than even his past lyrics (and he's always been consistent in writing such)! He made the Tim Buckley song "Song of the Siren" completely his own (check out the Cocteau Twins/Elizabeth Fraser version, too, by the way), and it's a wonderfully moving "break-up song". The opening jam is wonderful, and deceptively simple. The rest of the songs are all great, with the lyrics getting really good in the middle and near the end of the album. A wonderful, spiritual concept album which even I, as a Christian, have enjoyed very much.

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!

This album is amazing! Its great to see how for John has come since his early solo career.The first track is an instrumental that sounds like the sequel to Funkadelic's Maggot Brain. It truly is John at his best.The second track is an emotional outing with some great vocal moments.Unreachable, is very reminiscent of all the great things about Shadows Collide with People. Great thinking music.God, is a little more upbeat, mixing many of the sounds John has learned over the years.Dark/Light, is the soundtrack for a battle between good and evil. Excellent vocals with some amazing beats. The bass line repeats towards the end but its funky. Just note it goes from a choral display into this funky thing.Heaven, breaks things down. Nice light track. Fabulous harmonies and guitar work.Enough of Me, another John great!Central, a bit heavier than some other tracks. John displays his diversity in playing, singing, and writing.One More of Me is Epic! The lyrics are some of the truest I've ever heard regardless of what anyone may believe. The orchestral music builds this ambiance with the vocals and lyrics. The vocals may sound weird to you at first but this song is amazing!After the Ending is a great way to end the album! Light and tying all the thoughts together from the album.

I bought this CD more than two years ago, but never really took the time to sit down and listen to it until today. I can't explain why I waited so long to do so, since Nianda LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt is one of my top ten favorite CDs of all time. But I wish I had listened to this earlier. It is another musical masterpiece from Mr. Frusciante. There is not a bad song on here.

I can't express my love for this album! It's probably my favorite album of all time. It's great for meditation and yoga practice. I love to listen to Before the Beginning right before I fall asleep at night. Song to the Siren was beautifully interpreted; you can really feel the sense of longing. Flea's bass on Unreachable is perfect, and it's very easy to just get lost in your own mind when you hear Dark/Light. Heaven is beautiful, Central is beautiful, the whole album is BEAUTIFUL!

This album is amazing.. The lack of the rest of his solo back catalogue is a bummer.. but they’re putting out a limited time only Curtains.. they’re being delivered this week most likely.. idk know if you can still currently order it

This is very likely to be one of the top 3 albums to be released in the past 60 years. If you're new to John Frusciante's solo work, give it one or two full plays through. Also, pay attention to John's recommendation of listening to it very loudly, late at night while you're calm and relaxed. It will creep into the deepest parts of your soul.

The Empyrean is John Frusciante's long awaited new studio album and it doesn't let you down: we find here the fragile songwriting we loved on "Curtains", the experiments of albums like "The Will to Death" and the smooth songs that graced "Shadows Collide with People"; the cover from Tim Buckley ("Song to the Siren") is one of the highlights.A word about the package: the two vinyl records are housed in tight paper sleeves that look just like two sheets glued together, extracting them can result in a damage with scuffs or even scratches.The A-side of the first record is pressed in an "eccentric" way, causing a great amount of tonearm horizontal movement, I don't know if that's only a problem with my copy... you can actually hear some pitch bends as a result, and it's a pity.

The Empyrean is one of John Frusciante’s best solo albums. While lacking some of the intensity of his work with RHCP, especially Stadium Arcadium, which is a masterpiece The Empyrean still carries through with great riffs and subtle melodies. The lyrics - as always - are worth the time deciphering. I find Frusciante to be genius, strange at the best of times, fragile and tremendously creative. He seems born to wield the guitar.The Empyrean does nothing distasteful or out of place. The tracks flow in the same direction, culminating in the final song, which reflects on dying, the mystery of it, and the great wheel that transforms us.In-between each song reflects his mastery of the guitar and lyrics. Frusciante is a creative force to be reckoned with, and while not yet considered “mainstream,” is a diamond in the rough.It seems the vision Frusciante possesses has come at a cost. The pressures of instant fame with the Chili Peppers and a period spent living in the fast lane has altered the man, but his gentle nature has survived and he has gone on to produce some thought-provoking music.Not since Shadows Collide With People has his music been so on-form, teasing with lyrical charm, and confident in what he has to say.One aspect to The Empyrean is a fuller sound. He uses keyboards quite a lot. Percussion is background, but still a driving force in most of the tracks. The magical flights of guitar are still there, shy at times, thundering at others.This, almost lost, musician is going strong.Four stars!

Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist, John Frusciante, is the kind of guy the word "virtuoso" was invented for. Supremely talented, both as a songwriter and musician, and prolific, his solo albums have ranged from the excellent to the barely listenable - but always uncompromisingly artistic and creative, so it is always interesting when a new piece of work is released. I'm delighted to say, however, that "The Empyrean" is extremely good and there are songs contained within this album which rank amongst John's best ever compositions and performances. The album opens with "Before The Beginning", a long, but understated, instrumental, featuring a nice extended piece of John's guitar-work. The subtlety continues with "Song To The Siren", a delicate, gentle and rather lovely Tim Buckley composition. All well and good so far, but track three, "Unreachable" is when the album begins to get a little bit special. Enhanced by a beguiling electric piano from album collaborator, Josh Klinghoffer, a superb bassline from fellow Chili Pepper Flea and a magnificent guitar solo from the man himself, John delivers the first powerful classic of "The Empyrean".The next track, "God" is also fantastic, a narrative from the point of view of "the creator" and has brilliant dynamics. "Dark/Light", an eight-and-a-half minute slice of eclectic creativity, is another undoubted highlight of the album. However, no matter how good the rest of this collection is the centrepiece of "The Empyrean" is the unbelievably great "Central". This composition and performance is, arguably, Frusciante's greatest ever solo release, with blistering vocals, explosive drums and guest-starring Johnny Marr on additional guitars. At over seven minutes long, the climax of the song is just scintillating and one of the finest things I've heard this year. Now, everything on this album is good, some of it fantastic, but "Central" is just a cut above. It would have made one great Chili Peppers song, that's for sure, but, given the treatment on this album, I'm quite glad that John has kept it for himself.For fans of John Frusciante and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this album is a must. It should quench their appetite for new material nicely and will probably pleasantly surprise, if not thrill, most who haven't braved a Frusciante solo album before. However, regardless of John's connection with his full-time band, this is an excellent piece of work and rivals John's 2004 Masterpiece "Shadows Collide With People" as his best ever release. This is a beautifully textured and magnificently performed collection of songs which should appeal to all lovers of intelligent and alternative rock music. It will also leave you in no doubt who the source of the Chili Peppers' greatest melodies is and the musical driving force behind their greatest moments, post-Californication.An exceptionally good album with some incredible moments. Highly recommended.

This is an excellent album. I enjoy listening to every track. John Fruscianti has an unusual but versatile voice and this collection of music displays its breadth superbly. The musicianship is top drawer and although some of the tracks are like long jams and almost an exercise in frugal playing they remain interesting to the ear. One or two of the tracks have stand out bass tracks on them and I find myself focusing on the bass on these pieces of music almost in the same manner that I sometimes do with a vocal on some of my other favourite songs.Sorry that this is such a basic review. I would have liked to have named the bass player and stand out tracks but the disc is in the car, and as yet I haven't had time to really study the music and read the liner notes mainly because all of my listening is now done on my journey to work.

Lovely album, vinyl sounds great , and for the amazon warehouse condition, it is pretty good, only a few creases and marks on the sleeve, nothing serious at all

When I first heard this album, I wasn't entirely sure about it - after the excellent run of releases like The Will To Death and Curtains, this album had plenty to live up to. Ultimately though fans of Frusciante's earlier work won't be dissapointed, with the album delivering atmosphere in spades, particularly on the epic, melancholy opener "Before The Beginning". Worth a listen, and very much suited to the vinyl format - this is an album you should invest time and concentration on. Put the record on your turntable, sit down on the couch and immerse yourself in it; you'll feel rewarded for your efforts.