The record goes under his solo moniker, Trickfinger.
After recently announcing that he was returning to the Red Hot Chili Peppers fold, guitarist John Frusciante has just blessed his fans with another solo album under his Trickfinger pseudonym.
The record follows on from a string of releases under such title where Frusciante excites his electronic music lobe, taking punters on some sort of Aphex Twin-like trip through space.
So how is she?
Kicking off with ‘GR 8’, the rocket ship takes off with a glitchy, breakbeat-heavy track that’s fit for any Berlin dancefloor. It encapsulates the Look Down, See Us title of the album perfectly and acts as a teasing intro for the wide-ranging record that’s to come.
‘Meaning To’ catapults off the intro track’s final legs through the stratosphere and into the mid-sections of space, the atmosphere and thermosphere. There’s some relatability through the middle section of the track – the classic ‘Woo! Yeah!’ breakdown from Lyn Collins’ timeless track, ‘Think (About It)’, emerges to keep everyone on their toes. Is this most sampled breakdown of all time? Maybe.
Off the back of ‘Meaning To’, Frusciante brings us back down to earth with ‘Cymm Trace’, a banging house music track that calls a helter-skelter 200 bpm breakbeat its melodic bedrock. Incorporating tasteful guitar licks, horns and the like, the track transports us back to ’80s Detroit; it’s sure to launch any groove gremlin straight onto the dancefloor.
The title track closes proceedings and kicks off at about half the bpm of its predecessor. Ambient flickers pave the way for drum fills as things gradually intensify before it’s an all-out assault of glitchy electronica and tip-toeing electronic patters.
So that’s it, a curious journey that encourages listeners to take what they want. There’s no incursion, it’s welcoming and relatable and worth your self-isolation time.
John Frusciante’s new solo album, Look Down, See Us, is out now via Evar Records. Check it out via Bandcamp.
