John Frusciante - Curtains

`Curtains' was the last in Frusciante's six releases in six months. I don't know if the title was intentionally fitting but pulling the `Curtains' on the six releases, is very appropriate; whether it was intended or not! The album is predominantly chilled out, slow-paced, acoustic songs bursting with passion and tenderness at the same time.
On first listen to this album, I reckon some people would just throw this away as just another slow, boring acoustic record. Especially as most Frusciante fans are Chili fans who are familiar with Frusciante's funk, rock guitar playing with the Chili's or the fuller sounding solo Frusciante which encompasses a whole range of instruments and sounds. But you have to remember this is John Frusciante. Has anything he has ever done been ordinary? 

This is an album where once again, Frusciante pushes the boundaries of acoustic music, just like he has done with other genres in every other album he has made. Whether you think they were good or not; is not the point. He is always striving to be a better musician and I feel the majority of albums he has pushed the boundaries of not just his music but also pushed the standards set by other bands in the genres he has delved into.
The album kicks off with `Past Recedes' which is a great opener, as it has a nice warm, summery feeling to it. This is probably the most accessible song on the album, due to its simplicity as if he is breaking listeners in gently. The acoustic guitar chirps along while Frusciante's vocals come in with `1, 2, 3, 4 and then the past recedes'. Then about half way through the mouth organ comes in and makes a good song even better. I have always been a big fan of mouth organs as I feel the instrument releases good positive feeling sound which is very appropriate for this song.

After the initial track, as previously mentioned, it all feels like he is re-writing the acoustic song book. The way the songs are constructed and delivered are once again a testament to his imagination and the sheer talent he possesses. One of the tricks he uses in `Anne' and `Control' is to use silence. Now I know what I would be thinking when reading this. That bands do this all the time; for example Biffy Clyro. Where they have really quiet parts then suddenly go really loud. This is not like that at all. The silence is used in a different way because the purpose is not to make the listener spill their coffee as they jump out their seat. The silence in this case is like it is an instrument in itself. At first I was sceptical, as these songs just feel like they are stopping then starting again a few seconds later. But when you listen to the lyrics and the songs as a whole it really does work. So much so these are now my favourite songs on the album. They are invigorating and are just a couple of examples on the album of how Frusciante keeps his music fresh and different from what is out there at the moment.

Overall I feel Curtains is fitting way to end the series of releases. Not only because of the style of music but also the quality of it is reminiscent of the standards set through the rest of the albums he has released in 2004. Some may not have been as good as others, but with different styles, it's always going to be the case that people have preferences over the albums. But overall the standard has been very high. On the whole `Curtains' is a great album to relax to before you go to bed as it is never in a rush and is full of breathtaking music.