Review Summary: John Frusciante shows off some great songwriting and beautiful guitar playing. Ian MacKaye of Fugazi produces the album with Jerry Busher of the band French Toast on drums.
John Frusciante is quite the musician. From January 2004 to January 2005 he released a total of seven albums. Flea, a fellow member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, calls Frusciante a pure artist. I can't think of a better way to describe him. The first album (or EP in this case) I bought from the series was the DC EP. The fact that Frusciante used no synthesizer and that Ian MacKaye of Fugazi and Minor Threat was producing it really persuaded me to buy it.
The first track on the album is "Dissolve" and it was definitely the best choice for the opener. It's a very catchy song and Frusciante's voice is a highlight. This is true for the whole album. A lot of Frusciante haters complain about his voice but they probably haven't heard it recently. It has seriously improved. Anyway, the opener is very strong complete with some beautiful guitar playing, a damn good solo, and Frusciante showing off a nice falsetto in the end. Possibly the best track on the album.
After this comes "Goals" which I guess you could call a little more low-key. It's still a very good track though and has a somewhat intimate feel to it. It starts off with just Frusciante and his guitar and about a minute in the bass and drums come in. As for the lyrics, I really enjoy them here. Usually Frusciante's lyrics are very obscure and I don't pay much attention to them but these are pretty good. A nice hopeful and uplifting song with a great climax.
The third track on the album is called "A Corner" and is maybe the catchiest song on the album. Frusciante's voice clearly shines on this song. There are some beautiful harmonies and also some spectacular parts in the verses. I think that it's probably the most memorable song on the album because of the great ending. Compared to everything else though, it does get somewhat boring after repeated listens.
The EP ends with "Repeating", the most emotional song on here and best suited to put everything to a close. Again the standout is Frusciante's voice. There is also some very tasteful guitar soloing going on here. And amazingly, lyrics that are actually pretty down to earth.
The DC EP is what made me a huge fan of Frusciante. Before I didn't think much of him. I then started realizing the big impact he has had on the sound of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. If you are any bit interested in him or the Red Hot Chili Peppers, get this album. It may be his most accessible since the lyrics make some sense, there isn't a lot of production, and the songwriting is great. If only this was more than an EP.
