For anyone who hasn't heard guitarist John Frusciante's solo stuff and expects it to sound like Red Hot Chili Peppers, last year's psychedelic masterwork The Empyrean should come as a surprise. The closest he gets to his punk funk brethren is the staccato rhythm in album highlight "Unreachable," but Frusciante takes his own route from there. "Unreachable" broods in a darkness that Kiedis and Co. don't usually dare explore, complete with "No Quarter" keyboards and watery vocal effects. Frusciante displays his growing vocal prowess, starting with a Cat Stevens warble before roaring the climactic line of "HEEEEEYYYYY!!!! Shoot me!!!!" And of course, don't forget the arching, emotional guitar solo that makes up half the song.John Frusciante - "Unreachable"
