Review: To Record Only Water For Ten Days/From The Sounds Inside [Frusciante Countdown]

To Record Only Water For Ten Days/From The Sounds Inside- John Frusciante

[Countdown to Enclosure]

by: Sabrina G

This is a two-for-one review.

To Record Only Water For Ten Days (abbreviated to TROW) is something of a landmark release for John Frusciante. Not only was it his first album recorded while sober, but it was also the first to really incorporate elements of electronica.
It lacks the dark brand of creative energy that fueled the recording and production of the first two albums, and brings listeners a new sound from John. There’s a definite influence from 80s New Wave and synthpop groups, particularly Depeche Mode. That influence is combined with the lyrical and musical genius that Frusciante seems to pull out of thin air, creating a really solid sound. The album also marks John’s step away from lo-fi, making it the first of his solo albums to be recorded with a heightened production value.

There’s a lot of significance in John’s shift from avant-garde lo-fi to a polished sound with a heavy electronica influence: it’s what he’s been doing ever since. This release marks John’s flirtation with electronic music. In recent months (since an August 2013 interview with Billboard), some fans have been angry at the notion that Fru is pushing aside rock music for electronic. To that I say: it happened thirteen years ago. All with this album. Though there is still a heavy rock presence in this album (and all subsequent releases), it’s impossible to deny that the shift had already occurred. On that note, there’s still a rock influence in his music (please refer to Wayne and Same, both songs are pretty much just guitar solo. Both released in 2013). All in all, I believe that THIS is the album that has shaped the sounds we can expect from John Frusciante (although that man is a mad genius and therefore kind of unpredictable).

This album brings perfect harmony to rock and electronica elements. A good example is ‘Going Inside’, the opening track. There is a killer riff mixed in with beats provided by drum machine and accents created by a synth. The rock elements are a bit heavier on this particular track. However, ‘Fallout’ is the opposite – the electronica elements take command on the track. Then you have a song like ‘With No One’… beautiful acoustic guitar played over the drum machine and synth. It creates a flawless harmony between the acoustic element and the electronic elements. That kind of balance is consistent in every song and on the album overall.

To me, one of the nicest things about this album is the 180 in vocal quality. While I adore John’s first two releases, I will admit that his voice was lacking power. I still think the vocals on Niandra and Smile are great, really strange… but great. However, the vocals on this album are refreshing and simply gorgeous. Actually, John’s voice is always very lovely. It’s a tad unconventional and you can hear the wear and tear as a result of his high risk lifestyle (for lack of a better term), but it’s still somehow perfect.

I chose to do a double review here because of how closely related TROW and From the Sounds Inside are. From the Sounds Inside is an internet-only release, comprised of unfinished or unmastered recordings from the TROW era. A few would later appear on TROW or other John release (namely the EP Going Inside and The Brown Bunny soundtrack). The download is no longer available on his site, but it can still be found here.

TROW is probably the landmark release in the Frusciante catalog. It marks a strong return to music for a recently sober John (outside of the Chili Peppers, of course. That’d be Californication) and a new stylistic approach. The album is beautiful, virtually flawless, and a perfect example of the genius present in all of John’s music.