John Frusciante – Letur-Lefr (2012)

Posted by Nick DeRiso

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If you think the name of erstwhile guitar god John Frusciante’s forthcoming EP is weird, check this out: It precedes a full-length project called PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone.

So, we’ll stick with the music … because it’s plenty weird too — a millennial amalgam of aerated, early 1980s-inspired electronics, soaring R&B vocals and gritty hip hop realism. You were expecting, like, guitar? Not so much on the former Red Hot Chili Peppers axeman’s Letur-Lefr, a progressive synth-pop surprise which arrives July 17, 2012, through Record Collection Music in advance of the subsequent album on September 25.

Instead, Frusciante delves deeper into sounds he’s claimed as influences for years like Depeche Mode, New Order and the Human League, but with new wrinkles courtesy of soulful wailer Nicole Turley (aka Frusciante’s wife) and RZA — the Grammy-winning producer/MC from Wu-Tang Clan.

Letur-Lefr opens with “In Your Eyes,” a track that quivers with a weird emotional fragility behind a series of thudding electronic beats. “909 Day,” with its icy synth and mechanized rhythms, then advances early experiments in new wave that go back at least to solo efforts like 2001′s To Record Only Water for Ten Days. It’s only with “Glowe” that we hear Frusciante (if only for a moment) mix in some guitar sounds, but — just like that — they vanish.

20 Things You Didn't Know About Rock N' Roll

01. When "Stairway To Heaven" is played backwards, you can hear the phrase "oh here's to my sweet satan..the one who's little path would make me sad, whose power is satan..he'll give you give you 666 there was a little toolshed where he would make us suffer, sad in the part of "if there's a bustle...".

02. The mighty final chord of The Beatles' "A Day In The Life" was played by ten hands in three pianos simultaneously: Lennon's, Mc Cartney's, Starr's, Martin's (their manager?) and Evan's (their roadie).

03. The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" is called like this because of an insult between bandmates. When Brian Wilson showed Mike Love (the band's singer) the new material, he said "Who the hell is going to listen to this?...the ears of a dog?".

04. Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" is named after the route that goes through Bob's home state, Minesota, and enters the Mississippi delta.

05. "London Calling" was part of a catch phrase ("Good morning America, this is the London Calling!") of a BBC show during World War II, of which the The Clash's guitarists Joe Strummer was a fan.

06. The night of Jimi's first gig, Jeff Beck was coming out of the club and outside he ran into Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend. With a frightened expression he told them "I think we're in trouble here!".

07. Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) has Bonzo's (Led Zeppelin's drummer) symbol, three intersecting symbols tattooed on his forearm.

08. "Layla" was written by Eric Clapton to steal George Harrison's wife, Patty Boid. Layla was the nickname Eric had given her inspired by a turkish legend (not so sure about that) in which Layla was the main character.

09. Zepp's "Black Dog" is called like this because when they were recording the song, a huge black dog entered the studio, that was located in a rather ...rural setting.

10. The Young brothers's sister was the one who recommended the school uniform to Angus for their first gig (Angus's age was publicized as being 15 to go with the school boy outfit) (thanx Evil Kid 93).

11. Steve Morse's (Deep Purple) guitar has 11 different pickup positions.

12. In 1968 Jimi Hendrix bought a studio located in the 52 West Eight Street, Greewnwich Village, New York, with the idea of transforming it into a nightclub. His sound tecnician convinced him of turning it into a studio and in August 27th 1970 "Electric Lady" officialy opened it's doors. Both recording rooms haven't changed a bit since Jimi jammed there (one still has the same paints hanging on the walls and sofas, and the other -Purple Haze- still has the purple console). When The Clash recorded "Sandinista!" there, they swear Jimi's spirit added an extra guitar line in the album. That may sound weird (and stoned) but the truth is that doors close on their own, floors creak and a magic can be sensed in the air (or so they say).

13. The three...symbols? in the cover of The Police's "Ghost In The Machine" are supposed to represent the band's three integrants...though no one knows why or which is which.

14. The Yardbirds were the ones who gave Clapton the nickname "Slowhand".

15. According to the South Park kids, The Cure's "Disintegration" is the best album of all
 times.

16. Def Leppard's drummer, Rick Allen, lost an arm in a car crash in the mid-eighties. However, Rick decided to keep on playing, and learned to do it with his feet and some programmed drum lines. The band continued as normal, and their next album with their "new" drummer was "Pyromania".

17. Mitch Mitchell, The Jimi Hendrix Experience's drummer took his first drum lessons with Jim Marshall (that's right, the guy who made amps!)

18. Van Halen's "5150" is named after Eddie's Peavey 5150 amp, which is built exclusively for him.

19. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the name (or slogan..not so sure) of a deodorant brand.

20. Jimi got the inspiration for "Purple Haze" after having a dream where he could walk underwater.

Rihanna's recent dates with a basketball star were just 'a distraction'.

 

Rihanna's recent dates with a basketball star were just 'a distraction'.

The singer was spotted with New York Knicks player J.R. Smith several times last month. While there was speculation Rihanna had fallen for the bad boy athlete, those close to the star insist she isn't interested in taking things any further.



'The dates with J.R. weren't serious,' a source told Look magazine. 'It was just a distraction ' another wild night where she met the wrong kind of guy and had too much fun.'

Rumours have been circulating that Rihanna has grown close to her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown again. They are believed to be spending increasing amounts of time together, which is reportedly the reason behind Rihanna's reluctance to commit to another man.

'She is definitely not over Chris. She tries, but then she'll bump into him at an event. and it takes her straight back. I think she clings to this idea that it's fate pushing them together,' a source revealed. 'It's always an, 'If with her when she's talking about Chris. She just doesn't make good choices when it comes to men.

CHICKENFOOT: 'Different Devil Tour' Setup Timelapse Video

A one-minute timelapse video of the setup for CHICKENFOOT's just-completed "Different Devil Tour" can be seen below.

CHICKENFOOT's album "III", sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's self-titled debut opened with 49,000 units back in June 2009 to debut at No. 6.

"III" was produced by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, METALLICA) and is the much-anticipated follow-up album to the successful eponymous debut of a rock band packed with successful veterans.Featuring guitar hero Joe Satriani and former VAN HALEN members Michael Anthony (bass) and Sammy Hagar (vocals), CHICKENFOOT's touring lineup includes legendary drummer/musician Kenny Aronoff, who is filling in for Chad Smith while Smith hits the road with his main band, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS.

 

After 16 years The Stone Roses have returned to official live

After 16 years The Stone Roses have returned to official live duty with the first show of their upcoming reunion tour on Friday night (June 8) in Barcelona, Spain.

Before commencing the tour, the band did play one unannounced warm-up show in hometown Manchester three weeks ago.

The surprise gig featured a 9-song set but the band expanded the tour set out to the full 12 song show.

2000 fans witnessed the 90 minute show at the Razzmatazz, Barcelona.