Even at the relatively young age of 38, John Frusciante’s legacy is pretty much set in stone. He’s widely regarded as one of the best guitarists of his generation, and it was his induction into the Red Hot Chili Peppers that turned the band from a semi-famous funk-rock act into one of the most popular, critically acclaimed groups of their time. His virtuosic guitar playing helped define the band’s sound, and has been incredibly influential on the current crop of guitar players.

While playing with the Peppers, Frusciante has also built up a very prolific, but not widely publicized, solo-career. With these albums, Frusciante ventures off on his own, caring not about making radio-friendly music, but about taking his abilities to their very limit. This is especially true on his latest effort, The Empyrean, a truly ambitious and sprawling piece of work. You will not find any hit singles here, but you will find some interesting highly atmospheric music that showcases one of the best guitarists of our time in prime fashion.

The album wears a freak flag on its sleeve right from the start, with the nine-minute epic number “Before the Beginning.” To be honest, this was not one of my favorite songs on the album. The music is pleasant enough, and it’s tough not to enjoy the guitar playing, but I can’t figure out what the rhyme or reason for the song is. It just seems like nine minutes of guitar playing mixed in with some drumming that really starts to get on your nerves after awhile. The song doesn’t seem to symbolize anything; it just exists, and is admittedly somewhat entertaining.

After that, I had my doubts about this album, but soon things began to pick up considerably. The second track is a cover of Tim Buckley’s “Song To The Siren,” and it is a true shining moment on the album. Frusciante’s playing is beautifully understated here, and he recites the lyrics in a way that retains their emotional resonance; it is one of the strongest covers I have ever heard. This song shows that Frusciante does not have to be in your face with guitar hero techniques all the time. He is just as adept at using minimalism to create something truly special.

While the highs do outweigh the lows on this album, I feel there is one thing I should warn potential listeners of: if you have a short attention span, this album is not for you. Three of the tracks are over seven minutes long, and a lot of them are slow-paced and take time to reveal themselves. No matter how pretty some of the songs are, at times I wished a few of them would get to the point. A lot of them don’t really have a payoff or a climax to look forward to and just remain static. Still, the best tracks more than make up for this, and even the worst tracks are certainly not unpleasant. This is simply an album that requires you to give it a chance. Don’t dismiss the songs right away—let their quality creep up on you. If you can do that, you’ll appreciate this as a very well-made album.

If you like atmospheric music and prodigal guitar playing, check this out. If you only know Frusciante’s work with Red Hot Chili Peppers and want something to tide you over until their next album, look elsewhere… Unless you like drugs.