The Empyrean

For Dante's description of the abode of God, see The Empyrean (Paradiso).
The Empyrean
Studio album by
John Frusciante
ReleasedJanuary 20, 2009 (2009-01-20)
RecordedDecember 2006–March 2008
Genre
Length54:02
LabelRecord Collection
ProducerJohn Frusciante
John Frusciante chronology
AW II
(2007) 		The Empyrean
(2009) 		Omar Rodriguez Lopez & John Frusciante
(2010)
John Frusciante solo chronology
Curtains
(2005) 		The Empyrean
(2009) 		Letur-Lefr
(2012)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Alternative Press[3]
Beats Per Minute80%[4]
NOW[5]
The Observer[6]
PopMatters4/10[7]
The Skinny[8]
Spin7/10[9]
Sputnikmusic [10]
Uncut[11]

The Empyrean is the eighth solo album by American musician John Frusciante, released worldwide on January 20, 2009 through Record Collection. Frusciante did not plan on a following tour, as he instead wanted to focus on writing and recording. The Empyrean peaked at number 151 on the US Billboard 200 as well as number seven on the Top Heatseekers.[12] On release it made number 105 on the UK Albums Chart.

Frusciante said that the record "was recorded on and off between December 2006 and March 2008," and is a concept album that tells "a single story both musically and lyrically."[13] The Empyrean contains a version of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren", from his 1970 album Starsailor. The record also features an array of collaborators and guest musicians, including Frusciante's bandmate Flea, and friends Josh Klinghoffer and the former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. Due to an error at the duplication plant, the United States CD release date was delayed until January 27.[14] On June 2, 2010, a new bonus track, Here, Air, was added to the album, freely available at John's website.

On December 11, 2012, Record Collection re-issued various John Frusciante albums released from 2004 to 2009, including The Empyrean. These re-issued albums are available on 180 gram limited edition vinyl. Each LP also comes with a download card for your choice of MP3 or WAV file.[15] The Empyrean was one of the most sought after John Frusciante LPs from the 2012 catalog reissue. According to John Frusciante's official website, the pre-order of the limited edition vinyl was sold out as of November 24, 2012; therefore, making it the first from the limited catalog reissue to do so. Additional stock of recording would be available in 2013.[16]

A ten-year anniversary reissue, recut by John Frusciante and Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes, was released on March 29, 2019. The reissue is a double disc LP that includes a download card of the album plus bonus tracks in hi-resolution.[17]

A song which was written during The Empyrean sessions, "Scratch", was released as a free download on February 18, 2014 as an introductory track to the full-length record Enclosure released April 8, 2014.

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 8 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[18]

  1. ^ "The Empyrean Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  2. ^ Westergaard, Sean. The Empyrean at AllMusic
  3. ^ The Empyrean ultimately proves that if things don't work out with his main gig, Frusciante as a healthy, slap bass-free career ahead. [Apr 2009, p.140]
  4. ^ Duncan, Hamish (3 February 2009). "John Frusciante - The Empyrean". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  5. ^ Bryan Borzykowski. "Disc Review". Now Magazine.
  6. ^ Chris Campion (January 16, 2009). "John Frusciante, The Empyrean Review". The Observer. London.
  7. ^ Nash, Cara (19 January 2009). "John Frusciante: The Empyrean". PopMatters. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  8. ^ Toman, Stephen. "John Frusciante – The Empyrean". The Skinny. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  9. ^ Shannon Zimmerman. "The Empyrean Review". Spin Magazine.
  10. ^ Jared W. Dillon. "John Frusciante The Empyrean". Sputnik Music.
  11. ^ Unusually for him, his 10th album sounds like a collection of Chili Peppers demos. [Feb 2009, p.82]
  12. ^ "The Empyrean Charting Information". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-01-31. [dead link‍]
  13. ^ "John Frusciante to release The Empyrean on Record Collection 1.20.2009". RedHotChiliPeppers.com. November 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  14. ^ "The Empyrean Physical Release Delayed to January 27th". Redhotchilipeppers.com. January 13, 2009. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  15. ^ "Limited Edition Catalog Reissues". johnfrusciante.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  16. ^ "Limited Edition Catalog Reissues Store". johnfrusciante.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-16. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  17. ^ "John Frusciante". johnfrusciante.com. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  18. ^ "The Empyrean Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2011-12-24.