On 2009's THE EMPYREAN, singer/guitarist John Frusciante's umpteenth solo album, the Red Hot Chili Pepper once again mixes experimentalism with accessibility. While there are more rock-oriented moments (see the passionate "Central"), much of the outing resides in moody pop territory, most notably Frusciante's elegant take on Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren," which hews fairly closely to This Mortal Coil's classic version.
