''I keep holding on to myself,'' the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist sings on ''The First Season.'' He sounds like he's holding on for dear life: While not as unhinged as his 1997 solo debut, this is highly eccentric. His hangdog vocals evoke Nick Drake and Syd Barrett, while tinny drum machines and tape hiss enhance the melodrama. Frusciante still practices innovative guitar terrorism, but it's his fractured personality that really holds water. B+
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