Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium

ALBUM REVIEW

I know this album isn't exactly new at this point, but it doesn't make it any less enjoyable. It's safe to say that I've always been a fan of these guys, and what's continued to amaze me is that as they mellow, they've been able to produce some really choice songs that are often only fully appreciated with distance. I know that everyone heard "Under the Bridge" a zillion times, but if you can go back, and listen to it now, it's really something great.

While the fellas can still be madcap, zany, raunchy and wild, it's the moments when they show what they've learned along the way that really standout. This is a double album, which is an undertaking that immediately gains my attention. The question is always whether the artist just had a lot of junk laying around and couldn't edit themselves, or did they create a really big something good. I think that this album is the latter. Not only is the musicianship here some of the best the band's put forth, but there is a feeling that these two discs of music are a part of one cohesive record.

It doesn't hold a lot of rockers on it, but it does have a lot of guitar nonetheless. You can't have Flea in your band, and not end up with some great bass work, and that's still there as well. I will say that Anthony Kiedis' greatest strength as a vocalist is that he's not a great one. He gets the most out of what he has, and I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that both Flea and the returned John Frusciante provide backing and harmony vocals for him.

As with almost any album, there are some tracks I love, and others I could have done without. This is really a nice batch of music though, so let's get along to the cosmos they hath wrought.

If you haven't seen the video for the single "Dani California" then just listen to the song first. It is an excellent bouncing romp in typical fashion, and will have you hooked rather easily. There's a real thunder to the guitars in the chorus, but they're almost hidden behind the catchy vocals. The Peppers always seem to have a killer single from their albums, and this is no exception. Speaking of that video, it's one of the best of the year, as it takes us down many a musical path of the past with uncanny accuracy(and a freakin' awesome guitar solo).

The fluid guitar run that flows through "Snow (Hey Oh) is what grabbed me right away. The song tumbles along musically, and the vocals counterpoint at each juxtaposition. There's almost a rhythmic chant quality to this song, and it's definitely one of my favorites from the whole bunch.

There's nothing wrong with throwing a sunny, funky song that's just slap-bassy, and wacka-chicka guitary enough to make you feel at home. Sure, the guys can probably do "Charlie" standing on their head, and this might have just been some improv that became a song. It doesn't set the world on fire, but it doesn't make you want to leave either.

There's a very plaintive lilt to the spacey lyrics and the whole title track. "Stadium Arcadium" is all whispy and Milky Way, and as with some of the words, you might have to listen and delve a little to get the point, but there's always one there. Is it my favorite song? No, but it's really good music to have on to just lay back a little while.

Ahhh, the ultra funkee jam that is nothing but innuendo and bravado! Now we're in Pepperland. "Hump De Bump" is a straightforward song about Keidis' youth disguised as a Sly & the Family Stone jamboree. It's strictly undeniable, and a whole lot of fun with abandon.

For whatever reason, "She's Only 18" doesn't really grab me too much. It's once again a well-crafted song, and it's got hooks too. I am probably alone in my perception, but I feel like there's almost a bit of Cream in this one. I know that it's better to just describe a song on it's own merit, but I felt the need to put that one out there.

Maybe I was just gearing myself up for "Slow Cheetah" on that last track. This is a fantastically stripped-down ballad of dusty trails. It's sage brush and the way the shadows flicker from a campfire. If you listen really closely, I swear you can hear a coyote in the background. This has gotten many spins since my first listen, and it doesn't lose a thing.

"Torture Me" is a song that seems to be played at breakneck speed. I don't mean it's hyper-speed funk licks like Bad Brains or anything. I just mean that there's this feeling of being on the edge of control in this song. Everything seems pushed to the limits, and the keening vocals unpinned by softer, sweeter tones swirls together to make a very interesting blend.

I enjoy the sound that "Strip My Mind" has found. They've made vocals into their own instrument, and play a chorus of voices backmasked and warped over one another till it sounds like some mystical Native American chant from a sweat lodge fever dream. The lyrics might be cryptic, but the song is easy to understand as a plea against outward controls.

Have you ever wondered what an anthemic song with lyrics that seem to be an homage to Shel Silverstein would sound like? Grab yourself a seat, and listen in to "Especially In Michigan" and you'll be there. I've always been a big fan of nonsense, and there are a lot of songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers where the words are just a means to an end. I know that as musicians, it seems a shame to make a song that has lyrics if you're just going to make their delivery for delivering's sake, but I feel like that's what they've done here. Mind you, I think it's a very good song, even if I don't rightly know what it's about. Maybe you will...

I think that aside from the obvious connection, "Warlock" sounds a lot like "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" to me. There's that disjointed, stutter-step to the rhythm section that just keeps your interest all the way through. It doesn't hurt that it happens to have the late, great Billy Preston on there either.

There's another tribal feel to "C'mon Girl". The verses might be typical faire, but the chorus has a call-and-response sort of groove to it. That's not to say that those pace changes don't play well off of one another, and make for a very good song. It's a classic tale of boy meets girl, with dragons and laundromats.

The bluesy confessional of "Wet Sand" rolls along in an old pickup truck down a road with spanish moss hanging from the trees like curtains. It's one of those laid back ditties that I do so enjoy from these guys, and it's definitely another favorite. I think that it might be a real treat to see an acoustic set sometime in the future, with this featured.

We come to the end of disc one with "Hey", which sounds a little too much like some of the other songs we've heard before by this point. It's not a bad one, but it just seems like it could have been more.

Disc two starts of slowly. No big punch driving this one. It's "Desecration Smile" that comes humming in. It's a slow ballad, and very mellow. It's not pretty, but it's something close.

"Tell Me Baby" sounds a little bit like a mash-up of a few of the delivery methods of the band. It has the rap-like delivery of a "Give It Away", as well as the staccato bounce of a "Can't Stop", and then there's a sublime chorus that's instantly likeable, like the title track of Californication. If you've got to slap together a little retread Frankenstein's monster, then you could do a lot worse than this. It's definitely one of my favorite songs on here.

As the notes seem to fade and burn in and out in this song, "Hard To Concentrate" softly sneaks in some really touchingly sweet lyrics. This is a very romantic song, and also manages to be really enjoyable musically too. Another gem worth mining.

I should like "21st Century" more than I do. It has some blistering hot guitar work, and it even has a break that mimics the theme from Shaft, but overall, for whatever reason, it leaves me cold.

It's only fair that a song like "She Looks To Me" would become instantly appealing to me, based on the lyrics alone. Here is a roadsong, soaked in loneliness, and singing about the girl that looks to you to make things alright, and keep this world from making too little sense. This is definitely my favorite song on this disc, and I haven't decided if it's the best of both yet.

We delve a little heavier on "Readymade", and get some deep, grinding riffs going on. It's still not really heavy, but it's definitely the first song this disc that is a bit more straightforward from a rock standpoint. To me, it feels a little out of place here, and maybe a little like the drunk uncle in terms of awkwardness.

"If" doesn't share any of the same words as the Rudyard Kipling poem, but it is a poetic song. It's much like a lullaby, and is simple, and soft and beautiful. The guitar seems to coax it along, and the vocals are practically whispered. It's destined for heavy rotation on many mixdiscs.

Can you picture a throwback 60's pop song called "Make You Feel Better"? If you can't, then step right up, and press play, because that's what we have here. From the crisp drumming, the vocal nods, and the overall mood, this is just pure pop, and it's really good stuff.

"Animal Bar" has a lot of soul in it. You can feel it bubbling all the way through. For me, throw some Hammond organ on this, and a few sisters singing backup, and you've got a tour de force. As it is, it's a good tune, and definitely worth listening to, even if you can just hear the echoes of what might have been like I do.

We pick up the pace, and set it to frenetic on "So Much I". Vocal squawks and a desperation that lends itself to something between new wave and punk.

Straightforward rocker is the name of the game for "Storm In A Teacup". The story of a little girl lost, painted in broad musical strokes, and lyrical ones as well.

With a song titled "We Believe" you almost have to expect something anthemic. Although this isn't quite blatant, there's definitely a feel that the harmonics on the chorus, and all the backing vocals are made for a sweeping hook in the chorus, and the verses aren't too angular or odd to take away from the momentum of the song.

Just when I thought the disc was going to go out with a whimper, here comes "Turn It Again". From the tasty little lick that provides the waves to ride on this morsel o' goodness, to the strong chorus that drives the point home, this is what happens when a band that always keeps it funky can blend in the flavors to make something wholesome that'll stick to your ribs.

Swirling off into the cosmos they've painted, "Death Of A Martian" wraps things up with everything and the free-form poetry sink. It's more of a jangly, goofy note, but maybe that's how this should end. It's not cookie-cutter rock that needs to end on the power chord. It's odd, and it's special, and if you give it time, you may find that you really can enjoy what they're trying to do, even if you don't always know how they're getting you there.

I think this is a successful double album. I've heard that they have even more material to get into the studio on, and I can only think that's a good thing.

Rating = ***1/2 out of 5 stars