Written Before Listen
Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of those bands that don’t need an introduction. Most rock fans recognize Anthony Keidis, Flea, Chad Smith and John Frusciante in and out of the studio and songs like “Under The Bridge”, “Californiacation” and “Scar Tissue” are known by multiple rock fans around the world. My enjoyment of them on the other hand is solid. I think they have classics and “Under the Bridge” is a classic without a doubt. I also think their blend of Rock, Funk, Punk and Hip Hop on Blood Sugar Sex Magic was unique for its time and matter of fact was done before Rage Against the Machine did a similar thing a year later. As their sound evolved, their skill dissolved in my opinion as they really couldn’t match the excitement of that record, but they still released great songs in the span of that time, so im kind of looking forward to see what the Pepper’s have in store as of now, so without further ado, let’s get into it.
Production
With this being produced by Rick Rubin, nearly every instrument is produced well. I think the production of RHCP is what still makes them famous. Starting as a hip hop producer, Rick Rubin has produced for numerous other acts but RHCP is one of the first acts that come to mind for most. With that being said, the bass is thick, the drums are crisp and clear and the guitars flourish the track like the purest garnish. Rick Rubin still shows that he has it with this record.
Influences
I think RHCP knows their influences and use them. A lot of people think of them as one of the funkiest rock groups and that shows mainly from the baselines and eccentric delivery of Anthony Keidis. On this album though, there are definitely some derivative points or obvious influence points. For example, the song “Not The One” is basically RHCPs poor attempt of doing a Pink Floyd track and Chad Smiths drumming is way to upbeat to make it work. The guitar I guess does have some Robert Fripp worship to it which I like but its still just Floyd worship to me. The song “The Great Apes” to me sounds like a Stone Temple Pilots song but done by RHCP. We also have the track “Veronica” which Is I guess their Beatles sounding track with its time signature changes, melancholic harmonies and simplistic drum grooves. It’s weird because when RHCP came onto the scene, they were a group you would rely on NOT to do those sounds, but I guess they gave up on that trope.
Musicianship
Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of those bands that most rock fans know every member of. Anthony Kiedis has the quirky personality that only fits with the people in RHCP. Flea is a personality of his own and is one of the most celebrated bassists for a reason. Chad Smith is a good drummer too but I think John Frusciante is the most skilled musician out of the group, which makes the records with him the best (most of the time). With this album, the musicianship is there and always will be, the problem mainly comes with the songwriting.
Songwriting
This album lacks any of the fun that sugarcoats any RHCP album. It might be a sense of maturity, but songs like “Poster Child” and “One Way Traffic” are prime examples of why people dislike this band. I will also say that there isn’t any super lovable songs on here. I guess there are songs that go with an “Under the Bridge” like sound but there isn’t any extremely fun get up and dance music on this album whatsoever. This album just turns out to be an overly long ass album.
Favorite Tracks
I think out of the 17 tracks we have, there are a couple of great tracks and in my opinion, they come in spurts. The back to back of “Here Ever After” and “Aquatic Mouth Dance” is pretty good. The back to back of “She’s A Lover” and “These Are The Ways” is pretty good too. Even at the tail end of the album, we have three straight good songs. We have the funky “Let Em Cry” with two great Frusciante solos, the modern psychedelia of “The Heavy Wing” and then the folky “Tangelo”. I will say without a doubt that there are numerous great tracks on here, but this album is way too overblown for me to care enough.
Verdict
As an album thats nearly 75 minutes long, if this was cut in half, I think this album could’ve gotten a higher score. Let’s say the 5 worst tracks were taken out of the album, I think I would’ve given this thing a 6 or something. Unfortunately, we have what we got.
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