Stadium Arcadium |
Red Hot Chilli Peppers Release Stadium Arcadium
Like a fine wine or a sharp cheddar, the Red Hot Chili Peppers show that some things do better with age, especially funky alternative bands. With styles ranging from funk to slow rock, the Chili Peppers’ tenth album Stadium Arcadium is their best.
The 28 songs on the album show the new level of creativity and maturity the band has reached, and proves they have been anything but lackluster in recent years.
The Los Angeles band started out as a crazy teen punk trio that played in strip clubs completely naked, except for a tube sock. Throughout their career of drug abuse and unique music, they have evolved into a group of four adults who know what they are doing. While they are still wacky for 40-year-olds, their music has become mellower and deeper. While maturing, they have been able to keep their great sound that is unparalleled in popular music.
Their last album, 2002’s By the Way, was good but not incredible. Stadium Arcadium, though, is close to perfect. It starts with the single released in early April, Dani California, which sounds like a crossbreed of Jimi Hendrix and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
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It is arguably the best song on the album and it starts off Arcadium explosively. The rest of the album has the depth of their entire library and attempts to consolidate everything that is Chili Peppers. From their earlier, lighter funk-metal stuff to soul-bearing “Under the bridge”- style ballads. Catchy tracks like “Tell Me Baby” interweave both styles.
Most of the songs are packed with the usual ear candy expected from the Chili Peppers. There are a few weird bass lines from the Band’s outrageous bassist Flea (Michael
Balzary) including an opening riff that sounds like a quacking duck in the song “21st Century.” The sounds of Flea and drummer Chad Smith meld together nicely, and guitarist John Frusciante tops everyone with his masterful guitar solos in every other song.
| DANI CALIFORNIA - VIDEO
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But the center of the band is lead singer Anthony Kiedis. His voice is similar to Jimi Hendrix, and his lyrics are mostly poetic but are sometimes non-repetitive endearing nonsense. In the song “Warlocks” he sings “Ticky ticky tackita tic tac toe/I know everybody’s Eskimo.” Kiedis has not lost his ability to hit high notes, which often disappears by the time singers are his age—44 years old.
Stadium Arcadium was released May 9th and the Chili Peppers are coming to the Bay Area for a concert August 24th in Oakland, which has already sold out. The double-album consists of two discs titled Jupiter and Mars. Die hard Chili Peppers fans will not be disappointed with this latest album, and neither will those just acquainted with the band. Stadium Arcadium is a benchmark in the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ rise to being one of the greatest bands in pop music history. |
