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| I'm with you - RHCP |
It has been quite a wait – The last albums RHCP released
were Stadium Arcadium, way back in
2006, and By the Way (BTW) in 2002.
Also, with John Frusciante leaving the band to make way for Josh Klinghoffer in
2009, will the new lineup make justice to retaining their sound?
First thing I noticed was that the album has 14 songs. As
compared to Stadium Arcadium which
had 28 songs (an album I loved, but took me an immense amount of patience to
remember the previous songs after going through the album), I was thankful this
was more on the lines of BTW and Californication, 2 albums I dearly loved
as well.
The problem with an album having a lot of songs is that many
of the songs are overshadowed. For instance, in Stadium Arcadium, there are a lot of good songs that didn’t get the
popularity they should’ve got. Dani
California and Snow being the
highlights of the album took most of the limelight away. I personally think
they should’ve saved some of the songs and released another album midway before
Frusciante left the band.
The album draws from a variety of genres, from pscychedelia (“Monarchy Of Roses”), to a laid-back acoustic feel (“Brendan's Death”) to a slight Beatles’ nod (“Even You, Brutus?”). That’s not to say they are wildly out there, as the 14 tracks always tend to feel like they could be played on pretty much any rock-driven radio station. It truly is Klinghoffer’s innovative additions that take the songs to the next level. He doesn’t shy away from the funkiness, but he often adds in odd little touches that come out nowhere. Is the CD is worth a buy? The below read might help -
- Monarchy of Roses – Funny start actually. Im reminded of a march past that’s taking place in the 80’s. The sudden entry into the verse is a very nice one, reminds me of the pleasant tunes of the old RHCP. This is where grinding, reverb-laced guitars and tribal drumming share space with driving funk-rock on regal-themed album opener.
- Factory of Faith – Starts with a promising but not a strong, gripping baseline like what Flea usually comes up with. It goes directly into the verse without any guitars, which makes the song a bit dragging. The chorus has a nice tune to it, but the last chord doesn’t go very well with the line of the chorus, giving it a bad finish. Plain bridge, and back to the chorus and the bassline, though the guitar effects at the end is a finisher. All in all, a one time listen.
- Brendan’s Death song – I read somewhere that this song was written for a very good friend of theirs’, Brendan Mullen, who passed away in 2009 somewhere around when Josh Klinghoffer joined the band. Starts with a beautiful acoustic tune, entering a similar chorus. Although by about the 4th minute, it starts to get a little repitative, which is when Anthony Kiedis goes into the high pitched ‘Yeaahhhh Yeayeaahhhhh!’, giving an additional touch.
- Ethiopia – Another nice bass start, followed by very faint yet apt guitars. The chorus by now is boring, as it just reminds me of the other songs with the same complete chord background. The bridge has some very nice chords giving it a different yet the same sound. Finishes with the same bass progression, and mild guitars on the side, but the ending chords – what was Josh thinking?
- Look around – One of the most fun song-starts I’ve heard in a very long time, especially when Anthony Kiedis goes ‘Wooo!’. The riff is just mindblowing, and it feels like Frusciante’s playing. The verse reminds me of a fast version of RHCP’s Purple Stain, the way Anthony Kiedis says out the paused words with absolutely no tune/emotion but yet so apt! The chorus is the intro riff, and what's the bet this song would be on their next socks on cocks tour?!
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| Isn't the sock a lil' too huge? |
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