The Red Hot Chili Peppers have taken quite a trip to be at where they are now. To think it was a decade ago that they were mourning the loss of guitarist Hillel Slovak and releasing a cover of a Stevie Wonder song! However rocky the trip may have been these days the Chili Peppers are one of the most popular mainstream bands in the world and it’s that same trip that gave them enough material for a two-disc album.
Stadium Arcadium opens with Dani California, the first single off the album and yet another salute to the state they seem to have a profound love or tongue in cheek hatred for. Despite all the controversy surrounding the single (A radio station in the US claimed the chord progression and lyrical theme of Dani California is directly ripped off from Tom Petty’s 1993 hit Mary Jane’s Last Dance) it is a pretty good rock song and in the end that’s all it’s meant to be. A nice opener for the album, it’s earned its place on their next ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation.
Flowing guitar and sweet vocals in a pop format make the next track a nice contender for the next single. Snow (Hey Oh) deals with the hardships of getting clean and staying clean. This may be a deep piece of introspection for the band or perhaps an attempt at another Under The Bridge nonetheless a very sweet pick-me-up type of song.
You would assume the two-disc format the band chose for this album would call for a little experimentation but the band seem to stick to their funk rock roots throughout. “If you don’t like this album you don’t like the Red Hot Chili Peppers”, a quote that bassist Flea has given in a number of interviews, giving a slight indication that they actually setout to make a very typical Red Hot Chili Peppers album. If they did they chose the right time, having received no real mainstream attention until the release of Blood Sugar Sex Magik and hitting somewhat of a pitfall with One Hot Minute the band have finally reached a steeple where if they release an album the world will hear it which will lead to record sales and if it’s typical enough then the people thinking “I don’t know who the hell the Red Hot Chili Peppers are but I like this track” can start delving into their back catalogue which inevitably equals more record and ticket sales.
Although adding more effects to guitars and even using a horns section on certain tracks the Chili Peppers didn’t fully use up the freedom they could have with something that’s such a rare occurrence in music these days.
If you’re looking to go back to the funkier stuff that made Californication a success then this will satisfy your hunger with tracks such as Hump De Bump and Storm In A Teacup, the latter reminiscent of Give It Away from Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The album features some quieter numbers as well such, as If which would remind one of Porcelain off Californication although somewhat more melodic and guitar heavy than the latter it’s about as timid as the Chili Peppers get on this album.
Here’s the bottom line: If you want an album that has poppy rock songs that are catchy, fun and may or may not lead you to buying the past albums of a band then you should get this album. If you want a deep album that will have you wanting to march on parliament house then this album probably isn’t for you. In a world where there hasn’t been a truly important rock album since the early 90’s this is probably the cream of the crop. Take it for what it is: modern rock.
