Music Review
‘Stadium Arcadium’:
The Red Hot
Chili Peppers at Their Funky,
Soulful, Totally Eclectic Best
By Margaret Lipman (May 15, 2006)
If
you’re familiar with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, you’ll know that
they’ve changed a lot in the last two and a half decades. They’ve battled addiction and depression, been
confronted with the death of original guitarist Hillel Slovak,
and undergone several line-up changes. But
besides all of that (and the worldwide fame, as well), the Chili
Peppers have also done a lot of growing up, and their music is
definitely the better for it. Their
latest album, “Stadium Arcadium,” is
an excellent testament to their musical maturity.
Although
die-hard fans may be appalled by this, I’m really not much of a
fan of the Chili Peppers’ early (a.k.a. 1980’s) albums like “Freaky Styley” or “Mother’s
Milk.” Like everyone else,
I enjoyed “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” (1991)
but, as a whole, I think that the more recent “Californication” (1999)
and “By the Way” (2002) are even better. “Stadium Arcadium” is
much more in the vein of their later releases, with more melodic
and textured songs, although it is possibly less dark than “By
the Way.” Still, there’s
little of the loud and fast funk-rock-rap that distinguished the
Chili Peppers when they first came onto the music scene, although
the band is far from becoming conventional. I
just think that they are evolving and improving with age.
“Stadium Arcadium” is
a double-disc album featuring 28 (exciting, huh?) new songs. The
first disc (“Jupiter”) starts off with the amazing single “Dani California,” which is definitely one the album’s best tracks. The
video is a lot of fun, too, with the band essentially tracing the
history of rock on roll through all of its crazy eras. The
next song, “Snow (Hey Oh)” is very good and rather mellow, but
is followed by the funk-infused “Charlie,” which, sadly, is one
of my least favorite tracks. However, “Stadium Arcadium,” the
title track, seems to be a good candidate for the next single. It’s definitely a favorite of mine from the
album, particularly because of its chorus. The
next track, “Hump de Bump,” is a fun and funky creation, though
still with plenty of melody. I
particularly enjoyed the next five tracks, “She’s Only 18” (a lyrical
standout), “Slow Cheetah,” “Torture Me,” “Strip My Mind,” and “Especially
in Michigan,” which are all somewhat
moody yet distinctive. They’re
a little more powerful and melancholy with excellent hooks and
lyrical flow. Then it’s a return to funk-rock with “Warlocks,” followed
by the rocker “C’mon Girl.” The first disc ends with two quiet, smooth,
and soulful tracks, “Wet Sand” and “Hey.”
Disc two (“Mars”) opens with the mournful “Desecration Smile” and the
funky “Tell Me Baby,” two classic Red Hot Chili Pepper tracks. “Hard to Concentrate” is
more unique, with quiet percussion and guitar and lilting half-spoken
vocals. “21st Century” and “She
Looks to Me” are both good tracks, although rather similar. “She Looks to Me” would have fit in perfectly
on “By the Way.” “Readymade” is
another good funk-rock track, while “If” is its complete opposite
-- very soft, with sparse guitar notes. “If” is
probably my least favorite track on the record, though still
pretty good. Compared to everything else, however, it’s
just not very special. “Make
You Feel Better,” “Animal Bar,” and “So Much I” are all good
rockers, with John Frusciante’s guitar front and center. “Storm in a Teacup” sounds like a heavy-hitting
return to the Chili Peppers’ roots, while “We Believe” is an
excellent, unique track, with easily flowing lyrics and a great
chorus. “Turn it Again” has
a quirky yet fitting hook and “Death of a Martian,” the final
track, is a rather spacey number with a rousing spoken-word finale.
Overall, “Stadium Arcadium” is
a great album and should become a Red Hot Chili Peppers classic. Out
of an amazing 28 songs, there were only three that I didn’t absolutely
love -- “Charlie,” “Warlocks,” and “If,” although they were by
no means “bad songs.” Anthony Kiedis’s lyrics,
though still quite cryptic, fit in perfectly with the contributions
of the rest of the band. Frusciante is clearly at his best on this album.
Whether
you’re a fan or not, “Stadium Arcadium” is
one of the best albums the Chili Peppers have ever released, and
is certainly worth a listen. Now
all they need to do is schedule a concert in D.C. on their upcoming
tour!
