Music Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium

Well, I've been a fan of the peppers for a very very very long time, so pardon any bias-sounding sentences.

I'll make these ones abit short, since this review is kinda late anyway.

1. Dani California - Well, I personally feel this one came outta nowhere.
As usual, John strikes yet another catchy, rigid feeling tune.
Him shining out like never before in a jaw-droppingly composed solo, rings in your head for days on end - A great single, and a burst of energy to start the album.

2. Snow (Hey Oh) - Let's make one thing clear: the main guitar riff on this song is one of the greatest discoveries in guitar fretboard history.
The song is lovable, but has it's repetitive parts.
Anthony going "I said hey, hey yeah, oh yeah" in a baritone touch, is just an underheard gem.

3. Charlie - Groovy, funky, and a great dissonant guitar/bass line to get you in the right mood, equals somewhat of a time-passer, but altogether a great track to jam to.

4. Stadium Arcadium - A brilliant drum groove underlined by a beautiful simplistic melody, followed by an "old school" Pink Floyd'ish guitar solo, puts this one in my top 5.

5 - Hump The Bump - A no holds barred jump back to the Peppers' funkiest roots, also giving Anthony the chance to throw in some more erotic metaphors, Flea's work on the trumpet is a joy to behold, and shows off the versatility in the band, as if they needed any more.

6. She's Only 18 - Another good jam track, a mind blowing chorus and solo, full of funk yet cooling things up setting up for one of the best songs the Peppers have ever written.

7. Slow Cheetah - If you've got your headphones on, you can hear a slight "One...two...three...four" whisper, which for me is a subtle lesson in musical simplicity.
The song cannot be described in words, it is beyond your everyday soft roundabout.
What can be emphasized though, is the sheer openness in Anthony's lyrics.
A potentially under heard Trumpet line by Trumpeteer Extraordinaire Flea rounds the song up for a big, humongous, whisper.

8. Torture Me - A running melody surrounded by terrific vocal harmonies and another appearance by Flea to generally contribute to the song.
The amount of tracks spent on John's vocal harmonies tracks is just staggering, and he's yet again giving me the shivers only a musical genius could.

9. Strip My Mind - A classic made in 2006; this one leaves no room for criticism, as the beautiful guitar overdubs and Chad's grinding transition fills serve as a catalyst for what may possibly be one of the greatest guitar solos ever performed.

10. Especially in Michigan - From a musician's point of view, this track is pure inspiration for the level of freedom and intensity you can achieve when you have such a well connected group of guys. A very welcome appearance by Omar Rodriguez (of The Mars Volta), a great guitar player, who worked with Frusciante in the past and played on some of his Solo albums.

11. Warlocks - Another mixture of so many genres and styles, some basic Chili Peppers funk, open-minded jam track that's full of George Harrison esque guitar fills, of which John is very much known and loved for; Keep It Simple Stupid.

12. C'mon Girl - Noticeable as it may seem, the machine keeps rolling with nothing too original.
It's just another great track; could leave a big impression on some, while others may skip it.

13. Wet Sand - Anthony goes back to square 1989 (Under the Bridge) and sings his heart out raw and untouched, John's outro solo can bend your entire body, and even cause a slight eye pourage, as it is simply colossal - quite possibly my favourite.

14. Hey - The journey into Anthony's innermost desires and woes continues in this beautiful show of musicianship.
The genre, style, and feel of this song; is a realm the Peppers haven't ventured into for a long time.

15. Desecration Smile - Arguably one of the best creations emerging in a total wave of surprise; you just cant help but feeling this song was already "there", it just had to be written down and recorded.

16. Tell Me Baby - A great single, talking about a common topic among Chili Pepper lyrics; Hollywood. A great vibe of funk hovers over the general groove of the song.
I can't emphasize enough how much I like the incredible chorus slap-bass line, feel free to correct me, but I don't think I ever heard this kind of rolling slap-bass groove over any chorus in my (short) lifetime.

17. Hard To Concentrate - An intense melodic bass-percussion combo moves this one along like a warm breeze, It's really a song anyone can relate to, and in the end, its outstanding calming atmosphere draws you in for a quiet soothing ride.

18. 21st Century - Well, there we have it, a somewhat non-PC inversion, normally outside the lyrical range of the Peppers' songs.
Melodically, it walks the fine line the album is on.

19. She Looks To Me - One of my all-time favourite Chili Pepper songs.
It's them, all them, and there's no denying that the variating dynamics and yet another spine-chilling chord progression makes for a simplistic piece of John Frusciante's best work.

20. Readymade - This song came as a shock to me, as I'm sure it came to alot of listeners out there (fans or not). It's a fun deviation, and in the confines of the album - it's more of a good thing. "Oh clean it up Johnny!"

21. If - Very reminiscent of Pretty Little Ditty, which is actually in this case the perfect description for this song, a Pretty Little Ditty. If you still have the urge to go deeper, some more relationship woes unfold.

22. Make You Feel Better - Well, the Chili Peppers are known for their hands-on approach to their audience and the mutual understanding that in the end, feeding the audience constant energy and love is one of the main reasons they are where they are.

23. Animal Bar - When I first heard this song, I was amazed.
It's a shining light in the middle of a thunderstorm; catches your eye and ears, and makes sure to keep the grip firm. It can take a little while for the song to grow on you, but man, it overshadows your immediate horizon. John's outro solo is a complete smack in the face, as it sounds like an old instant-classic.

24. So Much I - A rolling rocking tune, feels incredibly raw and gets you jumping instantly.
Dynamic drum work that boggles the mind as to how Smith can always make something out of nothing.

25. Storm In A Teacup - A luscious back-to-the-roots funk-rap complete breakdown, add a banging drum 'n' bass underlining face melting guitar work, simply on fire.

26. We Believe - Yet another dominant post 2k Chili Pepper effort.
Amazing almost scat-like vocal shifts and harmonies, and enough energy to power a rollercoaster.

27. Turn It Again - Anthony pushes high, higher than ever, stretching his usually low-baritone voice to a vocal chord breaking effort, for him anyway.
The beautiful switching of progressions between the bass and the guitar, each dictating the pace in turns, shows off what might just be the end result of nothing specifically engineered, putting emphasis, again, on the chemistry between the band members.

28. Death Of A Martian - What a magnificent track, I was in awe when I first heard what sounded like random mumbling by Anthony at the outro of the song, which, after a few more listening chances, became memorised in my memory, bringing a close to an incredible outworldly song.

In Conclusion - A lot of people already made up their minds, quoting sparingly "Nothing but a big pile of good tunes that lead to nowhere".

In contrary to some of these rather popular opinions, I believe this is the Peppers' best work yet, and it is almost scary to think where can they go from here

Inrandomality Rating:10/10 - Perfect.

Simply a must buy for RHCP fans and music fans alike.