I'm With You - The Peppers' Triumphant Return

Talk about personal hype. If there was ever an album that had a tough one to follow, in my book, it's this one. I mean, I'm sure you know by now how much I love Stadium Arcadium, and after five years of waiting it's hard to even imagine an album that could live up to my expectations.

Does it? Well, yeah, somewhat.

I'm With You is a solid album. But more than that, it's an interesting album, which isn't a surprise from the Peppers. Being their tenth album, I expected a new sound from them. And on that they did deliver.

It's also the first appearance of the band's new guitarrist Josh Klinghoffer who had some huge shoes to fill in the absense of John Fruciante. I really do think this has been played up way too much. It's not the first time the the band has changed guitarists, and it always turns out fine. Yes, even the Dave Navarro years were good in my book.

On top of that, I challenge anyone who's complaining about Klinghoffer to check out who he's played with. The guy is no slouch. He's done five albums with Fruciante, played with Gnarls Barkley, Beck, and the Butthole Surfers just to name a few. So don't count him out yet. The dude has some pretty impressive references.

But on to what really matters, the music.

It's funny, but it feels like Raindance Maggie came out months ago. I've heard the song so many times it almost feels old. But when I first heard it the only worry I had was that it would be the fastest song on the album. I was scared that we had another By The Way on our hands, and after reviewing Incubus' latest and being let down I was way skeptical.

But when that first track comes on my worries were erased. Monarchy Of Roses smacks you in the face with a heavy bassline and a catchy everything. Truly the best song to welcome you back. And honestly, it's all downhill from there. The Peppers are still the Peppers. Once you know it's a good RHCP album, you just sit back and enjoy the ride.

The first thing that really shocks you about the album is the backing vocals first heard on Did I Let You Know. At first listen you want to know who that girl with the haunting melodic voice is. And it surprised me because I really can't recall the guys using female backing vocals since Under The Bridge, and that was a fucking choir. It's never been one single person.

After checking the booklet (yes, I actually bought the album) I couldn't find any female singers credited, so I turned to the internet. Wikipedia failed me. Google got nothing. So, I resorted to checking comments on YouTube, where I found many people asking my same question, and I finally found out that Josh Klinghoffer has the most haunting female voice I've ever heard on a man in my life.

I also need to point out how great the album sounds. Quality is usually hidden in the details, and this album has it in buckets. From the simplest of sounds, maybe a clap in the middle of a chorus, it all sounds crisp and important. No wasted motion here, just things that compliment the sound, and in turn, the music.

The other thing I need to praise is the order of the tracks; I'm With You has an amazing flow to it, and no song is one-dimensional, it knows it's strengths and it plays them up directly so you'll really notice them. I called the album a ride earlier, and I meant it. The best example of this at the end of the Goodbye Hooray which is the heaviest song on the album and it's placed right in the middle of it. As this heart-pumper of a song comes to a close, the next song's opening totally shocked me, because it was led by a piano. That's right, Happiness Loves Company, a Red Hot Chili Peppers song led by a piano. It still sounds off to me, but it works and I loved it. And the fact that it came right after the hardest song on the album just made it that much bigger an impact.

For those wondering, the pianist is Greg Kurstin, another one of those guys who has played with everyone. That seems to be the running trend in this album. Along with Kurstin we also have guest percussionists Mauro Refosco, and Lenny Castro; with at least one of them present in all the songs on the album, it makes it beat heavy and easy to move to. I've never been much of a dancer, but I'm not ashamed to say that I rocked around my room to most of this album.

Then we have what we knew we were getting, and yes, the Peppers 'still got it' where it counts. I've always thought that Anthony Kiedis was a much better melody maker than a lyricist and singer. He has a great voice, but his ability to create melodies is something to bow down to, and it might not be as acknowledged as Flea's basslines and technique, but to me is just a big a staple of the Pepper's unique sound.

Chad Smith has always been a good drummer, but it's nice to see them bring in some reinforcements for the percussion every once in a while. It fills out the sound nicely and really adds to the music.

And Mr. Klinghoffer does his job rather well. It's obvious that he's still settling into the role, but he changes the sound just enough to make it his own. He doesn't steal the album, but when he needs to shine, he does, and he does it with style. Josh brings a heavier style than Fruciante, a bit grungier, and as much as that doesn't sound like the Chili Peppers it might just be the next step in this ever-evolving band's sound. And I like that.

So, did it live up to my expectations? Well considering that their previous is my favorite of all time, then no. But that by any means a knock on this album, it's just more praise for Stadium Arcadium.

I'm With You is a great, fun album. And it fits perfectly into the Pepper's stacked discography.

7.5/10

The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie - Return of the Peppers!

First of all... You're going to have to listen to this...

That's right ladies and gentlemen, we have our first single, and I really like the sound they're going for.

It's subtle, yet funky. And as far as the Peppers go, these are some of the most coherent lyrics I've heard in a while. As far as I know right now this could be the mellowest or the heaviest song on the album, and either way I'm fine with it. If half the songs on I'm With You gets stuck in my head like this, then they've done a great job.

I love it just for the cover.

Flea has a nice little baseline in the song, and we even get some cowbell (and now you're picturing Will Ferrell's hairy gut), but the song-stealer in this case has to be band newcomer Josh Klinghoffer who has some pretty elaborate layering in his guitar work. On top of that the chorus riff he used is just as catchy (if not more) than the chorus itself, I've been humming it since I heard it.

Has it reached Stadium Arcadium levels for me? No, but it did get me excited for the release, which is still over a month away. So yeah, expect another bloated music review.

It's a Classic to me dammit: Stadium Arcadium

Not only do I think this album is a classic. Not only do I think it's the best Chili Peppers album. This is my favorite album. 

I jokingly call this album the playlist breaker, because whenever I'm making a playlist I just skip over this because I  might just throw the whole thing in there.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a rare type of band. Loved by many, hated by few. No matter what you're into, you like or know at least one RHCP song.

My first Peppers album was in sixth grade when Californication came out, and I loved it. It's without a doubt one of their best and most revered albums. From then on in I looked backwards at them, picking albums like One Hot Minute, and the consensus favorite, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Each one brought something different to the table, whether it be a new sound or vibe, they kept it fresh.

By the time By The Way came out in 2002 I was more than ready for a new album. And once again it was very different. It was a bit mellow by RHCP standards. Don't get me wrong, it's a great album but it just feels light in comparison, it's not an album you rock out to, and on first listen it seemed like a downer. They seemed to be missing that heavy funk that made them excel and they settled into a slower pace. Coming off an album like Californication into this new sound seemed like a step down I really felt like they slumped.

When the hype machine started reving up for Stadium Arcadium I was in my senior year of high school, and at first I didn't buy in. I hadn't bought an album in a while (sound familiar?) and I was kinda unplugged from the music scene. Then, the video for Dani California came out, and it blew my mind. It was a totally new sound for them. Frusciante's guitar work seemed much more intense, and it gave the song really big feel to it. I immediately thought it was the strongest first single I'd heard from a Peppers album.

I already knew it was a double album before it came out, and that info just fueled my fire... I was pumped. Stadium Arcadium dropped on May 5, around three weeks before my graduation. I was actually the only person in my class who was really pumped about it.

I showed up the next day with my headphones on, ignoring the universe. I still hadn't gone through both discs... A product of the repeat button on most of the songs. I was hooked. It was almost like I was selling the album to people at lunch. SA was just the perfect Peppers album to me. It was like listening to a greatest hits album of all new material. They just took every single style they had played in and revisited it in they're new found musical maturity, and it showed; it was brilliant.

The double album feature also worked in their advantage. They planned the perfect order for the tracks to keep us interested, the split the disks evenly in style and sound making two similar but different disks that would stand alone (Unlike what the Foo Fighters did with In Your Honor).

To this day, I have a hard time skipping songs from that album. It's great in the sense that it's hard to memorize 28 songs; there's always that one that you forget is on there, and it's a pleasant surprise when you hear it. I actually have a friend who has never heard the whole second disk because he's never gotten tired of the first.

Personally, I don't know some of the singles from the record. I wasn't paying enough attention to MTV at the time. I just know there were at least five. Also, I don't want to know. I'd probably be angry that some song was never a single (The title track comes to mind).

As the next Red Hot Chili Peppers album shows it's head on the horizon later this year, I can't help but expect great things. They have a lot to live up to. New guitarist and all, I expect them to try and top themselves. And to me, it's a big role to fill.

I know that to most it's hard to imagine an album that's any better than Blood Sugar, or Californication; but Stadium Arcadium to me seems like the perfection of those albums and what they meant. The Peppers took what they'd done and made it perfect, in one album... One really long enjoyable album. And honestly... No matter what you say... It's a classic to me dammit!