Red Hot Chili Peppers – 'Stadium Arcadium' (Warner) Released 08/05/2006

 

Ok, Stadium Arcadium does contain quite a few ‘filler’ tracks (most notably the album title track, ‘Desecration Smile’, ‘Hard To Concentrate’, and ‘C’mon Girl) a selection of long-strung pieces of cheesy melancholic boredom. However credit given where credit is due, as 'Stadium Arcadium' does exactly what it says on the tin. If we minus the fillers, we would be left with an epic album with all the elements needed to deliver the crème de la crème of stadium rock. Their latest single makes you want punch Anthony Kiedis in the face with envy as ‘Dani California’ is so fresh and catchy it could’ve been their first ever song. Still RHCP can justify that they can produce world hit singles, and Stadium Arcadium seems to churn them out effortlessly. 

 

And this is the key to this album as the riffs and basslines are as fresh as they have ever been.  Tracks ‘Hey’ and ‘Try It Again’ are epics in their own right, delivering soul and style and are typified by some cream of Eric Clapton slow riffs that just tear trough the speakers. Good old fashioned RHCP old school funk rock also prevails on ‘Hump De Bump’ and ‘Storm In A Tea Cup’ as the bass slaps you harder than a wet fish, reminiscent of the classic ‘Love Rollercoaster’. Whilst drug angled ‘Charlie’ by far provides the most bizarre lyrics on the album as Kiedis sings “You could do at the hippodrome, slide back…trombone”.  You can knock em but they won’t budge, and why should they.