I’m With You -which, for the most part, I loved-, the Peppers are trying to take their sound in a new direction with their new album, The Getaway. Have they succeeded? It’s hard to tell.
Breaking the mold
The most important change the band has suffered (or enjoyed) over the last album is the switch from producer Rick Rubin (who started working with them with 1989’s masterpiece
Mother’s Milk, and produced every album since) to
Danger Mouse, known for working with bands like Radiohead, U2, Gorillaz, or The Black Keys. He also played the keyboard on a couple of the recorded songs. I have to give it to them, though; at least the album doesn’t feel samey. The style of the Peppers got a bit reiterative and stale with albums like
By the Way and
Stadium Arcadium, which had some great songs in them, but were a chore to listen in their entirety.
The Getaway sound different and fresh, while at the same time authentic and respectful of the crazy, powerful beginning of the band’s career.
My praise for the production of the album stops there, though.
The Getaway is just boring to listen. Most of the songs don’t contain any creative breaks, solos, or other surprises. Danger Mouse has misused a beast of a drummer like Chad Smith applying programmed drums on some of the songs, which is sad to see. But Chad still manages to shine on some of the latter songs. To explain what’s right and wrong about the album, we can explore it’s first and major single:
Dark Necessities. I like that song, it has an upbeat rythm and a funky bass line that has reminded some fans of the one in
Can’t Stop. The thing is, it feels very safe. When you listen to the Peppers’ goold ol’ records, you feel the spontaneity, it’s like they are jamming and pouring their soul into each note. It maybe has to do with the fact that, for the first time, they are recording each instrument separately, which removes part of the interaction between musicians. It sounds solid enough, but I fail to hear the essence of those four californian funky monks.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0oIoR9mLwc[/embed]
Of course, they are aging, and a group of 55-year olds can’t show the same energy and prowess as they did twenty years ago. Anthony Kiedis, who was recently hospitalized, is showing signs of age with his voice, as he struggles to hit the notes on some songs. Flea keeps being the same odball as ever, showing the chemistry between him and Chad still works, but the production has restrained his improvisation quite a bit. There are signs of their past at the end of
Goodbye Angels (one of the finest songs), with a glorius slapping break that makes you believe for a moment that you are hearing
Mother’s Milk or something.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3lvbeASeUo[/embed]
I stated before that I loved 2011’s
I’m With You. Let me elaborate on that. IWY was such a good album on my eyes because of the variety, you could hear a funky-ass song like
Factory of Faith to only then being treated by a great ballad like
Brendan’s Death Song, with some stand-out heavy tunes like
Goodbye Hooray -with that killer bass solo-. It also showed the influence of african music in it’s rythm, making for an extremely enjoyable album in my eyes.
The Getaway tries to nail and identify the band’s new sound, with simpler, straighter and to-the-point songs, but bores with it’s slow and faded style. It lacks some punch. This trend is seen in
Detroit, a song that starts alright with a simple rock riff that throws us back to the road-style of
Suck my Kiss, only to derail into a slow melodic, delayed chorus.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXkkd-SLFjc[/embed]
Many people didn’t like Josh’s playing in
I’m With You. Yes, he isn’t the almighty John Frusciante- but he is a greatly talented guitarrist himself. But once again, he has dissapointed with a weak presence. Josh doesn’t take the protagonism for
‘eargasmic’ solos -which I’m sure he could play-, and instead is more of a harmonic musician, alright with having a decoring role on the overall tunes. I’ve gotten used to him, but it still feels wrong to listen him repeat the same notes twenty times on a stand-out ‘solo’ on Detroit. He shows his talent in songs like
Sick Love or
The Longest Wave, which unfortunately feel repetitive. There are hints of
Blood Sugar Sex Magik –the best album from them for a lot of fans, writer of this review included- on
We Turn Red, the third song in the album. Here, have a listen.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7rlCyvHejY[/embed]
Strangely, the best songs in the album are in fact the slowest, most relaxed ones. The new sound of the Peppers as envisioned by Danger mouse takes full control in the last songs of the album:
Encore, The Hunter, and
Dreams of a Samurai. Yes, they lack the energy, but are so solid in their composition that I can’t help but enjoy them. The stand out of the album, in my opinion, is the closing song,
Dreams of a Samurai. Yes, it repeats the same riff for almost six minutes, but it is a damn fine one. The introduction of new instruments and voices every few seconds prevents it from being boring. Chad finally frees from his chains with awesome drum breaks at the end of the song. Even if it’s not the same style that we’ve known them for, this is how the new Peppers should sound. If all of the album had been like this we would have ourselves an instant classic.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFmqEEBGlg0[/embed]
Final thoughts
So how well does
The Getaway stack up in the Chili Pepper’s discography? I’m afraid it’s still to early to have that question answered. Even if I didn’t really like it that much, a lot of fans are saying it is a lot better than
I’m With You. At the very least we can agree it’s amazing to see this guys still putting effort and pumping out new music after 30+ years of a troubled career.
Long live to the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
