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Through 10 albums, 30 years, and the process of losing John Frusciante twice, RHCP has gradually morphed from at least semi-dangerous, sex-funk rap-rockers that borrowed plentifully from Faith no More to a Californicated punchline. Even Stadium Arcadium apologists are starting to distance themselves.
They’ve been overdue for a reboot. And, thanks to production input from Danger Mouse, they’ve finally gotten it on The Getaway. Anthony Kiedis has the most trouble with reinventing himself as a frontman after decades of depending on his lyrical go-tos — California, two-line biographies of his sexual conquests, and a host of silly sounds — but there’s still some growth for everybody here.
‘The Getaway‘
Kiedis’ heroin history will never match his crippling addiction to mentions of California. Even with the newly tweaked sound, he can’t make it a full minute without one. Overall the track takes a heist, “getaway car” metaphor on to represent escapism, but uses plenty of LA phrases from the RHCP playbook: [LISTEN]
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‘Dark Necessities‘
With the help of some old-school disco and pop strings and basslines, Kiedis extols the “necessity” of having a “dark” side. They haven’t really covered that territory before, but Kiedis runs out of synonyms quick to keep the sentiment fresh. Still, the chords make this track feel at home on a ‘70s soft rock classics album: [LISTEN]
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‘We Turn Red‘
Anthony starts to finally shed some of his lyrical crutches on this surprisingly smart anti-Trump screed. Sonically, it’s the most typical Pepper track yet, but Kiedis makes it through a solid two-thirds of it before his Latin references get cringe-worthy and lazy (“Trinidad’s got it bad for Tobago”). This will ruffle feathers for some of RHCP’s more xenophobic fans: [LISTEN]
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‘The Longest Wave‘
Klinghoffer flexes his arpeggio muscles as Kiedis alternates between a “Hush Little Baby” diction and a sexual vocal pout that would make Lana Del Rey blush. Make it through that and you’ll be rewarded with Burton’s production flourishes and a very singable chorus. It’s still unsettling to hear someone with Uncle Rico’s ‘stache pine for someone “under [his] skin and half [his] age,” though:
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‘Goodbye Angels‘
This track sits somewhere between what everyone loved about the Peppers once upon a time and those disturbingly accurate RHCP parodies. That is, until the shredding outro; it’s melodic, groovy, heavy and satisfying, even to the hardened cynic. Really, they could’ve (and should’ve) gone without the 3.5 minutes of “ayo’s” and just jammed on that ending:
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‘Sick Love‘
Kiedis Californicates again, but Klinghoffer’s guitar work and the phased cymbals keep it interesting. This Seals and Crofts-esque revamp really works well with the Chili Peppers’ lighter fare. Even when they rehash old ideas, they sound new-ish in this setting. Kiedis could do well to not set foot on the west coast until he’s written several albums about literally anything else:
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‘Go Robot‘
Over dancy funk, Kiedis gets lusty for robots, but the standout “silver skin” line reminds more of their “Give It Away” video, putting nostalgia in the listener’s head. Otherwise, it’s pretty cheesy, but in a different way than what we’re used to (read: it’s more ‘80’s day-glow than we usually get from these guys):
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‘Feasting on the Flowers‘
Nods to addiction haven’t sounded so psychedelic for quite some time. It’s another ode to the Peppers’ fallen Hillel Slovak, dead at 26 (“far too small a number for someone’s golden years”), but Kiedis is sure to remind himself “don’t look back, just look ahead.” It’s one of the album’s better tracks so far, and has everyone firing on all cylinders:
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‘Detroit‘
The dudes pen a love letter to the now bankrupt “Motor City,” referencing Henry Ford, Funkadelic, The Stooges and J Dilla. They do so in list form, but credit them for not centering it on California. Most of the turns of phrase are phoned in, but it’s always a decent time just listening to these musicians jam:
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‘This Ticonderoga‘
Anthony gets more cosmic, psychedelic, and meditative with philosophical stoner-isms relating us all together (quick reminder, though: just because it’s a stonerism doesn’t make it wrong). This side of the Peps is always welcome, but it’s canceled out by Kiedis’ “I met a girl” staple and plenty of unnecessary “I do declare”s:
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‘Encore‘
Bass chords are always so earthy and warm. To the shock of no one, Kiedis turns that promising intro into another track about “getting high” and getting on the freeway towards whatever random Californian city he hasn’t beaten to death yet (this time, it’s Calexico). Overall, it’s still solid, but it also reminds that Flea should really do a solo instrumental album:
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‘The Hunter‘
Anthony evaluates his own new fatherhood through the warped lens of his own drug-addled childhood upbringing. It’s a super serious shuffle ballad, but lightens the mood with some (hopefully intentional) hilarious one-liners at his own expense. Maybe he really is ready for fatherhood or at least the absent-mindedness and dad jokes that come with it:
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‘Dreams of a Samurai‘
Closing out the album is a six-minute, self-indulgent odd-time jam that reminds of Flea’s time with The Mars Volta. It centers on the Samurai theme and peppers in vagrant living and “taking acid in a graveyard,” but the operative recurring lyric is “metamorphosis:” the band is changing for the better. They admit they’re an old dog, but they can still learn new tricks:
