When John Frusciante quit the Red Hot Chili Peppers for good, fans of the band were nervous, and understandably so. Frusciante played with a fire that would no doubt be hard to replace. Fans need not worry. The band’s new album, “I’m With You,” is one of the band’s best to date and will leave listeners satisfied and wanting more.
Perhaps the most obvious shift for the new Red Hot Chili Peppers lineup is in the music itself. It’s more melodically centered. There’s still some fire and intensity to the music. Flea is still the best bass player in modern rock, and Chad Smith’s drum work is as solid as ever. But the new album’s power is subtler and less in-your-face.
New lead guitarist Josh Klinghoffer plays with a warm sound that manages to run the show from behind the scenes, allowing other band members to figure prominently in each song while only occasionally turning the spotlight on himself.
Another prominent change in the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ music is in the vocals. Again, the band transitions to a more melody-based delivery. Anthony Kiedis’ voice has never sounded better. While a few songs on “I’m With You” feature the funk-rap of past albums (“Even You Brutus?” is a good example), Kiedis is primarily a singer on this album. The results are spectacular and, combined with some excellent lyrics, lead to some amazing songs.
The album starts off with “Monarchy of Roses,” a song with two distinct personalities. On one side is gritty guitar and tinny vocals; the other is much more polished. As a result, the song sounds like an interesting mix of nostalgia and contemporary rock.
Two songs later, the listener is gifted with “Brendan’s Death Song,” one of the band’s most emotionally powerful in years. The track is an exercise in perfect layering. It begins with warm acoustic guitar and vocals. Then, the rest of the band gradually enters and the song builds effortlessly. But that isn’t the best part of the song. That title goes to the lyrics, which Kiedis delivers with such tenderness that the listener can’t help but smile at their calm acceptance of mortality: “Like I said, you know I’m almost dead / You know I’m almost gone / And when the drummer drums / It’s gonna play my song / To carry me along.”
This song is followed by “Ethiopia,” a song most notable for reminding music fans everywhere of one simple fact: Flea’s ability to play the bass borders on ridiculous.
After several more excellent songs, including “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,” which will convince many people they have a fever that can only be cured by more cowbell, the band switches gears with “Happiness Loves Company.”
The track starts off with a funky, honky-tonk piano line before diving into lyrics about young love in the streets of Los Angeles: “Make time for love and your happiness / The mothers of invention are the best / We all know and struggle with some loneliness / A tender mess for everyone, I guess.” With the help of some infectious ““ and slightly demented ““ background be-bopping, “Happiness Loves Company” is one of the most fun songs on the CD.
Before the listener can get comfortable, “Police Station” plays. A heartbreaking song about someone watching a friend hit rock bottom, “Police Station” once again gives Kiedis the opportunity to shine with some of the best songwriting on the album that channels the man’s disappointment and disbelief: “I know you from another picture / Of someone with the most conviction.”
“I’m With You” shows that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are still very much one of the best and most consistent rock bands today. The members are clearly having a great time playing new music. Fans will have just as much fun listening to it.
Email Bain at abain@media.ucla.edu.