Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

Californication is the seventh album from funk-rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was released in 1999, four years after One Hot Minute.

Around the World sure is a bombastic way to kick things off. Personally I find the gentle, singalong chorus to be an awkward fit for the heavy rock-funk groove of the rest of the song. But I really enjoy said rock-funk groove, so it's mostly good times here. And the outtro is headbanging trance-like goodness.

There's an incessant and driving groove that keeps pushing Parallel Universe along, thanks to some brilliant work from the guitar and bass. It reminds me a bit like Showbiz-era Muse and builds up to the chorus brilliantly. This album cops a lot of flack for its recording quality, but somehow the mono-ness works well here, somehow like a garage band thrashing away as a distant ball of focussed energy. Later on, This Velvet Glove follows a similar style, but fails to capture the magic.

Scar Tissue? No, sorry. I've just heard it too many times.

However, I don't think I could ever tire of the timeless guitar and vocal melodies in Otherside. Somehow it is both a highly polished pop song and a wonderfully understated ballad. Then the bridge is pretty weird... excellent! Capped off by a final triumphant chorus, this is pop perfection.

Californication follows a similar recipe, resulting in another wonderful pop-rock ballad. Highlights for me are the sense of musical progression through the song and wonderful lyrics such as "Space may be the final frontier, but it's made in a Hollywood basement".

Get on Top doesn't speak to me at all, feeling too staccato. Or perhaps I just can't handle the heavy funk... But on the other hand, add excessive cheese and I'm all over it. Exhibit A is I Like Dirt, complete with tongue-in-cheek lyrics, I love it. (perhaps the chorus is a precursor to Anchorman's "I love lamp"...) And Purple Stain is funk perfection with a brilliant chorus. I have no idea what's going on with the lyrics, but I still really dig them.

Is there any overall narrative to the lyrics of Easily? Even if not, each of the individual images is vivid and enjoyable in its own right. And it's backed by a solid and catchy groove throughout, with the half-time breakdown being an unusual treat. One minor gripe is that while the ending does serve its purpose, it seems a bit drawn-out.

Emit Remmus shows that psychedelic-rock isn't my cup of tea. I find it enjoyable at the time, but not something I'd look forward to. But then Savior shoots that theory to pieces with brilliant cigarette lighter-waving antics! Its contrasting section is totally weird and should stand out like a sore thumb, but somehow it fits in perfectly.

Road Trippin' offers us a beautiful ballad as a gentle landing back to reality. Its genius is the simple yet engaging instrumentals, which perfectly complement poetry like "Your smiling eyes are just a mirror for the sun". Road Trippin' is quite out of character for the band, but I think this is one of their best songs.

Favourite songs

Around the World, Parallel Universe, Otherside, Californication, I Like Dirt, Savior, Purple Stain, Road Trippin'

 

I diggit?

I don't actually remember why I bought this album, and had quite low expectations as I loaded it into the CD player. So it was a wonderful surprise to discover that Californication thoroughly deserves its reputation as a classic album.