Credit where it’s due – The Getaway is a more reserved and tastefully controlled Chili Peppers album than certain overindulgent misfires of the past, with producer Danger Mouse to thank. It’s gentle and almost humble, shaving vast layers of arrogance from their notoriously blunt stylings. Mouse’s influence is tasty, if not overpowering, with soft patters of piano and injections of sassy disco-funk that genuinely suit their style.
It’s an album of sorely-needed risks, and the heaviest moments of experimentation are the strongest points by far. Dark Necessities has a lush, revitalised arrangement assembled from an orchestral grab-bag of violins and vocal choruses. Go Robot sends you adrift on a spacey synth journey, and Feasting On The Flowers rolls with sexy, ’70s-esque groove waves. This Ticonderoga brandishes sharp, stabbing garage guitar slashes, and Dreams Of A Samurai closes with an almost prog-opera level of beautiful theatricality.
Despite these refreshing intentions, however, The Peppers cannot help but rely upon old tricks. Anthony Kiedis still alternates between a smug crooner of deceptively-vapid nothings and your drunk mate that increases the volume of their rapping the more you assure them that no-one wants to hear it (he also unironically blurts “California” a whole minute and 34 seconds into the damn album). Just when you feel as if they’ve matured, Goodbye Angels siphons every ounce of redemption, complete with the puttering lyrical chugs and repetitive verbal ticks of “ay-YO-ay-YO-ayohhhh” that have been frustratingly bland since 2002.
There’s no mistaking the significant effort involved, but you subconcsiously sense a stylistic disconnection that can’t be appropriately camoflagued or exploited. It’s simply not enough to make up for a decade of stagnation, but on its own terms, The Getaway is a fun shot at reinvention. The Peppers remain elusively immutable, but they’re actually trying with a frank earnestness. Definitely one for the already-faithful, but not bad.
BY JACOB COLLIVER
