Rooftrampler92

One of the most melodically prominent albums of the '90s, undoubtedly one of the most intense voices of the decade, and I utterly couldn't care less about the ridiculous revisionism regarding Buckley and Grace in particular, it's always been unsustainable and it still is.

I only know Vocalcity by Ripatti under the pseudonym Luomo, which is a great record—soft techno with deep echoes, just the way I like it.

In the first period, you might find yourself in Freak Styley, which is definitely their funkiest album and quite inspired, and Mother's Milk, with Frusciante joining the band, which is undoubtedly the most complete of the early period. The albums from this early phase might come off as a bit immature, at times overly silly and "freak," but they are the Red Hot, and it's definitely worth it to understand their evolution over time. I wouldn’t recommend the first one because it’s clearly unripe, the result of a contradictory and very forced production; it was produced by Andy Gill of Gang of Four, heavily pushed by the band (Flea was a big fan of the GoF) who wanted to drastically reshape the Red Hot material to make it more contemporary, more on-trend (it was still the post-punk era). The result was a disaster at the production level (if you listen to the demo versions of Out in L.A. and Get Up and Jump, compared to the studio versions on this first album, you will certainly notice they are very different, and the album versions are definitely less energetic, seeming stripped of their lifeblood) and musically the contrasts within the band became evident; back then, if I'm not mistaken, Sherman was on guitar and he was like a fish out of water among certain people (Kiedis speaks really poorly of him in the biography). Freaky Styley, produced by Clinton of Funkadelic, is definitely more in their wheelhouse, a funk that is still a bit immature but undeniably fresh and vibrant, and with the return of Slovak, in terms of guitar work, it’s one of the band’s best albums. The subsequent The Uplift Mofo Party Plan is still the same goofy and weird RHCP sound of the early era, plus it assimilates punk; it’s undoubtedly the most punk album of the group, which, depending on your preference, can be appealing or not (it’s not horrendous, not among the best but not to be dismissed either, and then there’s Love Trilogy, which alone is worth listening to the album). Mother's Milk is the synthesis of the 80s Red Hot, blending the punk of Uplift Mofo and the funk of Freaky Styley, hard rock, funk, and punk, with the first Frusciante on guitar, who although tends to emulate the late Slovak, remains Frusciante, who is an exceptional guitarist. With Mother's Milk, they brush up against a completeness that only a larger project, with better production and a deeper artistic awareness, can achieve, namely with Blood Sugar, which for me remains indisputably the band’s masterpiece.

One Hot Minute, I often say, is an underrated and overlooked album. The Red Hot Chili Peppers should always be embraced for who they are and who they have been—reckless individuals with big hearts and full of life—but this album is undeniably the most "disturbed" and unsettling they have ever created. It's the first to fully absorb the psychedelic component (they had tried before, to name two, the poorly received Grand Pappy Du Plenty, and the beautiful Sir Psycho Sexy in BSSM) within the confines of a band like the RHCP. It certainly reflects the period experienced by the band and its members; it is a profoundly inspired record for this reason, even if it was only later recognized as such (though not by many). Navarro's guitar is the leitmotif of the album, with the influence of Jane's Addiction being strongly felt, especially in One Hot Minute and Warped. For me, Transcending remains the best track; it is written incredibly well, and the shift between the first part and the second is truly one of the genius touches of the album.

But I believe that, beyond the technicalities of using instruments, Wilder, Fletcher, and especially Gore have always been musicians up to par with their musical dimension. They have never delved into "pure" electronics, nor into experimentation; after all, we are talking about "music for the masses," and they have done this for years with an unmistakable style that, although it has risked becoming old and monotonous multiple times, has stood the test of time precisely thanks to their skills. Gore, despite the passage of time, still strikes me as a more than creative musician.

I don’t think the '90s can be considered an artistic dark age for Depeche Mode; personally, maybe yes, but they have never been as inspired as in Violator, SOFAD, and Ultra. The greatest masterpieces, as far as I'm concerned, come from there. Exciter is not a bad album; on the contrary, it has terribly suffered from the greatness of its predecessors and has always been underrated. It is definitely a less intense and flatter album than the previous ones, but it has some interesting elements and some less so. It’s an album that perhaps suffers from being too balanced; it’s a bit sterile, whereas a record like Violator made the most of that quality.

very big, it's her

how sad.

But what superficiality, I think I’ve followed Coldplay’s career with the utmost attention. The mistake I make is trusting too much in those who upload music. And don't come to preach to me about being a purist because damn it, I buy records too and I love them with all my heart.

However, I have to say that as a fake version, it does fairly well; it sounds definitely out of place compared to the modus of the album, but it’s not badly executed. Too bad I’ve never understood who the hell sings it; I always thought it was the guitarist or someone else since it's definitely not Martin, but now that I know it’s not Parachutes and, by ear, it doesn’t really seem like Coldplay, it could really be anyone.