The Red Hot Chili Peppers are, without a doubt, one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. Everyone will know at least one of their classic songs, whether it be "Can't Stop", "By The Way", "Under The Bridge", "Californication", etc. The list goes on and on.
"Monarchy Of Roses" is their second single off their latest album "I'm With You". The August 2011 release was met widely with general praise although a lot of reviews mentioned the fact that the album suffered due to the leaving of guitarist John Frusciante.
And they're right. "Monarchy Of Roses", whilst it is a good song, doesn't have the same feel as older RHCP material. As one reviewer accurately said, "one can definitely hear a John-Frusciante shaped hole in the proceedings". The bass, as always, is outstanding. The vocals are eccentric and powerful. The drums are complex and keep the beat well. The only thing missing is the distinctive guitar riffs that the Chilis are known for. Instead, we are fed a riff of distortion that is sub-standard at best.
As I said earlier, "Monarchy Of Roses" is a good song but it nowhere near matches the heights set by some of their previous singles. Coincidentally, it would be a perfectly good lead single for nearly every other band but for the Chilis, it's simply not good enough.
As always, if you want to share your opinion, feel free to leave a comment!
SMc
would argue that Frusciante wasnt a funk playing guitarist, so saying the funk is missing maybe a but skeptical. Only reason for me saying this, is due to the Chilis experimenting and changing styles over the years, if you want funk you would have to go to Freaky Styley or Blood Sugar Sex Magik.
ReplyDeleteBut otherwise an interesting read.
Good point and thanks for the comment. I should point out that Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the only full Chili album I've heard so I'm only going from that.
ReplyDelete