[Severian]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

I heard the single, I hate to say it but its getting to be boring. It just sounds like slightly tweaked versions of what they did fifteen years ago... I'm willing to give the record a try, but it strikes me as becoming more like those boring nostalgia records rather then some kind of legitimately "new" stuff or progression the way No Cities To Love was..

Dude... RHCP is no Sleater-Kinney. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to think of two bands that reached their peak in the '90s "alt rock" era that are more radically different in style, substance and sound than Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sleater Fucking Kinney. There's no reason to expect that the Peppers would EVER drop anything as striking or profound as the worst S-K album.

And it's not that I hate RHCP. To me, they're kind of like the Flaming Lips (who I obviously love) in a kind of weird, bizarro, alternate dimension kind of way. Both bands are old as sin, and started out making what amounts to butt rock before finally blowing up after several unrefined, acquired taste albums, to find themselves still going, 3 decades later, with an unrecognizable line-up making music and sounding like a different band entirely.

BUT, unlike the Lips, and very unlike S-K, they're a pop group. They're an arena rock band that makes modern rock radio megahits, and their music rarely moves beyond simple "fun." S-K are punk feminists rabble rousers and fucking sonic arsonists, the female Nirvana if ever there was one, only more musically skilled and way more stable.

You can't be surprised that The Getaway isn't a punch to the nuts powerhouse like No Cities, which — despite my initial doubts — made it feel like S-K had never left. They're just not that kind of band. And as weak as I think RHCP is, in comparison to bands like S-K, I still can't resist their '90s singles and I think they're absurdly talented musically, so don't get the wrong idea.

But the comparison is bum-fucked. Sorry.

This is a masterpiece, I'm not ashamed to admit it. I listened to it literally every single day for over two weeks after it came out. Still listen to it several times a week. I honestly have not had the kind of "first listen" experience about a record like this in a long long time. Its restored my hope and curiosity in obtaining new musics

I actually stopped listening to this one completely, despite the fact that "Burn the Witch" has grown exponentially in my estimation since its release. It's just one of the most perfectly timed political songs in years, especially in the wake of Orlando, Trump's Muslim talk, and (perhaps more than anything) the Radiohead streaming attack in Istanbul. The song becomes more powerful the more the world fucks itself. We're definitely in the midst of several cultural "witch hunts" right now, and this song soundtracks this global dischord beautifully. It's not my favorite song of the year, but I think it should win a fucking Grammy for its aptness.

I do like the album, but some of the songs just never really clicked with me, so I stopped playing the record. I will start again.

Speaking of which, I need to get this and Swans already, I am just being lazy I have the money.

Yeah, you need to get the new fucking Swans, friendo. I like it a great deal more than To Be Kind because it just simply has more to offer sonically, and instead of bludgeoning you over the head, it worms its way into your brain and has babies there. Good stuff.