Red Hot Chili Peppers

Week 33: Beabadoobee- This is How Tomorrow Moves

~ honestopinions19 ~ Leave a comment

If you’re curious about her name, it’s a tribute to scatting, a technique deeply rooted in jazz. As a Filipino Londoner, she’s a bit of a mystery (to me at least.), and I had to do some digging to learn more about her. This is her third album, and it’s been produced by the legendary Rick Rubin at Shangri-La, Malibu. 

Her real name is Beatrice Laus, and her breakthrough came with a song named ‘Coffee’, which she wrote when she was living with her parents at 17. Of course, seven years after that hit (I’ve never heard it), the singer-songwriter/guitarist has her own place. She also had a track go viral via TikTok. It was about crushing on Pavement’s frontman Stephen Malkmus, which isn’t only a strange crush but also made her go viral when most of those using TIkTok are too young to know the band, let alone its frontman. 

Her second album, “Beatopia”, released in 2022, is a far cry from her debut in 2020 “, Fake it Flowers”. Her debut was more overdriven guitars, which is quite popular among pop-punk and was once utilised by bands like Green Day when they were fresh on the scene. You could add Oasis to that because the first albums used a lot of overdrive on their guitars to give it that attitude. The follow-up was more downtempo with the music we associate with artists like Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae and Gracie Abrams. Since being one of the support acts on Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, her fame has skyrocketed to a level she never expected. Anyone on the fringes who has supported Taylor so far on the tour has seen their stock rise to incredible levels. I’ve noticed this is the third fringe support act with a number-one record.

Bea’s vocal ability increased on this album, and she discussed how she is learning to mature as an artist while being under the microscope over catchy hooks and rocking out over dry lyrics.

’Ever Seen’ was inspired by how someone complimented her eyes and how that gave her an ego boost. ‘Real Man’ discusses how an old boyfriend had failed her.

On songs like ‘A Cruel Affair’ and ’Tie My Shoes’, she blends reality and fantasy in discussing her fears of being an adult, a theme that continues from her previous album, which was named after a fantasy world she created. The blend continues on this record, making it a sequel of sorts, but the characters within the stories have evolved, and their issues become more intense, adding a layer of intrigue to the album. ’Take a Bite’ is the opener, starting with a rock-out bang. It is about gaining knowledge after a relationship has ended and finding the answers as to why the initial chemistry didn’t last.

‘One Time’ is about taking revenge, and then we have her hurting in ‘Girl Song’, so there are several sides to her and her character’s personalities. Leading on from ‘Girl Song, ’ the song focuses heavily on her self-loathing, especially on her appearance.

On ‘California’, she talks about life on the road and how it is affecting her being away for long periods from her lover. This is expressed further in ‘Coming Home’, where she longs to return to her regular life and enjoy the simple things.

Rick successfully balanced Bea’s conflicted emotions in the overall production, a feat missing from her self-produced previous albums. Rick’s knack for producing what the artist has expressed within their lyrics is evident, particularly when you look at artists like Eminem. But it’s not just Eminem-Rick has worked with countless other artists across a whole range of genres, demonstrating his versatility.

As the album was recorded in California, why wouldn’t Red Hot Chili Peppers inspire her? That is evident on ‘Beaches’, another track to rock out to. As mentioned, Bea likes a lot of overdrive on her guitars, but Rick has found a balance on this album. There is even the odd piano ballad.

We have a mixture of piano ballads like ‘Girl Song’, where we can see her vulnerabilities, then the rock-out guitars on ‘Everything I Want’, the attitude and the self-confidence on ’Take a Bite’, and then there is even bossa nova featured on ‘A Cruel Affair’. It’s quite funny that her lyrics contain her insecurities about how others perceive her. She says writing is her way of healing and letting it pour out through songs, but she fears people in her life see it as a way to cause harm and upset. I have to say, as I knew nothing of the artist, I was expecting something that was pop or R&B. I didn’t expect such a diverse and balanced record of rocking tunes, downtempo, acoustic ballads, with, as mentioned before, the odd piano ballad. This unexpected variety is what makes her work so intriguing. I will definitely seek out her material in the future.

Song recommendations: ‘Take a Bite’, ‘Beaches’, ‘Girl Song’

9/10

Week 14: Red Hot Chili Peppers- Unlimited Love

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I have no idea how I got into the Chilis; they just appeared out of nowhere. I just fell into them. I don’t know how. I just seemed to hear them everywhere I went as a kid. I don’t even know what track I liked back then. Anyway, “Unlimited Love” is their twelve studio album over a nearly four decades-long career. John Frusciante has also returned, and Rick Rubin has been called upon to help propel the band back to their peak years. 

The opener is ‘Black Summer’, which I believe is also the lead single because I saw the obligatory video on YouTube.John brings his signature solos, which the band and the fans have missed. It sounds like a track that belongs on their 2006 album, “Stadium Arcadium”, which is my personal favourite of theirs. The song title and lyrics in the chorus could be a nod to John because the band have been going through a “black summer” without his guitar licks and riffs. The second track leads off from the opener with Anthony Kiedis back to his best vocally. ‘Here Ever After’ also sounds like a classic Chilis song.

Flea’s turn is to showcase his talent on the funk-induced ‘Aquatic Mouth Dance’. However, the upbeat song feels like it was made as an Adult Swim track. What do I mean? I can see it being used in one of the shows on the channel or those little skits you see before the following programme. It was nice to hear trumpets and a saxophone, which I can’t recall hearing on many of their tracks.

There are acoustic moments on the record, but the songs lose meaning because they are too long. Especially ‘Not the One’, which is someone saying to their lover this isn’t going to work out because we are different.

Unfortunately, the downtempo doesn’t stop there as we head into ‘Poster Child’, ‘It’s Only Natural’, and ‘the Great Apes’.However, the latter does have a catchy chorus and is Anthony’s pro-wildlife song. He wants apes to have their freedom rather than be locked up in a cage for people’s enjoyment at the zoo. I can understand that and, therefore, like the message conveyed.

At the halfway point, a track called ‘These are the Ways’ brings controversy depending on your side. The track goes after the current climate in America. Anthony’s vocals are reflective during the verses, but his anger comes through during the chorus, and he attacks the current environment. This is Chad Smith’s best drumming showpiece on the record.

The album’s second half shows off the instrumentalists, and Anthony takes more of a back seat. Aside from showing off the instrumentalists’ skills, the album lacks any real punch after the halfway point. Yes, there are catchy songs, but no songs that stand out. I did like ‘Veronica’, which changes tempo between the chorus and the verses and has a nice story to tell.

I am running out of where to end this review, but another track that stood out because of the concept was ‘the Heavy Wing, ‘ where John takes lead vocals and plays guitar. The record ends on a mellow note with ‘Tangelo’, which features acoustic and, surprisingly, synthesisers. Unfortunately, this album blends in with most of their previous records. 

I didn’t notice anything significant in their tracks. All Rick did was bring them back to what they sounded like in their glory years. Apart from that, it sounded like any other Chilis album.

Song recommendations: ‘Veronica’, ‘These are the Ways’, ‘the Heavy Wing’

6/10