I listened to the audio stream earlier today. My initial thoughts on each song:
“Monarchy of Roses”: A glorious mess of distortion and fuzz with a clear-cut chorus. Good start that gets you pumped for the rest.
“Factory of Faith”: Anthony Kiedis’ returns to rapping, but he doesn’t sound into it like he did on past albums. The delivery triples when he sings.
“Brendan’s Death Song”: Things slow down with a sweet acoustic intro. Can’t touch something like “Scar Tissue”, but it crushes “Zephyr Song”. This song has a great bridge. It’s so close to exploding into crazy riffage, but it pulls back. Absolutely love those yelps at the end by Kiedis.
“Ethiopia”: Flea gets his first big bass moment at the forefront. The chorus is worthy of big singalongs. The guitar solo is less impressive and sets in some doubts about Josh Klinghoffer.
“Annie Wants a Baby”: The chorus is pretty catchy and there are a few nice, high-pitched guitar parts, but it’s not as strong as the first four songs.
“Look Around”: The band bursts out of the gate with the funkiest Chili Peppers track since “Hump de Bump.” Those handclaps are a sweet touch. The bridge moves into “Give It Away” territory. The funktastic guitar and Kiedis’ rapid-rapping brings you back to the band’s early days.
“The Adventures of Raindance Maggie”: This isn’t a bad song by any means, but I still think it was a poor first single choice. “Ethiopia,” “Factory of Faith,” and “Monarchy of Roses” all would have made better radio hits. Plus, the lyrics are pretty terrible.
“Did I Let You Know”: Whoa! Trumpet solo! Looks like Flea is going for more than just the bass this time around! There’s also a slightly off-kilter, yet awesome drumbeat from Smith. Gotta love it.
“Goodbye Hooray”: The most aggressive track here so far, but it’s not angry by any means. Klinghoffer finally rips out an amazing, eruptive solo.
“Happiness Loves Company”: We get our first taste of Flea’s piano playing. It’s a jangling melody that compliments the marching drumbeat well.
“Police Station”: Klinghoffer’s backing vocals aren’t as good as Frusciante’s, but they work wonderfully in this slower number.
“Even You Brutus?”: The biggest surprise of the record. Sharp guitar intersects with Wild West-piano. Kiedis switches between rap & singing on the fly.
“Meet Me In The Corner”: This song is made for a smoky bar late at night. Subtle guitar work, serene vocals, and a melancholy atmosphere.
“Dance, Dance, Dance”: The interaction between Flea and Klinghoffer at the start is beautiful. Hell, the whole damn song is a funky, intricate, satisfying conclusion.
All in all, this is a wonderfully rebirth and return to form for the RHCP. Klinghoffer is clearly still trying to get comfortable in this new situation, but he has several standout moments. This is also the greatest expansion of the Chili Peppers' sound in years.