Red Hot Chili Peppers — Stadium Arcadium

Red Hot Chili Peppers albums are made for summer. Stadium Arcadium, their ninth studio effort, is a sprawling 28-track double-disc that's no exception to their sunny, albeit gritty, California funk-rock resume. The quartet have crafted an expansive, melodic album teeming with classic rock riffs, proving that they're one of those rare bands who keep getting better while remaining firmly planted in their roots. On the two discs, Jupiter and Mars, we get Flea's signature funky bass slaps ("She's Only 18") and Anthony Kiedis' steady Cali rhymes ("Hard To Concentrate"), yet it's John Frusciante who finally takes centre stage. His guitar wails and rawk riffs ("Ready Made," "Torture Me") cement his status as one of the world's best guitarists. Where BloodSugarSexMagik's energetic tracks suited summer revelry and By The Way sounded like your summer fling, Stadium Arcadium's bittersweet, sun-drenched ballads make it the soundtrack to the end of a hot day when the sun's going down and there's a delicious chill in the air.

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