RED Hot Chili Peppers' new album The Getaway is a beauty! The band have returned sounding optimistic, enthusiastic and full of the energy we've come to expect from the LA funk rockers.
The lead single from the album Dark Necessities is the perfect insight into an album that is as melodic as it is funky – with Flea in the band, the material would struggle not to sound groove based and head-noddingly satisfying.
The Getaway has been produced by Dangermouse who helmed the last U2 album and his slick structuring and arrangement of the band's latest compositions seems to suit the Chilis' sound to a tee. It's not quite the glorious Rick Rubin powerhouse that was Blood Sugar Sex Magic but then very little is.
There are enough potent songs on this album to keep even the most devoted RHCP fan happy. Best moments in my opinion are Goodbye Angels, Go Robot and Detroit.
HOZIER GOES JUNGLE
HOZIER is back with a brand new song called Better Love which he has written specially for the soundtrack of the movie The Legend of Tarzan.
A one-off project and not expected to appear on the next Hozier album, the song pretty much picks up where he left off from amazing songs such as Take Me To Church.
Better Love is one huge crescendo from start to finish – soulful, epic and powerful, three words that can of course be applied to all of Hozier's songs and is filled with the now trademark echoed vocals, vintage organs and descending chords.
The artist was approached by Warner Brothers with the offer of creating a soundtrack piece for the latest Tarzan incarnation and once he viewed an early edit of the movie and loved it, the Wicklow man decided to take time out from recording his second album to craft a suitable music backdrop to our loin-clothed hero swinging through the trees with Cheetah close behind.
I'm glad he did – Better Love is a welcome bonus.
KODALIMELIGHT
KODALINE bring their melodic rock sound to the Limelight 1 in Belfast on July 6. The Dublin band who are still riding high on the success of their recent album Coming Up For Air which included the epic hit songs Honest and The One, have built up a reputation as an excellent live act and no doubt this intimate show will a night to remember.
Tickets went on sale yesterday – they may already be sold out. Be quick.
