885. Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers.

An album that pretty much everyone from my generation will know, it's release in mid-1999 meant that some of the staple singles from this album were ever present at gatherings during my formative mid - teens. It was an album that centred the Chilis as an accessible slice of pop-punk, with a splash of funk, and a liberal dousing of bizarre lyrics. I remember see them at V festival in about 1999, and whilst I wasn't their biggest fan, I enjoyed the energy that they brought to the crowd.

As a band they have had their fair share of difficulties, with drug addiction a recurring them for Anthony Kiedis. This album followed up the underwhelming One Hot Minute,  the only RHCP album that featured Dave Navarro, with Frusciante returning to the fold following his own struggles with addiction. Frusciante returned without even his guitars, which had burnt in a house fire he'd barely escaped. From the ashes of this situation, the band produced their best-selling album.

Parallel universe always makes me think of a train, with the guitar and drum sound reminiscent of the clicketty-clack of train wheels on tracks. Or, perhaps, I just spend too much of my life thinking about trains. Scar tissue, on the delicate side with a lovely refrain, if slightly repetitive. There are some beautiful guitar work too, and lyrics that aren't completely ridiculous all the time. Otherside is classic singalong fare, pretty much written for boozy afternoons in a festival crowd; this I am more than fine with. Emmit Remmus is a really good song, with a powerful, catchy chorus, squealing guitar, and a nice list of London landmarks. Road Trippin' is about the only slow acoustic number on this album that I enjoy.

The songs fall into two camps - funky, rocky numbers with Flea at the forefront, and with lyrical content primarily focused on the sexual (Get on top, Around the world, Easily, Emmit Remmus, I like Dirt). Alternatively, a slow, sickly sweet song which is all treble (Porcelain, Savior, Road Trippin'). Occasionally the two are combined, as in Californication itself, Otherside and Scar Tissue. It is no surprise that two of these are the standouts for Chloe and me, as this style shows the Chilis at their strongest. By blending their strengths, they create a more engaging song.

Overall, I enjoyed this album a lot as it is packed full of catchy songs. Whilst the lyrics can be a barrier to enjoyment from time to time, it is hard to not finding yourself singing along to half of the songs, which is a pretty good sign of a decent album.

Chloe's rating: 7

Chloe's favourite track: 3 Scar tissue

Olly's rating: 7

Olly's favourite track: 4. Otherside

Next week's album is 167. Stand by Sly and the family Stone; not too sure what to expect with this.