When the Red Hot Chili Peppers first appeared smeared in neon body paint with so cks dangling

precariously from their wieners, even the most faithful funk-metal convert couldn't have conceived they would be around some 20 years later, carryi ng on in much the same fashion. Despite a long history of tragedies and personne l upheavals, the California quartet's eighth album is mostly business as usual-and business, as usual, is quite good. The title track, "By the Way," is a power ful, bruised piece of slap-bass and intermediary white-boy rapping. "Universally Speaking" pays sweaty, soulful tribute to singer Anthony Kiedis's hometown of D etroit. And "Lemon Trees on Mercury" sounds eerily like it could have been lifte d from 1984's Freaky Styley. The band's reliable eclectic side, meanwhile, surfa ces on the Latin-flavored "Cabron" and moody "Venice Queen." But the biggest sur prise is "Tear," a masterful homage to the Beach Boys that suggests the Chili Pe ppers' perpetual state of arrested development may someday lift. --Aidin Vaziri