Mar 22, 2011

2010 in music - Stone Temple Pilots – S/T -B


Lyrics to Stone Temple Pilot songs have rarely if ever been a highpoint of the band. The reality is that more than something deeply meaningful, Scott Weiland has always delivered lyrics that seem incredibly deep but upon further inspection have more to do with achieving a rhyme than meaning. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but for the first time it’s REALLY evident that the lyrics are not the prime currency in the STP Bank. That quibble aside, the performance of each musician on this album is solid, as they usually are. Everyone is playing with energy though my only complaint is that I hear more Army of Anyone than STP in more than a couple of songs. Maybe it’s a stylistic shift in the De Leo Brother approach to music, and it isn’t bad… it just isn’t Purple or Tiny Music from the Vatican or Core or any other STP album. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want a repeat album but during the hiatus, the side bands and the solo ventures by Scott Weiland, something got a little screwy. I know it sounds like I’m trying to justify this record, but more than anything, I want to leave it clear that I’ve always been a big STP fan, I don’t want to be a hater and that I listened to this album with open arms and open music and though I enjoyed, it’s not like the album got stuck in craw. Yeah it’s good, but it falls short on anthems and songs I feel a burning need to listen to. Sure there’s some country swagger to many songs, and it’s good listening, but again, good not great. It’s not like I’m writing off STP or that I’m not going to buy the next album if it gets done, but I will be a lot more cautious with my expectations until at least Scott writes something that isn’t soulless flotsam. For now, it’ll do, but if you thought Shangri-La-Dee-Da was a letdown (which it wasn’t, I really like that album), then you should look elsewhere for your rock and roll. If you need an even better perspective, then consider this album better than both titles from Velvet Revolver, better than Army of Anyone but not as good as any STP album.

Highlight Tracks: Between the Lines – Take a Load off – Hickory Dichotomy – Dare if you dare – Cinnamon – Hazey Daze – Fast as I can – Maver

1 comments:

Scared T. Fearless said...

I love this album! Listen a few more times... It really sticks with ya.

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