STP Lives!

Summer is the time for some loud, adrenaline-pumping rock. When it gets hot, I look for a new album to blast in my car to make me happy, pumped and driving fast. With the newly reformed and self-titled Stone Temple Pilots album, I had hopes. Fortunately, this is exactly what this album seems to be going for.

When the first track, Between the Lines, blasts, it’s not long before Scott Weiland screams repeatedly, “even when we use to take drugs!” We’ll hold you to that man!! Robert DeLeo, guitarist, stated that the overall sound of the album will have a “60s vibe.” I sure got alot of vibes, as most tracks reminded me of one classic rock band or another. In Take a Load Off, I could clearly see Robert Plant gyrating to deliver that line. Huckleberry Crumble, the verses could have been delivered by Aerosmith with the rock stomp chorus by Led Zeppelin. Hickory Dichotomy = Lou Reed. First Kiss on Mars = David Bowie. It goes on and on. STP is known for emulating others work since the San Diego-based band emerged as a Seattle grunge rip off in the early nineties. Over the years STP has constantly reinvented himself. A good example here is bubble gum pop, Cinnamon. A track that my 13 year old self would deem “totally gay”. It makes me a bit ill, when it sticks in my head.

I may be coming off a little negative, but STP has delivered plenty of great songs in their history. They even captured some of the magic here. The guitar work is better then ever. Another standout, Hazy Daze, seems to reference Velvet Revolver and Weiland’s relationship with Slash. “He was a man who didn’t want me anymore” and “How much did you get,  for selling out my name.” There is a couple of throwaway tracks in the middle, but more then enough good stuff to start my Summer 2010 playlist.

Download: Kiss on Mars, Huckleberry Crumble, Hickory Dichotomy

It’s totally gay, you have been warned!