Rolling Stone reviewed the new Stone Temple Pilots album Perdida which was just released today (February 7th). The reviewer was not very kind, going so far as to say, “… the band seems to have entered an awkward “Jethro Tull phase”…” when talking about the flute being brought in as a pretty big part of some of the tracks on the album. Another stinging line from the review is, “The title song sounds more like an Andrew Lloyd Webber showstopper than an echo of albums like Core and Purple.” For further digs at the band, you can read the entire review right here
I gave the entire album a listen this morning, and while I would agree the tracks are not at all reminiscent of the the band’s most successful albums… I would respond by saying… So What?! The point of this album was not at all to throw it back to the early days when grunge was on top of the world. The title “Perdida” is actually the Spanish word for “loss” and the band approached this album and wrote these songs not to relive the glory years of the early 90s… but to mourn the loss of TWO former singers for the band. Scott Weiland, and Chester Bennington.
Most of the lyrics on this album revolve around heartbreak and letting go, and then finally starting over. With the band tackling such somber themes, it seems unfair to me to blast them for not having “Plush” or “Creep” sounding songs. This is the first ever all acoustic studio album by Stone Temple Pilots, and this approach to the recording and writing the album seems poignant and appropriate given what they were looking to do.
-Bickham
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