When the hard rock/alternative band Stone Temple Pilots burst onto the music scene in the spring of 1993, they were met with widespread criticism.
In the wake of the breakthrough success of the grunge rock scene, the band was quickly dismissed as a Seattle clone attempting an impersonation of Pearl Jam and the like.
But with the multi-platinum success of their 1992 debut album "Core" and 1994's "Purple," the band is already well on their way to dominating the commercial rock scene.
Originally formed in Los Angeles during 1990 as Mighty Joe Young, these four musicians built a local following in Southern California. Eventually, the band's break came two years later in 1992, when Atlantic Records began knocking on the door after an Los Angeles club gig.
Mighty Joe Young, later renamed the Stone Temple Pilots, signed a record contract with Atlantic on April Fool's Day, 1992. Millions of records later, the Stone Temple Pilots are letting success speak for itself.
Critics, on the other hand, will not let the Pilots off easily. There is still a belief by some music press that the band is a calculated effort to produce a specific sound.
No doubt, Weiland and the Stone Temple Pilots sound like Pearl Jam and their Seattle brethren. Arguably, this is due to shared influences and borrowed riffs from the same 1970s rock kingpins, particularly Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
With their latest release "Tiny Music ... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop," the band is lashing back at their detractors with a new attitude and a slightly transformed sound.
Producer Brendan O'Brien has left a bit of the polish off of the Stone Temple Pilots' familiar sound.
At a first listen, "Tiny Music" sounds like a new direction for the band. The trio of bassist Dean DeLeo, guitarist Rob DeLeo and vocalist Scott Weiland does the majority of songwriting. Drummer Eric Kretz rounds out the band line-up.
The premiere single, "Big Bang Baby," reveals a sound not unlike R.E.M's recent departure on their edgy CD "Monster." Rob DeLeo continues to produce the innovative guitar crunch this time around, most evident on this track.
Some more exposure to the album's tunes gives those acquainted with the Pilots an indication that musically, not much has changed with the band.
The lyrical content of the songs is not far from the gloomy "Core" and the soul-searching in "Purple." The DeLeo brothers' music is a resounding contradiction to the angst and irony of Weiland's vocals.
Aside from a short instrumental titled "Press Play," the album opens by questioning pop culture's growing obsession with murder and suicide on "Pop's Love Suicide." "Big Bang Baby" follows suit with a similar theme. The song can be read as Weiland's take on the Kurt Cobain-Nirvana legend.
"Tumble in the Rough" examines Weiland's well-publicized bout with substance abuse.
"I'm looking for a new medication, still looking for a new way to fly, " he admitted.
Going further into the album, "Lady Picture Show" and "Ride the Cliche" are striking first listens along the lines of the Pilots' earlier ear-catchers "Plush" and "Interstate Love Song."
The few tracks that slow this album down include "And So I Know" and the instrumental "Daisy," both somewhat unwelcome interludes to the band's harder numbers.
In answer to the media's harsh criticism of the band and other rock stars, Weiland presents "Trippin' On a Hole in My Paper Heart." While admitting they may sound like other bands, the group insists on its genuineness.
It is not the Stone Temple Pilots who have sold out to the music industry, Weiland said. He croons on the song "Trippin,' " "I am, I am, I said I'm not myself, but I'm not dead, and I'm not for sale."
In the end, "Tiny Music" never strays far from the structure of the band's earlier work.
It is hard to argue with the band's sound and success. Any doubts about the Stone Temple Pilots' legitimacy and future in the rock arena should be laid to rest with "Tiny Music," a solid, well-produced effort.
