Purple
Interstate Love Song lasts little more than three minutes. It has a lovely guitar opening, a chorus that seems to arrive exactly when it should, and enough movement to make those minutes feel complete. Purple contains several heavier songs, but this is its clearest argument for Stone Temple Pilots as very good songwriters.
Their second album is more varied than the straightforward grunge label suggests. Vasoline has a tight, nagging riff and a wonderfully compact shape. Big Empty takes a slower route, moving from bluesy guitar passages into a chorus with considerably more weight. Scott Weiland changes his approach to suit each setting. He can push hard, but he also knows when a softer, more relaxed vocal will do more for a song.
That flexibility carries into the album tracks. Still Remains is warm and melodic without losing the band's thick guitar sound. Pretty Penny steps further away from it, using acoustic playing to give the middle of the record a different pace. The shift is welcome. A full album of the same heavy attack would make the best riffs feel much smaller.
There is still plenty of noise available. Meatplow gets things moving with a solid stomp, and Unglued provides a short, scrappy burst when the album needs some extra speed. Dean DeLeo's guitar parts can be heavy, colourful or surprisingly light, often without drawing attention away from the vocal. The songs benefit from a band that understands when to add a detail and when to leave the chorus alone.
Some of the thicker tracks are less immediate than the singles, and a few familiar alternative-rock habits remain. Purple doesn't constantly surprise you. What it does offer is a very consistent set of songs with a clear personality, shifting easily between force and melody. The big hits make a fine introduction, but they don't make the surrounding tracks redundant. If your knowledge of Stone Temple Pilots stops at the radio songs, the rest of this album deserves a turn.
