NEW ALBUM

[RhettButler]

08. Never Enough 3/5 - Yeah this ones a bit all over the place, I really like the ‘Oh it’s never enough’ part but not so much the part that comes after it which reminds me of Billy Joe from Green Day with the whole ‘put away your anarchy’ etc.

I TOTALLY have heard Billy Joe on that line too. 

Great thoughts on the album, I agree with you.

I thought he was totally chaneling Weiland on that bit.

[DankoJones]

I cringe every time I hear the intro to "Meadow".

Why?

08. Never Enough 3/5 - Yeah this ones a bit all over the place, I really like the ‘Oh it’s never enough’ part but not so much the part that comes after it which reminds me of Billy Joe from Green Day with the whole ‘put away your anarchy’ etc.

I TOTALLY have heard Billy Joe on that line too. 

Great thoughts on the album, I agree with you.

I hear Chester lol

[Immunize]

Middle of Nowhere - 3.5/5
Guilty - 3/5
Meadow - 4.5/5
Just a Little Lie - 3/5
Six Eight - 4/5
Thought She'd Be Mine - 4/5
Roll Me Under - 3.5/5
Never Enough - 4/5
The Art of Letting Go - 5/5
Finest Hour - 2.5/5
Good Shoes - 2/5
Reds and Blues - 4/5

I've listened to it about 30/40x

Solid album!

[CoconutBackwards]

I cringe every time I hear the intro to "Meadow".

Why?

There's something about that guitar tone and the riff that seems way beneath Dean as a guitarist.

[Flyingmerpa]

Edit: wrong thread

[DankoJones]

First, the bad. I don't know what they were thinking with the production. I'm a guitar player. I know the faintest bit about sound, but for those that know a lot, I basically know nothing. But man it sounds muddied up and under water. Listening back to High Rise, while it doesn't have the individual character that each of the first three records had, at least it sounds crisp and clear with better separation of the frequencies. Even Kretz's cymbals sound a bit lifeless without the crispness of the high end I am used to. Maybe it's something totally different, but it doesn't sound great.

I didn't understand these comments until over the weekend.  My friend was complaining about it being muddy.  So I asked him to give me his earbuds and it sounded like a bucket of ass.  I've only listened to this album with studio monitors, studio headphones, and in my car (which is nothing special, at all).  It's very good on my monitors, great on my headphones, and perfectly fine in my car (though I'm less concerned about detailed intricacies of music while I'm blasting down a highway).  I think it's a density problem.  These tunes are packed with layers. 

For me, I think it sounds pretty great!  Especially in headphones!  There's a lot of intricate work done with the stereo field.  The only thing on this album that baffles me is Eric's snare drum.  Mystifying.  There's no treble. 

So, for the people who all think the album sounds muddy, what are you listening on?  What device and/or what speakers? 

Mostly in my 2017 Honda Pilot. In that car, it's unmistakable that Rob's bass is a beast in a way it isn't on the other records. I'm no audiophile, but one complaint about my car is the audio system, which sounds pretty good to me. HOWEVER, one thing I notice that others have noticed is that no matter how high or low the subwoofer is, it seems to make no difference.

So something like Roll Me Under sounds like this mid-rangey wall of noise as opposed to say, Dumb Love, where everything seems to have its own sonic space. And I actually don't mind Rob's bass being so up front as long as it serves a purpose. Take Black Heart. His bass is really up front, but it's to add bottom end to Dean's tonal choice.

I hate ear buds. I don't think they sound good, I think they are uncomfortable, and I don't know how people keep them in their ears.

Agreed on ear buds, I can't do them.

And is that your Honda Temple Pilot .. yeah lame haha

[Dudertron]

Here's my review. No half scores... rounding up or down only.


1) Middle of Nowhere 2/5. Almost feels like they put this song first because Jeff sounds so much like Scott here. Very, very reminiscent of Sucker Train Blues... which annoys me (and I like STB). I do like Dean's guitar work overall on this one, but other than that this doesn't impress much.


2) Guilty 4/5. Hearing that fuzz on the guitar in spots some of you have mentioned. I can't tell if they meant to include that or not, but it's a bit distracting. Anyway, this song is a standout to me... totally dig Dean's work on this one, especially the bridge where Jeff says "realize, you're gonna pay the price"... the music (not the vocals) remind me of the guitar tone from Tiny Music (e.g. Seven Caged Tigers).


3) Meadow 3/5. That low-fidelity sound at the beginning reminds me of some lame Kelly Clarkson song that I can't remember the name of right now. That bothers me a bit. Other than that I think the vocals are pretty cheesy... "killin time and havin fun here in the sun". By the way, this is the first track on the album that reminds me of High Rise (and there are a lot of other points on this album that do as well).


4) Just a Little Lie 2/5. Feels like another High Rise song. This one doesn't really do anything for me, but I don't hate it. Every time I hear that twangy intro riff I think "ugh, here we go again... this ain't over yet". The chorus melody saves this from being a 1.


5) Six Eight 2/5. Jeff's vocals show up well here. I'm not so sure about the music. It's weird but other than Kretz this doesn't sound *that* much like STP all the way thru (it does in the bridge to the heavy chorus). I know a lot of folks here have been big on this one but it doesn't grab me. Dean's solo lifts this one a bit though.


6) Thought She'd Be Mine 5/5. Super clean sound. Love the slide guitar floating around in the background... Dean crushes it when he does that. This is def a bright spot on this album. Jeff fits this song really well. Part of me would kill to hear what Scott's treatment would be here but oh well.


7 ) Roll Me Under 3/5 . I get why this is the next single... doesn't mean I like it. I will say this though, I love the crunchy yet simple riffs in this one. Some of that fuzz sound creeping in here again. Music reminds me of Hazy Daze (which I like) and All in the Suit a bit (which I like too).


8 ) Never Enough 2/5. Bluesy groove with a Beatles-esque Weiland Blaster feel to it. Pretty cool. The bridge and chorus *totally* bring back AoA memories which is good stuff. Overall this isn't a very cohesive song to me, but it's not bad. I hear the Billy Joe stuff there a bit but, there's no way Jeff is channeling him. At least I hope not.


9) Art of Letting Go 5/5. Excellent track. Nuff said.


10) Finest Hour 2/5. Intro sounds like something off of No. 4. Cheesy lyrics... "I know because it's true". For some reason that bothers me. Couldn't have come up with something better than that? Big time High Rise vibe here and I guess that's fitting given who this song's supposedly about. This just doesn't do anything for me but I totally get why others dig it and I respect that.


11) Good Shoes 5/5. Love this one. That bass is nuts and Robert should play that way more often. Reminds me of Cake's version of War Pigs. That breakdown they do a few times during the song (like at the :33 mark) is beast. This is one of the few songs that listen to on the regular.


12) Reds & Blues 2/5. Another track that feels like it didn't make the High Rise cut. I dunno, it's ok.


In all all nothing blows on this album, but only a few stand out and keep me coming back for more. I also know a lot are saying this is better than 2010 ST. Respectfully disagree. 2010 is a much more cohesive album that I can listen to front to back (including the extras) and not skip a track. Overall... this album gets a 3 from me. It ain't great, but it's got some good stuff. Hopefully they keep gelling and make more.

[JugeSTP]

Aaron we would have the most boring debates cause I would just agree with everything you say.

Oh man totally, I dont even post half the time because you've already said what I was going to say! LOL.  Sometime we'll have to get a beer and just affirm to eachother that our opinions on STP are the right ones

You have some great things to say on the album, and I totally agree.  Some of my comments are nitpicking, but overall my impression of this record is that it does a lot right, but that some minor tweaks to songs here and there would really set them off.  The guitar on Middle of Nowhere is definitely the biggest offender to me... it just doesnt work as well as it could (IMO), but I say that in the context that its still one of my favorites on the album.  I'd like to see this album performed live in its entirety, because I really think it would be better in a live setting than with some of the production/mix choices.  Also, major props to you on the Gutt lyrics for Middle of Nowhere.  Somehow I never really put 2 and 2 together on that meaning and its kind of blowing my mind right now.  Totally ballsy.  I certainly respect Jeff's position. He knows that he will never be able to please many fans, so he's just going to do things his way.  Love that.   100% with you on your comments on the other songs too.  You're dead-on. 

Also, I am totally with you on the problem of being able to view certain songs within the context of the album.  I am still struggling with that on all 4 tracks that were pre-released.  I wish I hadn't listened to any of the tracks other than Meadow.  I think on the next STP release I will try that.  I really enjoy soaking in an album as a whole. 

Kinda surprised Guilty is so underrated by this board. The more i listen to that one, the more it stands out. So, so good. I love that track. Aaron find me on social media. Andrew Juge. One of these days we'll get that beer. I'm in Virginia. Glad the Middle of Nowhere lyric thing resonated, that's awesome! That alone completely changed my appreciation of the song. So rock & roll. Honestly, it's the most *middle finger* moment of the record. And I might be 37 now, but I still enjoy those.

[foou33]

Guilty is a great song. I think it's better than Meadow.

[DankoJones]

Guilty is a great song. I think it's better than Meadow.

Speaking of Guilty, have you noticed when Jeff sings the line "As guilty as I am", they way he extends "am" he sounds eerily like Cornell.  And noticed, in the pic of the band inside the cd case,  Kretz is wearing a John Bonham tee under his jacket.   Hmm

[Down-Plush]

Guilty is a great song. I think it's better than Meadow.

Definitely better than Meadow for me, too.

[Pingfah]

Meadow is one of my least favourite tracks TBH, the whole album is solid, but that's at the bottom end of it IMO. Still good, but just too poppy sounding for my tastes.

[Flyingmerpa]

Guilty is a great song. I think it's better than Meadow.

Speaking of Guilty, have you noticed when Jeff sings the line "As guilty as I am", they way he extends "am" he sounds eerily like Cornell.  And noticed, in the pic of the band inside the cd case,  Kretz is wearing a John Bonham tee under his jacket.   Hmm

Do you mean around 2:05 when he says "Guilty in my WAAYYYYYSSSss" ?  That is when I heard the Cornell come out.

[DankoJones]

Is that what he says haha, misheard lyrics.  Yes then, I think early as well, its uncanny though how much he sounds like him

[CagedTiger]

Has anybody else (dare I say it!)... Lost interest with this album a little? Maybe I just overplayed it when it first came out but I haven’t really found myself going back to it lately.