STP lost their Hard Rock Spark?

[AFH]

I almost cried when i first listened to 'cinnamon' - and not from happiness.
or 'maver' - it sounds cheesy, almost like a Bon jovi song.

I have nothing but respect for Bon Jovi, even though Im not very much into them.
But Maver come on! Its a great song! I love the piano, the lyrics, the melodies and the outstanding solo from Dean.
To me it sounds VERY STP,  it has a lot of emotion, it has a lot of feeling, it is just a perfect closure for the record.

[ShaneC]

I kinda like Take A Load Off.

Thats the only song I think sounds okay.

I'll wait for the next album, but won't have my hopes up. I really did try to like this album.

I've taken to calling this release a PSEUDO-STP album. It will work well when they tour with Matchbox 20 and Lifehouse.

[wayne gretzky]

Idiot be gone.

Take care Shane.

[Erik B.]

I didn't read the rest of this thread because I don't have the patience.  I skimmed it and basically got that some people like it and some people don't.  They played it safe vs they are evolving their sound... etc., etc., blah blah.

Here's my take on the first listen:

I'm not impressed.  

There, I said it.  

I'm not impressed.  

"You always were my favorite drug, even when we used to take drugs."

Really?  Sorry, that line just annoys the hell out of me.

People who know me, know that I am a huge fan of STP, and have been for years.  I've been (not so much recently) a regular contributor to this website, and have defended the band on numerous occasions.

Maybe it's my musical tastes changing.  Maybe it's just not a good album.  I don't know.  The sound changed, and it changed in a way that I don't much care for.  I agree that bands should grow and evolve.  But just because they grow and evolve, it doesn't mean that I have to grow and evolve with them, does it?  They went in a direction that I didn't go in.  I'll still listen to my old STP, and I'll still love this band.  I just won't love this album.

...at least not right now.

[VeiledTrickerySTP]

More "Core Voice" people. I can't believe it. Well there's always the "ground breaking" Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin for you types.

[Shannon]

More "Core Voice" people. I can't believe it. Well there's always the "ground breaking" Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin for you types.

Okay honestly, I hate that attitude of people on here. i LOVE the new album. But telling other loyal STP fans to get lost because they dont like ONE of the six albums is pretty childish. Sure, some people love some of the harder albums, some love the softer albums. Thats the great thing about STP, they have tons of different sounds, so everyone can love some of their stuff. But getting pissed at people because they dont love EVERYthing the band puts out, well, is just dumb.

[VeiledTrickerySTP]

More "Core Voice" people. I can't believe it. Well there's always the "ground breaking" Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin for you types.

Okay honestly, I hate that attitude of people on here. i LOVE the new album. But telling other loyal STP fans to get lost because they dont like ONE of the six albums is pretty childish. Sure, some people love some of the harder albums, some love the softer albums. Thats the great thing about STP, they have tons of different sounds, so everyone can love some of their stuff. But getting pissed at people because they dont love EVERYthing the band puts out, well, is just dumb.

Maybe it's because they are being critical for things that make no sense. Criticizing the album because of the lyrics? Is "flies in the vasoline we are, sometimes it blows my mind" any better or worse than "You always were my favorite drug, even when we used to take drugs"?

This album is leaps and bounds better than Core and is on par with Tiny Music.

[silvergun88]

More "Core Voice" people. I can't believe it. Well there's always the "ground breaking" Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin for you types.

Okay honestly, I hate that attitude of people on here. i LOVE the new album. But telling other loyal STP fans to get lost because they dont like ONE of the six albums is pretty childish. Sure, some people love some of the harder albums, some love the softer albums. Thats the great thing about STP, they have tons of different sounds, so everyone can love some of their stuff. But getting pissed at people because they dont love EVERYthing the band puts out, well, is just dumb.

Maybe it's because they are being critical for things that make no sense. Criticizing the album because of the lyrics? Is "flies in the vasoline we are, sometimes it blows my mind" any better or worse than "You always were my favorite drug, even when we used to take drugs"?

This album is leaps and bounds better than Core and is on par with Tiny Music.

don't compare this album to Core because its almost like its two different artists. however, Core was their most successful album, a majority or their hits come from core, and core was how the band ORIGINALLY was before whatver the hell caused them to change (drugs, fame, money, traveling...ect). Core is a classic that will never be reckoned with

[wayne gretzky]

I just dont get people who are disising the album whove heard it only once or twice.

[DeathbedCT]

Maybe it's because they are being critical for things that make no sense. Criticizing the album because of the lyrics? Is "flies in the vasoline we are, sometimes it blows my mind" any better or worse than "You always were my favorite drug, even when we used to take drugs"?

This album is leaps and bounds better than Core and is on par with Tiny Music.

I think "flies in the vasoline we are, sometimes it blows my mind, keep getting stuck here all the time" makes sense, and is actually more visual and creative than "you always were my favorite drug... etc."

Musically, this album is on par with the rest, but lyrically, it just seems to lack something for me.  Maybe it's Scott trying to prove he's more mature now, or maybe he just writes differently when he's sober.  Or maybe it's because this albus seems to be "happy" when older STP was deeper, more dramatic, and soulful.  But, to me, this album just lacks the visualization and deepness the other albums had.  I still like it, don't get me wrong.  It's a lot better than most of the other garbage out there, but it's no Tiny Music (and I know it's not trying to be).

[wayne gretzky]

And i dont get the hate on for the BTL lyric.  

Scott is a different lyricist these days, he seems to be a little more direct and a stroyteller.

[moya moya]

Here is how I think of the BTL lyrics....he repeats the first line (I like it when you talk about love), so it is consistent to keep the same type of flow in the next lyrics by "rhyming" the end of the verse (drug). Eh, I am not a lyricist so I have no idea if that was the plan, but that is what I tell myself to get over that line which really bugged me too at first.

[Erik B.]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion.  If you love this album, I'm happy for you.  I don't.  But that doesn't matter.  I would just appreciate it if people wouldn't put others down because they may not be feeling this one album.

STP has 5 other albums to love, all with different sounds.  My favorite?  Tiny Music.  I love Tiny Music.  Arguably their most "poppy" record to-date.  Despite that, I'm still not feeling the new one.  That doesn't make me (or anyone else) a bad person, or someone without musical taste or appreciation.  It just makes us like this album less than the others.  We're not obligated to love it.

(Yes, I said 5 other albums.  I didn't include Thank You, because, well, why would I?  It's a greatest hits album.)

[VeiledTrickerySTP]

More "Core Voice" people. I can't believe it. Well there's always the "ground breaking" Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin for you types.

Okay honestly, I hate that attitude of people on here. i LOVE the new album. But telling other loyal STP fans to get lost because they dont like ONE of the six albums is pretty childish. Sure, some people love some of the harder albums, some love the softer albums. Thats the great thing about STP, they have tons of different sounds, so everyone can love some of their stuff. But getting pissed at people because they dont love EVERYthing the band puts out, well, is just dumb.

Maybe it's because they are being critical for things that make no sense. Criticizing the album because of the lyrics? Is "flies in the vasoline we are, sometimes it blows my mind" any better or worse than "You always were my favorite drug, even when we used to take drugs"?

This album is leaps and bounds better than Core and is on par with Tiny Music.

don't compare this album to Core because its almost like its two different artists. however, Core was their most successful album, a majority or their hits come from core, and core was how the band ORIGINALLY was before whatver the hell caused them to change (drugs, fame, money, traveling...ect). Core is a classic that will never be reckoned with

It's obvious that STP is not a one trick pony like Three Days Grace or Breaking Benjamin, so obviously they are going to move towards what motivated them to become musicians in the first place. Core was their most successful album but that was more due to the time and place. It also allowed them to move in the direction they did.

[DumbLove]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion.  If you love this album, I'm happy for you.  I don't.  But that doesn't matter.  I would just appreciate it if people wouldn't put others down because they may not be feeling this one album.

STP has 5 other albums to love, all with different sounds.  My favorite?  Tiny Music.  I love Tiny Music.  Arguably their most "poppy" record to-date.  Despite that, I'm still not feeling the new one.  That doesn't make me (or anyone else) a bad person, or someone without musical taste or appreciation.  It just makes us like this album less than the others.  We're not obligated to love it.

(Yes, I said 5 other albums.  I didn't include Thank You, because, well, why would I?  It's a greatest hits album.)

+1 - although I love the new album, agree with you completely that it doesn't make you less of a fan or a person if you dislike it.

What I don't understand is why a lot of you think this album is such a lyrical departure from their previous stuff.  There are still Scott's trademark trippy lyrics (see "Huckleberry Crumble" and compare to "Trippin'") and you have the more tangible straightforward lyrics (see "Hazy Daze" and compare to "Atlanta").  The topic of drugs is nothing new ("No Way Out", "I Got You"), and neither is the repetition ("You always were my favorite drug, Even when we used to take drugs" compared to "I know you want what's on my mind, I know you like what's on my mind").

That's just from the top of my head using the songs I've been listening to most on the new album, but I'm sure the parallels don't end there.  Like I said, I respect everyone's opinion and right to love or hate this album equally, but I would like to hear a sound argument or example as to how the album is so drastically different lyrically (based on content alone, not melody) from any of their others because I just don't see it.