Soberly baptized N#4, this new Stone Temple Pilots is without a doubt their best album, confirming the resurgence of an inspiration born from their long, forced vacation.
N#4 can be defined as an incandescent manifesto for its level of abrasive and savage sound in the purest tradition of the genre as well as for lyrics evoking the highs and lows of a singer taken captive by the vices of success. Contrary to their previous overproduced and hard to digest LP, N#4 was recorded in shotgun time, during a short period between Weiland’s detox and time in prison. The songs represented bear witness to the group’s reunion as they only had time to record these 12.
The sound is crude and direct. Scott Weiland has never sung so well, having left his usual vocal manerisms at the door, while the disc harbors the most melodic harmonies ever recorded by the group. In one word: maturity.
The album starts off strongly with the venimous hit "Down" with its muscle guitars where Weiland’s voice delicately touches down, as if to better accentuate the contrast between rage and beauty that reigns on the disc. From there, a sequence of efficient rock pieces like "Heaven & Hot Rods", harmonious mid tempos like "Pruno" and "Glide" as well as ballads whose melodies possess a surprising beauty. Among "Sour Girl" and "I Got You", "Atlanta" is totally bewitching with a haunting melody and voice where accents of Jim Morrison are found.
STP has survived various overwhelming episodes and has known how to find new youth and reinvent themselves, producing the inevitable: their best album.
Stone Temple Pilots N#4
