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In fact, Gutt’s lack of personality is one of the biggest drawbacks to Perdida.
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When the late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington stepped up to the mic with STP, fronting the band between Weiland and Gutt, he still sounded like Chester Bennington unfortunately Gutt doesn’t have enough of an identity beyond his work on the band’s 2018 self-titled LP to make him stand out. But it’s also those moments where he’s sounding like he’s performatively doing a Weiland impression, and it jars you out of what might otherwise be an interesting song. New frontman Jeff Gutt, a former X Factor contestant, has a good voice, and you can hear him try and curl his melody lines in a Weiland-esque way, especially the “can this be loo-oo-oove” line in lead single “Fare Thee Well,” a jaunty soft rocker about the end of a relationship. Perdida is the Spanish word for “lost,” and it’s hard not to see the title as some sad irony as the group plays a set of overly sincere acoustic tracks. What’s missing from the formula, though, is witty, cutting lyrics and well, some excitement. Yes, there’s acoustic guitar and string accompaniments. Casual types should probably stick to the stream.Although it would have seemed unimaginable in the Nineties, the decade when Stone Temple Pilots rode the grunge wave to the top of the charts with Big Riffs and Scott Weiland’s Bigger Voice, the band seems to have entered an awkward “Jethro Tull phase” on their eighth album, Perdida. SHOULD I BUY, STREAM OR STEAL IT? If you’re a true fan, you might want to shell out. IF THIS ALBUM WERE WEATHER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?A gentle drizzle that gives way to tentative sunlight. HOW OFTEN WILL I LISTEN TO IT? How often do you throw your own pity parties? Or really want to? WHAT WILL MY FRIENDS SAY? ‘If anybody has the right to be depressed, it’s these guys.’ WHAT ARE THE BEST SONGS? Fare Thee Well, She’s My Queen and a couple of others that almost rock hard enough to keep the whole thing from literally being too downbeat. WHAT 10 WORDS SUM IT UP? Bittersweet, hushed, sombre, reflective, regretful, tender, warm, soothing, longing, moving. HOW SHOULD I LISTEN TO IT? At night by yourself, unless you’re a) in the company of fellow fans who might appreciate its depth and sincerity, or b) seriously trying to bum people out. WHAT SHOULD IT BE TITLED? In any language, it would be tough to top the handle it’s got. WHAT ARE THE MOST REVEALING LYRICS? ‘And now we’re here and after all / Who’s to blame for what we’ve lost?’ Vocally, Gutt continues to evoke Weiland without coming off as an impersonator, while Robert DeLeo sings his first lead vocal on the reflective Years. A few of the tracks almost rock enough to keep the album from coming off too quiet. Fittingly, the arrangements and instrumentation are also uplifting, with tasteful horns and strings elegantly layered into the tracks. But to their credit, STP don’t wallow in their grief several of these songs sound more hopeful than heartbroken. WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? Somewhat like you’d expect an acoustic album titled Perdida to sound like: Deep, dark, even grim at points. Instead of delivering another hit of the sinister post-grunge arena-rock they’re known for, Perdida, in keeping with its title, is an all-acoustic disc of new material inspired, informed and influenced by the losses and tragedies the band has endured in recent years. WHAT IS THIS? The band’s eighth studio album, their second full-length release with Gutt and - most tellingly - an unexpected musical left turn. Did STP build their band on an Indigenous burial ground or something?) (Original vocalist Scott Weiland battled drugs until they killed him replacement Chester Bennington committed suicide now Gutt has been sidelined from touring by a herniated disc. W HO ARE THEY? The three surviving original members of Stone Temple Pilots - for those who aren’t in the fan club, that’s guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist (and brother) Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz - along with X Factor alum Jeff Gutt, their latest in a line of seemingly cursed singers.