Shangri-La Dee Da

Stone Temple Pilots

Shangri-La Dee Da

[Atlantic Records]

What a long, strange trip it's been for the Stone Temple Pilots: derision as a wannabe grunge act, drugs, rehab, a disappointing third album, more drugs, more rehab, near-breakups, disappointing side projects, a disappointing fourth album, and still more drugs and rehab.

So it's perhaps a bit of an understatement to say that there was an awful lot of outside pressure working against Shangri-La Dee Da, the fifth work by the San Diego foursome. Somewhat miraculously, however, Scott Weiland and crew pull it together pretty well this time around, and the result is an album that not only manages to be tough without needing to be either rap or metal but also, dare I say it, even sweet in places without resorting to cheap sentiment.

That said, Shangri-La essentially swings between three different moods: There's your standard rocker ("Coma," first single "Days of the Week," "Transmissions From a Lonely Room," and the energetic opener, "Dumb Love"), your hip scenester nods ("Hollywood Bitch," "Too Cool Queenie," "Black Again") and your midtempo numbers ("Wonderful," "A Song For Sleeping," and "Hello, It's Late").

What's interesting, however is the ability of the band to not only bring force when needed, but also to slow their mix down and let Weiland, who has always had an impressive set of pipes, emerge and save the less speedy tunes from the domain of bic-waving power ballads. "Hello" reflects an introspective sense that seems all-but-unimaginable from the boys who brought you "Sex Type Thing" and "Wicked Garden," and "Song for Sleeping," dedicated to Weiland's recently born son, is the album's highlight: both sweet and sensitive without being saccharine.

Which is not to say that the album doesn't also have balls. The DeLeo brothers, always the nexus of the band's sound, bring the rock throughout the album, and "Queenie" not only pays homage to Kurt Cobain ("There was a boy who played in a rock and roll band / And he wasn't half bad / At saving the world.") but also has the chutzpah to tear down Courtney Love.

In making Shangri-La-Di-Da the Pilots have seemingly done the impossible. They've blended their pop and hard rock sensibilities without indulging in either. They've survived enough drama to give Behind the Music material for a month. Oh yeah, and they've made a damn fine album somewhere along the way.

Aaron Azlant

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