Tiny Music...Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop is the oddly titled third release from underrated rockers The Stone Temple Pilots, with their previous releases Core and Purple they amassed huge sales and unfair critical loathing being branded as a tag along band to such acts as Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam.
The copy cat tag remained with the band throughout their entire career although they went some way to dispelling this myth with everything released past Core (which in itself was a fantastic album and should not be discounted), and none more so than with this album.
01 - Press Play: The album opens with a nice little instrumental number which is a good indication of the rest of the album.
02 - Pop's Love Suicide: Soon as you hear Scott singing he sounds different, far more whinny but it suits the album mood well, this songs not the kind of crunching hard rock number that opened the previous two, its actually a breezy pop tune and catchy as hell.
03 - Tumble In The Rough: Not much can be sayed about this song apart from the fact that its really just a carbon copy of the song previous with a faster beat, bit dissapointing but the album picks up.
04 - Big Bang Baby: Here we go, this is a much more refined form the breezy pop tune with catchy written all over it, and a slightly heavy guitar riff driving it along (heavy in the context of the album).
05 - Lady Picture Show: Highlight of the album right of the bat, a sumptuous Beatles type song that powers through until arguably one of the most gorgeous guitar solos from Dean Deleo's repertoire, everything about this song screams classy.
06 - And So I Know: Sounds like its just drifted from some beach or something, the song is unlike anything from STP but is kinda relaxing in a way.
07 - Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart: The album's hardest rocker, beginning with some nice and fast power chords and continuing through some brilliantly played out verses, a fantastic chorus and an insanely addictive solo from Dean yet again.
08 - Art School Girl: Another pop tune but with more zest, probably the catchiest song from a very catchy album, again brilliant.
09 - Adhesive: More like jazz-pop than anything else a slow burning melody with saxophones playing at certain intervals. Similar to Kitchenware and Candy Bars from Purple in a way.
10 - Ride The Cliche: Yet again a catchy pop tune but again with its own hooks which give it its place in the album.
11 - Daisy: Another instrumentalbut actually bloody good, suits the album well.
12 - Seven Caged Tigers: The album closes with not the best song of the album but my personal favourite, its an insanely good riff with strange lyrics sang fantastically by Weiland, perfect closer, then just when you think the song can't embed itself into your head any further they go and create a kinda echo effect of the main riff that gradually fades out almost leaving you longing for the album to be played again, course thats very sensible advice.
All in all absolute belter of an album and anyone looking for something a bit different or any STP fans not yet owning it definitely should.
