311 transistor record review7/14/2023 ![]() “Weightless”, an airy but energized track, is one of the catchiest songs in the band’s catalog. The song’s twin cousin “Count Me In” combines a crafty mix of ska, power chords and wa-wa pedals with some less crafty lyrics, “We’re not living the Dream/We’re living the Life”.ģ11 saves the best for last with the last quarter of the album. “Sunset in July/Rockers by my side/And time is flying by/Ba da dop dop da dee-yah”. Lead single “Sunset in July” is the perfect radio friendly summer anthem: solid production, a catchy hook, innocuous upbeat lyrics, floating vocals and some scat thrown in for good measure. Hexum explores the lessons he learned from his drug days over a Caribbean/ska groove on “Trouble”, only to come to the conclusion that the problem was the six inches between his ears, “The bullshit, the trouble was coming from me, honestly”. The raging alt rock is bolstered by S.A.’s hip-hop interludes and a funk solo from lead guitarist Tim Mahoney. “Where would be/Without the Wild nights/Barely getting by/The days of getting high”. “Wild Night” continues the party with drug fueled nostalgia. sing/rap interplay, and a chorus of “Let me introduce you to the excitable crew/This is just how we do/Ticking like a Time Bomb, watch me go off”. Rolling Stone, a publication that has never given the band a three star rating or higher, described the album as “blunt, dimwitted, (and) completely formulaic”.Īlbum opener “Time Bomb” kicks off the retro 311 love fest with upbeat guitars, Nick Hexum and S.A. ![]() Detractors, on the other hand, will point to the same old frat dude reggae rock and lame lyrics of pseudo-philosophy and self-adulation. Clocking in at less than 30 minutes and with only eight songs, there is little room for dub inspired filler (see Transistor) or forays into indie rock influences ( Uplifter). For fans, this material represents a return to form - the tightest, most focused album in years. Their 10th studio release, Universal Pulse, does little to bridge the divide. ![]() So maybe polarizing is another word to describe 311. Musically, depending on whom you ask, 311 puts out a consistently infectious melding of rock, reggae and rap or they continue to put out a formulaic, white middle-America hijacking of said genres. despite only moderate mainstream success, and even rapper/turntablist S.A.’s Martinez’s on-stage dance moves haven’t changed. The Nebraska alt rockers have had the same lineup since 1992, continue to sell out arenas around the U.S. If there is one word to describe rap/funk metal fusionists 311, it is consistency.
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