Wednesday, August 3, 2011

ALBUM REVIEW: 311 still has its 'Pulse' (Weekender)

In addition to creating great music, for one reason or another some artists also seem to typify a state of mind. 311’s unique fusion of rock, rap and reggae definitely does just that. The band recently released “Universal Pulse,” its tenth studio album, and the second produced by industry legend Bob Rock. With just eight songs and clocking in just shy of 30 minutes, the album ends almost as soon as it begins and barely seems to qualify as full-length. However, the flipside of that is that there is not an extra note, lyric or crash of the cymbals here — only what’s needed, no more and no less.

Starting with “Time Bomb” and concluding with “And A Ways To Go,” “Universal Pulse” is exactly what one would expect from 311: The kind of music to play and zone out to on a laidback day or night when one doesn’t plan on doing very much at all. While some tracks, such as “Wild Nights,” “Rock On” and “Trouble,” open up with somewhat of a hard edge, sooner or later they mellow out and find a trance-like groove to follow. Other songs, such as “Count Me In” and “Sunset In July,” are smooth and laidback from the beginning, and it is all but impossible to not sit back and just enjoy life while listening to the aptly named “Weightless,” which may be best track on the album.

“Universal Pulse” follows 311’s trademark sound note-for-note, and for all intents and purposes, the songs could have been released in 1995 instead of 2011. However, while some critics may write off a band for following a tried-and-true formula with little variation on that theme, one must also recognize that consistency throughout a career and being the artist that writes an almost inimitable type of music for just that right moment carries some value as well. While “Universal Pulse” certainly won’t surprise anyone, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a lot of fun to listen to.

http://www.theweekender.com/music/311_still_has_its__lsquo_Pulse_rsquo__08-02-2011.html

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