Since their debut in 1993 have been chugging along putting out tunes the have amassed them a fiercely loyal fan base and landed themselves a few hits along the way. I was first introduced to 311 by my good friend Mark “Dead Mark” McCarty when he blasted ‘Grassroots’ out of his ’85 Chevy Chevette everywhere we went for about a month straight in 1994 or thereabouts. The music hooked me immediately, from the ska/reggae influence, to the hip-hop segments provided by S.A. Martinez, but mostly it was the smooth melodic delivery of lead singer Nick Hexum that really made me take notice. I immediately picked up ‘Grassroots’ and the latest at that time self-titled CD and played them for everyone I knew. This was an awesome new sound and needed to be heard.
Now some ten albums into their career 311 is back again with ‘Universal Pulse’ and what I love most about this record, like almost all their records, is that it is exactly what you want from 311. They are not randomly changing things up to fit in with current radio trends or drasticly changing up their line up. No, 311 continue to drop solid albums in the style that they have pioneered and built over the past almost two decades. ‘Universal Pulse’ is by far that shortest full-length release from 311, and it does tone down the island influence a bit more than before, but it is still half hour of perfection that is well worth listing to.
Sometimes you need to change things up to stay relevant or too sell to the masses, 311 has got a winning formula that just doesn’t quit. Go check it out for yourself and try and tell me I’m wrong.
Track Listing:
1.Time Bomb
2.Wild Nights
3.Sunset In July
4.Trouble
5.Count Me In
6.Rock On
7.Weightless
8.And A Ways To Go
July 19, 2011 - ATO Records
http://www.littleratbastard.com/
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