The 311 boys are back and have lined up 8 tracks on the Universal Pulse album for our listening pleasure. Fanboys have been curious of the direction the band would take with this album and now it is time for the official review. Will we experience the 311 of the early years or the pop influenced version?
Well to answer that question quite simply, this album would have been amazing if it came out in the late 90’s. If you went back in your old CD collection and pulled out the Transistor album from 1997 and only listened to the unpopular tracks, you would have Universal Pulse. You can take that statement however you like and I’m sure that viewpoint will make some people excited and others cringe.
The album ranges from heavy guitar rifts, to funky bass lines, to old fashion rap rock, to laid-back beach tones. The songs all complement each other but there really wasn’t any specific tune that reaches out and grabs a hold of you. Everything seems like it has that potential to be something more but in the end, just lets you down. With that in mind, lets jump into the top songs from the album.
We should probably start off with the first single from the album, “Sunset in July”. The song itself is barely single worthy but it definitely has a catchy feel and hook on it. Out of all the singles from the bands past, this one will be less memorable and seems like it has been done before. With that being said, this is still one of the better songs off this album, but it doesn’t really standout versus the other tracks.
“Count Me In” is probably my favorite song from the entire album and is very fun. This song gets poppy but maintains a true 311 mentality throughout. A nice balance of rap / rock elements, upbeat and beach feel to the melody, and just feels really good.
“Weightless” is probably the most single ready song on the album and probably will be the main reason people will come back to this album. The chorus is beyond groovy and Aaron “P-Nuts” Wills bass line is just to die for. The opening lead guitar by Tim Mahoney is pretty wild as well. It is a great introduction for the song.
So now it is time for the final verdict. All in all, even with the occasional glimpses of fun times, this album just doesn’t live up to expectations. If you want something to get you over the 311 hump, this might suffice, but most people are either going to love it or hate it. Universal Pulse gets a 3 out of 5, but is worth at least one full disc rotation.
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