Uplifter Reviews

[FreeRayLiotta]

Album Review: 311, "Uplifter" (Jive)
Published June 3, 2009 05:06 AM

By Don Zulaica / LiveDaily Contributor

Bob Rock's (Metallica, Motley Crue) direction feels evident from the crunchy opening riffs of "Hey You," but like a lot of 311 [ tickets ]'s songs, they don't stay in the same place for very long. The verse arrives and the guitars deliver a cleaner, offbeat reggae feel--a dynamic shift that makes the loud louder.

The Omaha, NE, quintet--guitarist/vocalist Nick Hexum, guitarist Tim Mahoney, DJ/Vocalist S.A. Martinez, bassist P-Nut, and drummer Chad Sexton--always knew how to use volume for effect. In fact, their penchant for mixing metal, reggae, hip-hop, dancehall, funk and whatever will fit in their kitchen-sink approach is still very much intact on this, their first studio album since 2005's "Don't Tread On Me."

The reggae is emphasized on "Mix It Up," while guitarist Mahoney strums oriental modalities on "Golden Sunlight," and busts out the sitar sounds for "India Ink." Chad Sexton's sprite drumming drives the poppy step of "It's Alright," which also sports slappy bass funk from P-Nut--a stark contrast from the menacing line he delivers on the heavier "Something Out Of Nothing."

The poppy and melodic "Too Much Too Fast" has Hexum and Martinez collaborating on nice vocal harmonies, and the dreamy "Two Drops In The Ocean" begs for a cold drink and sand between the toes.

In general, it's a case of something new, something old, and, in a few cases, something very familiar. The syncopated guitar on "Jackpot" harkens back to the older funk-driven metal of "Homebrew" and "Unity," and the pseudo-marimba tones of the romantic closer "My Heart Sings" smacks of 2001's single "Amber."

It's the kind of stylistic hopscotch that almost doesn't make sense when you think about it in theory, but works perfectly when you hear it.



Album Review: 311 - Uplifter

By Laina Dawes on June 2nd, 2009

If you

[JonnyG24]

interesting...I don't why I'm always interested in the reviews. I very rarely hear it the same way. Especially the criticism of Get Down. That definitely shows that as a band, you can't please everyone. Too much going on??! It seems like the previous albums (Evolver and DTOM especially) don't have enough going on...go figure.

I might agree, however, with the questioning of 311's concept of "heavy". I always thought Music is the heaviest, but to each their own.

[$nipe]

It's a matter of taste, really. 311 is like eating paella.

[nixhex]

The second one is pretty spot on. She totally echoes my lack of enthusiasm for their new lyrics. The album sounds pretty damn good besides that. Well, except for sometimes awkward attempt at metal riffs.

[nixhex]

I might agree, however, with the questioning of 311's concept of "heavy". I always thought Music is the heaviest, but to each their own.

Agree. Music is pretty rockin.

[$nipe]

The first one sounds like a person in his 20's who has enjoyed pretty bad music but ended up being quite knowledgeable on some scenes. The other is a music purist who must be a fond lover of either classic rock or "underground" indie. I have to say that none of those reviews convince me, although the first one does some nice attempts to analyze music with his "oriental modalities".

[Nate]

Music is clearly the heaviest.

[Freeze Time]

Music reviews are just bullshit. Even heavy? wtf is heavy? Im sure my definition of heavy is different to the next persons. I hate music critics.