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The Artist - 311 The Song - "Crack The Code" The Album - Evolver |
The curiosity about
this disc Evolver ... is that it's playing time is only 41:55...Not
that you're not getting your money's worth. If anything, you'll find
yourself playing it again.
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Why "Crack the Code" is not on the radio baffles me, and has bits of "Strong All Along" (from 311s 2000 album Soundsystem), and touches on a perfect reggae at times. just to tinker with time and the song's sensibility.
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A review of 311's Evolver
by Carlo D'Mitri - Staff Writer - Sight N Sound Review Board...
One of the great paradoxes of reasonably in-depth music apprecation, for a music reviewer anyway, is that one's reaction to music- when one is honest- can't help but originate in subjectivity, yet to write a fair and proper critical take on something, objectivity must temper in. Happily, when luck happens, the two are allowed to coast almost effortlessly in tandem. A few years ago, a senior contributor (who has since escalated to chairing for this fine site) had co-writen with Morgan Field a brief review on 311s Soundsystem CD . That CD was my introduction to 311 and their message. And now I'm honored to have been given this assignment by this site to cover this music group.
The curiosity about this disc, "Evolver", released July 22, 2003, is that it's playing time is only 41:55, according to my house stereo. Not that you're not getting your money's worth. If anything, you'll find yourself playing it again.
The honesty in their lyrics, like in the hit opener, is standard and progressive 311, as in, "I want to blow off stress..." and, "I go a little crazy, sometimes, just like you..." Their sound has retained right aggression yet has matured without seeming without that fire of youth which is why they're doing it in the first place. The 2nd song has a Stick-In-Yer-Head guitar hook and is classic 311.
"Same Mistake..." Rocks with a brilliant guitar ascension reminding the older listener of the sheer liveness of all the great ax-work spanning decades, and lighting our hearts with a smile that these lads in 311 (still in "whipper-snapper" prime years) have stayed in bonding with their core and roots, while ever-working to "improve the rap concept," a quote from the aforementioned Chair, in the review from 2000.
"Beyond the Gray Sky" is so entirely 311 in full that each of the 25 times I've heard it this past week I get an involantary urge to look to make sureIi've not put in one of their earlier CDs. The vocals are almost esoteric in their feel. Then to follow with the soothe of "Seems Uncertain" pretty much reminds the listener to just sit and listen. This disc's songs do their theatrical-subtleties well, as they build and lay into one another, securing a substantial traction in digging toward the ears' favor.
"Still Dreaming" kicks in with already vintage 311 quality: The contrasting vocal operatives taking turns, guitar riffing steadily with little melodic mini-solos leading to harmonizing. "Give Me a Call" is them as much, with those notoriously precise drums illusory in their kickbackness.
In "Dont Dwell" you get more fresh takes from stringman Mahoney, and some chilling lyrics as in, "But like I told me, don't dwell." Then comes "Other Side of Things" which in a way is maybe the best cut on "Evolver," objectively writing. It raps, it rocks, the lyrics are to think for, and P-Nut holds it down just enough to tether those skins which seem to be that close to erupting. And they continue to show their serious artistry within a looseness of their own feel as exemplified in "Sometimes Jacks..." Again, their lyrics blend and weave sweetly amid expansive musical searches.
The CD is, to borrow from Mr. Field, "cohesive." It is my opinion (in humblance) that as an "album," Evolver is 311's finest as one piece. It may not posses as mony world-beating songs as on two of their CD's I'll evade mentioning, but this time its aobut building and memories and even more meaning, now that they've evolved into and through the solid position they established by crreating. And like pretty much all of thier music it gets better by the listen.
-Carlo