311 evolves

If there is one CD that you must buy, provided you haven’t already, it is the new product… If there is one CD that you must buy, provided you haven’t already, it is the new product from 311: Evolver. 311 has been providing a positive message and feel-good vibe for a strong 13 years now, and it’s only getting better.

Evolver may be one of 311’s most intelligent albums to date. The members have an uncanny ability to use what they feel and what’s going on around them – publicly or privately – and turn it into a mesmerizing harmony with a unique style.

The heart and soul of the band is in this album, from the lyrics and the melodies, to Nick Hexum’s smooth harmonies and S.A. Martinez’s flowing style and rhymes. The bass guitar, pounded out by P-Nut, is easily recognizable throughout the album. The whole package is wrapped up with airy riffs from Tim Mahoney, and the beats made so special by the true technician and master, Chad Sexton, on the drums.

Every song on Evolver is incredible. Key elements come from tracks like “Still Dreaming,” “Don’t Dwell,” “Reconsider Everything,” and probably the best song on the album, “Sometimes Jacks Rule the Realm,” which closes out the album in an eclectic, awe-inspiring way that only 311 could produce.

311 don’t sing about hating their parents or hating their lives; everything comes from a positive perspective, and that’s what makes their music stand out.

They are currently touring in support of the new album, and were just in Pittsburgh this summer with the Rolling Rock Town Fair. Unfortunately, they don’t have any dates scheduled in Pittsburgh for their headlining tour, which means only one thing: road trip. And believe me, the live show is well worth any dollar amount and any distance, just like this album.