rootwarrior's Full Review: Soundsystem [PA] by 311
It has come to my attention that in my last review of a 311, product (*which was the album 311- Music*), I used the word funky too much. To all of you who said that, you have either not listened to 311, or you1re just genuinely trying to help my grammar skills. I thank you for this, however I do plan on using that word at least 548 times during this review. After all, that1s one of the three key words in describing 311 music : FUNKY, FRESH, and FAST.
Soundsystem is the newest offering from our feel good rock hard Omaha friends, 311. Being a giant fan of 311 from the beginning, I bought this CD without question due to the amazing quality music that 311 made on their older albums : Hydroponic, Damnit, Music, Grassroots, 311, and Transistor . This new album from Chad, Nick, SA, P-Nut and Tim is a combonation of a lot of the sounds from other albums. We see Transistor styles coming into play in songs like Flowing and Freeze Time. The quicker and the lighter parts of Music and Grassroots can be seen in the rock hard tracks Sever, Mindspin, and Livin and Rockin, where the slower elements of the older albums are resurrected in such chill songs as Stroll All Along, and Life1s Not a Race.
Here1s a quick synopsis of some notable tracks on Soundsystem :
Freeze-Time : You know this song is going to be great right away because it is 311bud1s favorite song. (*311bud is a great epinionator - check out his stuff, and trust what he says when it comes to 311*).This is the best song 311 has ever chosen to start off any album. Although Homebrew, Down and Welcome were great starts to three great albums, Freeze Time really sets the pace for the rest of the album. Freeze-Time is a slower more technical song, with amazing scratches on the turntables (*done beautifully by SA Martinez*), combined with hard guitar and rad lyrics to start off and to end the song.
Come Original : This was the hit that got most people who weren1t 311 fans to begin with to start listening to this album. Along with a catchy set of lyrics and guitar, this song conveys a great message which applies to 311. 3You1ve got to come original2, the song states over and over. Be yourself and make your own style, that1s what brought 311 to the top, and that1s what keeps fans loyal to the 311 sound.
Large in the Margin : This song is just becoming popular. This song is all about finesse. It has the right amount of everything : guitar, vocals, bass, and table scratches. This is a great song which keeps the 311 sound alive this far onto the album. This song has a catchy, harmonizing chorus, which you will find yourself singing along to once you learn the lyrics. Even if you don1t know the lyrics, this is one of those songs where you1re going to fake it just so you can sing along. Combine the turntable scratching from Freeze-Time with the chorus from Visit and you have a sound similar to Large in the Margin .
Flowing : Flowing is a marvelous song. It1s slow like the beginning of Hydroponic with a repetative vibe. The song can best be compared to trying to get out of quicksand. The song, although you know it is getting to the end, just doesn1t seem to be progressing at all.The guitar is laid on very heavy throughout the whole song. This song has a low mosh-ability rating, you will probably find yourself bobbing your head to this song, and singing along.
Mindspin : This is the reason to buy the album. There is one of these types of songs on every 311 album. For Music, the must have song was </i>Do You Right</i>. For Grassroots, the must have song was Homebrew. Mindspin is THE must have song for Soundsystem. This song takes you back to the days of 311 keeping it real. Similar to all of the above mentioned songs from the other albums, this song moves. Although it doesn1t move at warp speed like Feels So Good or Fat Chance , it moves enough to keep your lips moving singing along and doing the famous 3butt-in-seat-bounce-while-driving2 dance, that is a common sight for many 311 listeners. The lyrics of this song are smooth like butter, and they coexist with the Do You Right-like guitar songs beautifully.
All in all, this album is another great addition to anyone1s CD collection, especially of you are a 311 fan to begin with. They begin to experiment with different sounds (*in songs like Eons, and Leaving this Babylon, while improving on their great chillin style in the coolest song on the planet, Stroll All Along. *) I highly reccommend this CD to anyone who likes music and is open to listening to something funky, fresh, and fast.
Keep it real.
Keep it simple.
Keep it real simple.
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