From Chaos comes 311's best work
Written: Oct 13 '04 (Updated Oct 13 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: "Uncalm", "Champagne", "From Chaos", "Amber", enhanced footage includes detailed interview
Cons: "Wake Your Mind Up", "I'll Be Here A While"
The Bottom Line: Hands-down, among the best albums of 2001; mass appeal plus undeniable talent makes From Chaos a fixture in the CD player.
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| blindsider's Full Review: From Chaos by 311 |
Disclaimer: Don't buy From Chaos if you don't like whenever songs are so undeniably infectious that they are permanently engraved in your mind for hours upon hours. If you don't want to wake up at some random time, your slumber interrupted by a certain melody of "From chaos comes clarityyyyy", DON'T BUY THIS ALBUM.
Otherwise, prepare yourself for a work of art. In the title track, our favorite Nick (who needs Carter and Lachey when you have Hexum) reprises, "From chaos comes clarity, I tell ya." I must say, From Chaos comes 311's best album.
This album has that undescribable element that Transistor and Evolver lack, yet it's still rather distinguishable from Soundsystem, etc. There are 12 tracks included, and rarely will you find a boring moment.
"You Get Worked" is a perfect album opener. Nick explains that he's "on a new high with a pen and a pad." It's traditional 311, and will make you want to jump up and down. I couldn't picture this song being at any track number other than one, because it gets the album off to a wonderful start. "I won't be havin' none of your mind control / It ain't gonna work on me no more - You get worked!" I particularly adore the end of the song. Nice mix of Nick & S.A. with a rather jump-able beat. Nick must like talking about "brainstorms" and "norms"... ("Brainstorm! Superceding the norm! When we come together, a new planet is born")... you will also see him talk about brainstorms and norms in track 10, "Amber". However, we'll get to that later.
The album resumes with "Sick Tight", known as one of the most convivial, catchy 311 songs ever. I couldn't even imagine how great this song would be live in concert. "A song for the newly sane and the broken hearted," trills Nick, only to be followed by "HEAD RUSH!" to finish up an explosive song.
"You Wouldn't Believe" was always an obvious choice for a single. Catchy riffs, memorable verses and chorus, about a 60-40% mix, Nick to S.A. "And he's got a head full of ideas, lemme tell ya / that you wouldn't believe - and he's got a heart made of pure gold / somethin' else / so many tricks up his sleeve..." Of course, S.A. chimes in, "Wonderwoman got rid of Wonderman..." Love this song. I have never met a 311 fan who doesn't like this one. Guitarist Tim Mahoney really shines on this track.
Track 4, "Full Ride", although not as punchy and lovable as the first three tracks, is indeed a good song. The guys once again express their love for having fun and making music - "The only thing that never gets played out is melody, I'm hearing it calling me," Nick says.
Here we arrive at the album's title track, "From Chaos". By the end of the song, you are made quite aware that from chaos comes clarity, but what else do you learn? Well, S.A.'s verses show him at his best, with tornado-esque vocals that will give you audio-whiplash. "Madethehybridmusicbackin'90nowit'sonya," he punctuates. Everything about this song is amazing. It is one of my favorite 311 songs, and is guaranteed to be a standout track for any 311 fan. Sure, some of the lyrics might induce a laugh or two: "Don't, don't, don't even TRY it," Nick Hexum warns. "You don't wanna disrespect me. If dealin' with punks was school, I'd have a HARVARD degree!" I do believe that 311 is the only band that could get away with such lyrics, because they surely make it work. I love this song.
"I Told Myself" delves into a slightly more mellow song, with a lot of singing from Nick, and S.A. joins in toward the end. This song is about a guy who can't seem to disattach himself from a girl. "I told myself I wasn't going to let you back in - but here I am dialing, trying," laments Nick, only to be followed with once again, S.A.'s verbal whiplash that he seems to have mastered to a perfect science on this album: "I
told myself to get a hold myself, I won't freak out, let you tweak out." You'll find yourself singing "Your ploy to make me jealous is obvious and sad..." at the most random moments. This song is so catchy it's contemptible.
"Champagne" is enticing and resplendent. Did I mention I adore Tim Mahoney? Every band member is talented in their own way, and they contribute so much - but I just really couldn't picture loving 311 so much if they had a different guitarist. After hearing two seconds of "Champagne", I knew I'd fall in love with this song. Then Nick had to go and make it even better by singing. "I will never understand you," Nick confirms, accompanied by guitars that seem to be swimming in beauty, by the aforementioned wonderful Mahoney. "When...will I stop trying?"
"Hostile Apostle" is one of the most unique songs on the album. It is aimed toward many "hardcore" rock bands out today whose main focus seem to be on appearing 'tough'. Nick pretty much hits the nail on the head with this one: "Angry human leads impressionable boy to skulls and piercings and will to destroy. All of your heroes speak nothing to me - you don't have to be a prick just to be heavy." Another standout track (gosh, will they ever stop?)
Unfortunately, "Wake Your Mind Up" [temporarily] interrupts the bliss. It is the ONLY song on here that I find unappealing. It just seems to lack the zeal that 311 so evidently displays as their strength on the preceding tracks. "Wake your mind up. Clear your eyes up, move and rise up, before your time's up. Clock is ticking, you're caught slippin'. Stop to realize, look and listen." S.A. and Nick's voices fall so flat here, and this song simply does nothing for me.
"Brainstorm... (hey, remember that from "You Get Worked"?!) ...take me away from the norm. I've got to tell you something." Well, ladies and gentlemen, 311 redeems themselves and THEN some with "Amber". Call it overplayed, call it overrated - wait...don't call it overrated. This song is nothing short of unblemished. The lyrics are as dainty as the melody, which actually is quite ethereal. Close your eyes and let 311 take you to another place as Nick's amazing vocals flood the room: "You live too far away...your voice rings like a bell, anyway. Don't give up your independence, unless it feels so right. Nothing good comes easily. Sometimes you've got to fight..." 311 display their real skill as songwriters and musicians in "Amber", and it is a stellar thing, my friends.
I probably say this about a lot of 311 songs, but I think - I think that track 11, "Uncalm", is my favorite. That beginning! That chorus! The verses! The balanced mix of Nick and S.A.! Immaculate. "On the scales of desire, your ABSENCE weighs more than someone else's presence." It's one of the most anomalous songs I've ever heard. I could listen to this song 100 times on repeat and enjoy it more with each listen. Unparagoned and unrivaled, this song ALONE is worth your purchase of From Chaos.
"I'll Be Here A While" is actually probably my second-LEAST-favorite (next to "Wake Your Mind Up"). It's too repetitive, and it just seems like that beat should be slower. Nick Hexum wrote this at the age of 20, and at the end of the song, you are cognizant of the fact that he "will be here a while" and "ain't goin' nowhere", but there just isn't enough emotion in Nick's voice to make you care about it.
The ending verdict, you ask? From Chaos is plainly 311's most solid album. Although "Wake Your Mind Up" and "I'll Be Here A While" AREN'T my favorite songs by them, I don't classify them as "boring filler" either. This album provides an enjoyable variation from song-to-song and doesn't focus too much on certain tempos or certain subjects.
I especially recommend this album to new fans of 311. Being a relatively new fan of 311 myself, but having gotten all of their albums and becoming really familiar with their sound really fast, I know firsthand that From Chaos is the most accurate showcase of what this band is capable of. Many more years of the musical virtuosos known as 311!
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends
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blindsider
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Member: Sheila Doki
Location: Sherman, TX, USA
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