CD: 311, "Don't Tread On Me"

Disclaimer: For those of you who might not know this about me, I am a HUGE 311 fan. Call it a guilty pleasure if you must (I don't), but they are the band that first introduced me to the joy of live music. In my world, there is no bigger event in music publishing than 311 album release dates. Sad, I know, but true. So I am not going to pretend that this is an objective look at their new album; it is far from it. These are my initial reactions to an album I have been anxiously anticipating for almost two years.

So, Don't Tread On Me is finally here. Leading up to the release date, I don't think I have ever been more curious about the sound of a 311 release in my life. After the maturation of their sound on 2003's Evolver, I have been dying to find out if the gems from that album were a wonderful accident or a new trend in their songwriting. I still think that Evolver's "Sometimes Jacks Rule The Realm" and "Beyond The Grey Sky" are two of the best songs they have ever written. It has been evident for years now that the rap element of their sound is disappearing, and the music is becoming more melodic over time. Did Hexum & Co. find new ways to surprise their fans? Did they continue down the road they paved on Evolver, or make the return to their mid-Nineties form that many of my friends have been clamoring for?

I know the album was just released yesterday, but I have listened to DTOM in its entirety at least 10 times in the last 24 hours. Like most of 311's output in the new millenium, the songs get better and better the more you listen to them. There isn't a bad song anywhere to be found, which is rare. I also don't think there is a single track that elevates quite as high as "Jacks" did, although there are a couple that are very close, and one specifically that further expands my concept of what a 311 song is capable of being. Another pleasant surprise is that, while Nick might never win a Pulitzer for his lyrical outpit, none of the lyrics are bad enough as to detract from the music beneath them. Overall, I think the tone is a little less silly, and it makes for a more focused effort than we have seen from the guys in years. There are a couple singles on this album ("Don't Tread On Me", "Speak Easy") that should at least match the success they've enjoyed over the last few years.

But the real treat for me so far is hearing the drastically improved vocals of SA Martinez. I don't know how SA was able to sneak so much of his live energy into the mix, especially with Hexum's Steely Dan-like obsession with technical perfection in his records. But the result is some of the most engaging singing that the band has ever recorded. We haven't heard Nick or SA strain for a note since "Down" became an MTV staple, and it adds a sense of adventure and creativity that has been missing from their records for years. 311 has been trying something new for years now, but this is the first time it really sounds that way, and it results in an album that sounds like Evolver recorded with Grassroots' excitement.

There are a couple tracks for every kind of 311 fan. For those of you who think the band peaked with 1993's Music and have been going downhill ever since, "Solar Flare" will be a welcome change of pace. For the fans who prefer the "Amber"-type of reggae song, then "Speak Easy" might be the only song you play in your car for the next two months. And for those of us who were dying to hear how they were going to blow our minds next in the post-"Jacks" era... we have "Waiting".

SA describes "Waiting" on the website as what might have happened if the Beatles visited Jamaica instead of India, and as weird as I thought that comment was when I read it, I can't think of a better way to describe it. I had a grin on my face as soon as the first notes bounced over the speakers, and I don't think it has left yet. This song is nothing that I expected, and everything that I hoped for. It alone is worth the price of the CD. It is funny, sarcastic, and so effortlessly perfect that I can't even stand it.

Some other quick notes about individual songs: I hope that someone at Volcano Records has the foresight to release "Long For The Flowers" as a single. It isn't your typical choice for a radio song, but it is catchy without sounding simple, and I think might be one of the only tracks to make non-311 fans pay attention to this record. SA also wrote the music for two songs on this album ("Getting Through To Her", "Whiskey & Wine"), and unlike his prior penchant for writing driving rap-metal, he proves that he can write melodic rock on par with Hexum. These don't feel like compromises, they feel like solid contributions to 311's most consistantly enjoyable album in years. Highly recommended for anyone who has enjoyed the new directions that 311 has taken since Transistor, and wants to see where they are headed next.

Categories: Music