311

It takes some nerve nicking an album title from the Beatles, even in a slightly modified state. But since this Omaha, Nebraska band went through so many significant changes leading up to the release of its seventh studio album, at least it's a logical move. The aggressive Woody Woodpecker-style lyrical play and needling funk core of career lows, 1997's Transistor and 1999's Soundsystem, are toned down, replaced by a more sophisticated sound that stretches the group's well-trounced reggae-rap-rock template to include wisps of electronica and soul. The members of 311 still aspire to be half-as-clever as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but finally seem satisfied in their on skin on tracks such as "Creatures (For a While)" and the emotional "Beyond the Gray Sky." The psychedelic experiment "Seem Uncertain," meanwhile, merely lives up to its title. Producer Ron Saint Germain (Creed, Living Colour) has obviously taken significant strides in shaking the band up. This album points the way forward. --Aidin Vaziri

311’s place in rock ‘n’ roll history seems secure. Unfortunately, so does its sound. Unlike other funk-inflected acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, and even Incubus, 311’s never fully expanded on the promise of its initial musical vision. On Don’t Tread On Me, the band’s eighth studio release, P-Nut and the gang seem intent on mining the same familiar terrain they have since their 1995 self-titled classic. Fans of albums such as 2001’s From Chaos and 2003’s promising Evolver will likely find Tread familiar and perhaps even comforting, but it’s unlikely to invite a new horde of fans as the album often sounds like an imitation of the bands 311 helped inspire in its decade-plus career. There are some nice touches. "Speak Easy," "Waiting" and many of the other tracks evoke images of sandy beaches and warm summer breezes, but none are strong enough to help Don’t Tread On Me stands out from the herd. --Jedd Beaudoin

Starting where Holland's Urban Dance Squad left off--thrash rock coupled with hip-hop beats, rapping, and Jamaican-style toasting--311 found their own voice on 1994's Grassroots. Here they prove to be an estimable groove machine on cuts such as "Applied Science" and "Omaha Stylee," blending turntable moves and ska rhythms like a kinder, gentler Fishbone. Avowed stoners, they dip into noodly Grateful Dead territory on the jammy "Taiyed," touch on Meters-style funk in the sleek "Grassroots," and echo the Bad Brains on the rasta-metal mosh "Salsa." Their dub-rock lexicon is spoken by the likes of Sublime, Limp Bizkit, and Sugar Ray--players in a rock genre of which Grassroots is a modern classic. --James Rotondi

Razor-sharp guitars, hip-hop and funk rhythms, and healthy doses of ska and dance-hall reggae make this one of the most surprising albums to come out of the American heartland. But what's most remarkable about 311's breakthrough release is its enlightened attitude: In an otherwise terminally aggro style of music, where everyone strives to be harder than each other, 311 put down deadly weaponry on "Guns (Are for Pussies)." "Hive," meanwhile, disses hard drug use (but they're pro-hemp, of course), and "Misdirected Hostility" encourages, of all things, positivity ("All that angst sh*t is just cheesy"). Vocalist Nick Hexum and rapper Doug "S.A." Martinez trade lines with ease, and the band dexterously shifts gears between heavy tracks like "Down" and "Brodels," the frantic "Jackolantern's Weather," and the laid-back "All Mixed Up" and "Sweet." --Daniel Durchholz

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