Evolver [ENHANCED]

311

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 22, 2003)
• Original Release Date: July 22, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Volcano
• ASIN: B00009YFP9
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (406 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,817 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 311 can do no wrong, September 25, 2003

By	"jackjones3" (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews

Heres my personal rundown:

"Creatures(for a while)" : first single, great opener for the album. A little misleading, as this is probably the heaviest song on the album. Most energetic rockin' song i've heard from ANY band in a long time. 10/10

"Reconsider Everything" : straight up rocker, with some great guitar and a great message telling people to think for themselves. 7/10

"Crack the Code" : reggae-flavored love song, without being cheesy. "crack the code" being a metaphor for finding someone who's got you figured out (or "cracked your code"). Great song, likely to be a favorite if you get this album. Its definitely one of my favorites. 10/10

"Same Mistake Twice" : straight-forward rocker, probably the most forgettable song on the album, although it's still good. Some people may like it as it resembles music by "the Clash". 6/10

"Beyond the Gray Sky" : Seems to be the song getting the most attention off this album. Some people diss it saying its too depressing, as the subject of the song is suicide. I disagree and say its the exact opposite, it couldn't be a more positive, uplifting song. After the first chorus, i have tingles running up and down my spine for the rest of the song. Still, after hearing the song a hundred times. Beautiful, melodic, meaningful, and very personal to Nick Hexum himself, as it is about his best high school friend, who committed suicide in 2002. Probably the most beautiful, meaningful 311 song to date.
10/10 ( only because i cant give it any more stars than that)

"Seems uncertain" : soft, melodic, acoustic song. hard to grasp the first few listens, but it'll grow on you, and you'll be singing along before you know it. 8/10

"Still Dreaming" : rocker, for some reason reminds me of older 311, like from transistor or soundsystem. Good song, but not one my favorites on the album. 7/10

"Give Me a Call" : this song just feels good. its a very upbeat, happy song. Very catchy and fun to sing along to. This song grew on me and became a favorite. 9/10

"Dont Dwell" : i love this song so much that i wish it were a few minutes longer. Thats my only gripe about this song, its pretty short. Starts out with a rippin' bass-line from p-nut, turns into a great, fun, bouncy song. A favorite for sure. 9/10

"Other Side of Things" : The heaviest song on the album besides "Creatures". Probably the only song on the album that could be considered rap-rock, but its barely that. The chorus is melodic and pretty catchy, while the verses are rapped, first by SA and then by Hexum. Essential to this album, because without it, "Creatures" would be really out of place because, generally, the rest of the album is kinda 'happy'/soft. 7/10

"Sometimes Jacks Rule the Realm" : This song embodies the title of the album, "Evolver". This song starts one way, and slowly (but surely) evolves. Starts out quietly, just Nick singing and a guitar. Kicks into a beautiful acoustic song with great arrangement and melody. And just when you think its over, it kicks back in with a great chorus and some cool electric guitar solos. Beautiful, melodic ending to 311's most beautiful and melodic album yet. 10/10

True 311 fans as well as people who know 311 for "Amber","I'll Be Here Awhile","Come Original", and/or "You Wouldn't Believe", pick this album up... right now. Get up and go get it now, it will not disappoint. If you know 311 for their albums "Grassroots" or the blue album, you might want to borrow it first or wait to hear the next single.

ALBUM OVERALL ::: 20 stars, out of 10. i love this album.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Evolver" evolved this old school fan, August 27, 2003

By	Francis-Saint (East Lansing) - See all my reviews

Upon hearing the first single, "Creatures(For Awhile)", I couldn't help but scratch my head and wonder where 311 were headed with "Evolver". After an initial listening, and a second, and a third, my head progessively nodded harder and harder as my appreciation for their current musical direction, well, just evolved. My following of all things 311 runs 8 years deep, hence making me somewhat biased and a bit of a harder sell to new ideas, but I think "Evolver" contains a good mix of old school flavor as well as the new ideas to give it a fresh taste on my musical palate.
The album contains everything you'd expect from the signature blend of 311, but in a different way - for example, "Same Mistake Twice" and "Reconsider Everything" are straight 311 rockers, but in between there's "Crack the Code", which is a mixture of a melodic jam and a rock riff with a dancehall beat. With "Beyond the Grey Sky" you get a nice laid back verse followed by a heavy chorus, and thankfully a beautiful guitar solo from Tim Mahoney that literally brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it.
The use of the acoustic guitar, which has not emerged since "Use of Time" on "Transistor", makes an appearance on the tracks "It Seems Uncertain" and "Sometimes Jacks Rule The Realm", a couple of downtempo songs that will stir your emotions. These two songs along with "Give Me A Call" may sound pop-heavy on an old school listener's ears, but they can still impress. It's almost impossible to ignore SA's unique vocal line in "Give Me A Call" despite the catchy chorus, and "It Seems Uncertain" contains too important a message to be overlooked. I don't think 311 could never forget their positive tip, but their ability to present it in different ways is a feat well accomplished, made most quite apparent with the songs "Other Side of Things" and "Beyond the Grey Sky."
311's ability to push forward their own limitations has never failed to amaze me. The way in which they present the material in a new way makes this album a 311 masterpiece.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 311 has definitely evolved..., July 30, 2003

By	C. Sawin (TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Evolver is the most surprising 311 CD considering that it is so harmonic. The Beatles really rubbed off on them while recording this CD and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. 311 seems to be more in harmony then they have ever been and everything just sounds so crisp that it all flows together. This has been the best CD I've gotten this year and it hasn't left my CD player yet. This is definitely another rock album for 311, but so was Soundsystem and that was probably their best CD before this one. While From Chaos was good, Evolver gets the pieces of the puzzle that From Chaos left out. The first half of the CD is typical 311, but songs 6 through 11 are completely different and may surprise you. Sometimes Jacks Rule the Realm almost seems like a) two different songs or b) one song with a three minute intro. Bottom line is Evolver is the best 311 CD to date and if you don't pick it up, you may be putting off one of the best CD's you'll ever hear.