311 Evolver (180 Gram Vinyl, Gatefold LP Jacket) (2 Lp's)

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
311: Nicholas Hexum (vocals, guitar); S.A. (vocals); Tim Mahoney (guitar); P-Nut (bass); Chad Sexton (drums, percussion).
One of a plethora of long-lived bands to have realized the potential of a strong grassroots following, 311 had been pushing its particular amalgam of toke-friendly rock, funk, and rap for over a decade by EVOLVER's release. It finds the collective riding similar rhythms and mining similar lyrical veins to 2001's FROM CHAOS, the main difference being that this year's model sounds more confident and willing to take risks.
The lilting intro to "Crack the Code" presages a cruise through reggae, rap, and Californian punk rock influences, while "Beyond the Gray Sky" meanders soulfully along its jazzy, low-key path before climaxing in a cascade of neo-psychedelia. Speaking of which, "Seems Uncertain" confounds jaded expectations by steering just such a pastoral course through its entirety, eschewing the regulation collapse into thundering guitar amplitude. EVOLVER is full of such surprises.

• Genre: Rock
• Format: Vinyl