311 has a lot of committed stoners as fans- I guess this backlash was inevitable. Hey, they're VERY friendly committed stoners (better fans than that of most bands), but it feels like a miserable husband sticking with his marriage, if you know what I mean... I loved 311 until I discovered so many bands I prefer. Their ticket prices have gone up, which I'm sure is partly because they toured with Sublime with Rome (but still, 60-65 bucks is far too much), and their newest stuff just doesn't hold my attention, unfortunately :/

I-Tunes

"They could be the best live band in history that has been around since the dawn of time and has made every single major contribution to the evolution of musical style ever, but that still would have no impact on the quality of this specific album. "

I'm totally of the same school of thought. Just hate to see the people on here who act like 311 has never had any deviation of sound over their discography or have never been good in the first place - had to say something good about them.

Obviously they lost the right path of good music. Sorry fanboys...

" If this truly is the “universal pulse”, then I think it’s safe to say that we’re all about to die."

POS on this line alone you clever minx you.

While Sowing's review may have been well written, as they say you can polish a turd but it's still a piece of sh*t. First of all, how about giving props to 311 for making 10 albums and being on the scene for two decades??? If you actually went to a show instead of sowing your wild oats, you would know that 311 is one of the best live performances out there. And "Universal Pulse" is currently #2 on I-Tunes...give some respect where it's due.

Now as a 311 fan, admittedly "Evolver" and "Uplifter" were somewhat disappointing. Having said that, "Universal Pulse" definitely exceeded my expectations and might be their best album since their self-title in 95. With the exception of "Rock On" and the first half of "And a Ways to Go", 311 has finally found the right formula for successfully weaving a funk & reggae sound into their straightforward, guitar-heavy riffs. Unlike previous releases, Chad Sexton actually recorded the drums live in the studio - which is one of the key contributors to the high degree of chemistry and energy that can be felt on this album.

In response to Sowing's comment about Universal Pulse being evidence that 311 will never again produce a song as exciting as "Down" or effortless as "Amber", I don't disagree if an album's success is measured by how many blockbuster singles it produces. "Sunset in July" and "Time Bomb" both have radio potential and Hexum delivers on "Count Me In" and "Wild Nights"; but where Universal Pulse really sets itself apart is with innovative tracks like "Weightless" and "Trouble", which carry unique catchy melodies and powerful lyrics.

Ultimately 311 seems to be one of those bands that people either love or hate. They looked like they were on the decline the last few albums but Universal Pulse has proven that they are not done. Here's Billboard Magazine's review from a critic that actually matters:

That was the DUMBEST comment I've ever seen considering you even brought itunes charts to display a bands attention. Itunes charts are a joke and so is the billboard review. Basically you only take reviews if their positive and most of the positive reviews are probably going to be the most mainstream sites around.

Despite the long comments supporting this album, it's still shit.

I can still go back and listen to Music or Grassroots, but I lost faith in them after Soundsystem.

Summary = fukin owned

Pos, keep those opinions coming

Ok, the main downfall of this album is that it's 8 songs.. I find it lazy and cheap to put out just 8... 10 minimum.. But the 8 songs they put out are pretty good. Time Bomb was a weak starter song but every other song after that is solid and fun to listen to. I must admit that i did cringe during the "Weightless" chorus.. A great sounding song they unfortunately dropped the ball on.. "Sunset in July" is a fair choice to use as their hit but i feel like Tim could of put something more nasty in there.. A very easy song to play on guitar. The highlights, to me, were WIld Nights and Count ME In... these will play out great at live shows and I actually would of picked WIld Nights as their 1st single instead. I think they showed us a little something new with "A Ways To Go". The end riff is really strong and SA brings full energy to it. Overall, Id give this a 3.3.. Good stuff but could of been a lot better.. Someone commented saying "this is music you listen to at the pool"... now what the hell is wrong with that? lol

"Someone commented saying "this is music you listen to at the pool"... now what the hell is wrong with that? lol"

I meant that the music is best when you aren't really paying much attention to it, and that can only be a bad sign.

ok fair enough.. BEcause my argument was going to be that you wouldnt mind listening to "Down" and "Beautiful Disaster" at the pool.. Give it a few more spins bro... this def isnt a bad effort by any means, is basically why i had to comment on this.

I getcha! I don't mind this album really- I feel that Sunset in July is a great tune. But the rest is just alright to me :/

I think a lot of people would of said this is a great album IF it had 10 to 12 songs on it... When you put out 8 songs your making a statement that we only need to put 8 songs on an LP cuz these 8 songs are all gold and amazing.. which just isnt the case here.

Right- when there are only 8, you really need to make sure those 8 are quality songs :P or else there goes 12.5% of your entire record, heh

Those 8 are not quality songs.

Album Rating: 3.0

Ahh, another band that sound like they're just goin' through the motions at this point...wasn't expecting much from this, but thought it could be a little better. Definitely not a 3, but my pitty and rating of 2.7 force me to give it to them.

This album just sounds so lazy.