I "borrowed" my little brother's Discman a week ago, and Soundsystem was the cd inside it. After having listened to it about a thousand times, I must admit that I'll return the discman, but I'm keeping the cd!

This is such a great album, every song is distinct, catchy, well-made, polished, fun, and at times a little bizarre and odd. I love it! There are complaints that the songs are dull or unoriginal or all sound the same. All I can say is, these songs flow together, but they certainly don't sound the same, and as for that, don't most bands have a running theme? Can you see Nine Inch Nails doing a bubbly pop song? Can you see Britney Spears (ugh) doing something sombre, slow, dark, and meaningful? Bands and musicians play what they love to play, and 311 definitely has fun playing what they play. They have a definite style, and as each cd comes along I see all kinds of different themes and styles.

All in all, this cd rocks, and 311's sound is totally unique!

When I first heard of 311, it was when I saw their video for "Down." My initial reaciton was not positive since at the time I was so out of sorts with the current music scene that I just didn't understand this weird blend of rock and hip-hop. Then I heard "Mixed Up." Same reaction, though I did like the lounge feel of that song. Then I went to college a few years later. Met a guy who was a BIGtime 311 fan (his password was always 311, he always looked on clocks and room numbers and anything that had a number for 311...can we say obssessed?). After about a month, Soundsystem came out, and I heard "Come Original" on my way to HFStival with some friends. By this time, I was so against hip-hop and this trend of bands like Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit (who both suck) blending it with metal rock, but "Come Original" surprised me. I actually LIKED it. Then I heard "Flowing" and later "Freezetime." I couldn't believe what I was hearing: an actually good blend of rock, blues (a la Santana-style solos...Tim Mahoney's playing, like his PRS guitar, does justice to Santana's very hard-to-duplicate sound), funk, jazz, and hip-hop that I found very listenable and enjoyable. This is the album that got me into 311, and now they are one of my favorite bands. This is a band that brings dignity back to a music scene that has been flushed down the toilet by boybands and Kid Rock/Limp Bizkit/Korn freaks. They're not "entirely" original, but they keep trying, and it shows because they do a good job of continuing to improve the quality of their music. I love this CD, and 311 are a band for the history books.

3 years ago a friend of mine got me interested in 311 by making me a mixed tape of about two to three songs...i believe "All Mixed Up," and "Down," were of the few. I was amazed. The sound was so unique. Although I loved the music, right away I didn't get around to buying the album. When the "Come Original" video went on TV I was like, "that's it I'm buying Soundsystem." And I did, I was not let down in the least. I LOVE every song on the album except "Leaving Babylon." All of these songs mean so much to me. I listen to them FULL BLAST in my discman. "Large In The Margin," is an incredibly beautiful song. The beginning starts with Nick singing slowly, then SA takes over with a rap, then there are a series of beats that separate Nick and SA's verses from the EXTREMELY powerful chorus. In the last line of the chorus it makes me want to cry when they say, "There's no reason to fear it, it's you, you." They say these lines with so much passion. "Strong All Along" is very inspirational, and it has a catchy reggae beat that takes me back to summer on the beach. "Come Original" just rocks! It's alittle apparent that 311 is referring to all those boy bands in this song...but it's about time they all come original! Rock on 311, the more competitive, the better! "Sever," and "Life's Not a Race," are very relaxing songs. I believe "Freeze Time," and "Can't Fade Me," go in the same category. The beginning of the song "Flowing" reminds me of laying under the stars. "Mindspin" is a great party song. "Eons," and "Livin & Rockin'" have great beats that u can groove to. I love the part in "Eons" where there is all that pondering going on and the guitar is blazing in the background. THANX 311 FOR GIVING ALL OF YOUR FANS A CD THEY LOVE TO LISTEN TO. I am buying ALL of your previous albums when I go shopping next. BE INFORMED this cd means more to me than you will ever know. THANKS!

~Heather P.S. Will someone email me and tell me why this album is classified under EXPLICIT LYRICS? I scanned through the lyrics, and I didn't find anything.

I owned the blue album and LOVED it! When Transistor and Soundsystem came out I bought each of them, but couldn't get myself to listen to anything but the blue. Finally I popped it out and replaced it with Soundsystem, and I'm SO glad I did! It is SO awesome! Each song is a new groove with great lyrics and beats. I don't know how they keep coming up with such original stylings. I recently saw them in concert and couldn't believe how good they were. If you want some completely original awesome music to groove to, buy anything by 311! Soundsystem is one of the best!

The album Soundsystem may take awhile to get into, as 311's music isn't oriented towards the radio, and therefore, not as formulated...

But who cares?

This is some of the best music available. It might take two or three listens to get the whole feel of it, but in truth, this is one of 311's best albums.

1) Freeze Time

I think the palm-muted guitar intro is a bit mediocre, it sounds kind of flat. However, the song has very catchy lyrics and the drum fills in the chorus are pretty cool, too. It's not the best opener 311's ever had, but it's definitely a solid song and that's all you need for an album.

2) Come Original

The biggest hit off the album. You know, I always liked the song before I bought the album, but I have to tell you, this song sounds way better on the headphones. It somehow enhances the listening experience. As for the song itself, its message is conveying the artists out there to be creative in what music they're making. The music's a little out there, and I could see how this song could get annoying, but it's one of 311's musical gems.

3) Large in the Margin

This song seems kind of average at the first listen, but I keep coming back to it. The chorus seems very melancholy, and it is, but what I like most are SA's verses. He starts with "We'll f**k you up," which goes right with the beat, and then it just flows from there - "when you least expect it." A great song that will take a few listens to fully appreciate.

4) Flowing

Another single released from the album, Flowing's one of my favorite 311 songs of all time. It begins with a 20 second spacey intro which is really cool. The catchy chorus follows it up, and then right into a heavy verse. I like the second chorus the most, especially when he's doin' the "to stop my mind flowing away - away" part, because it gets quiet for a sec with all the instruments in rhythm, and then it just rocks out again. I love this song.

5) Can't Fade Me

A song reminiscent of the self-titled effort from 1995, Nick and SA trade off raps throughout the song. A bit of a change-up from the rest of the album, but it's welcome. Very heavy bass near the end of the song (it isn't that long, anyway). Not nearly the best you'll find on here, though.

6) Life's Not a Race

Quite a chill song. Nick's distorted vocals lead straight into SA's awesome chorus, and it's all good from there, with a few of Tim's guitar solos which sound remarkably like Santana. Near the end of the piece, it kinda breaks away from the melody and turns into a bit of a jam session sort of thing. Some people think it drags on, but it goes on for just the right amount of time, I think.

7) Strong All Along

Now, 311 released Large in the Margin as their third single, which didn't impact charts, but what they should've done was have Capricorn release this. Nick and SA both have excellent raps, and some feel good lyrics. The chorus is cool, too. Some people think this one's a bit corny, but I tend to disagree. If you're goin' straight through the album for the first time, SA's lyrics might sound good here. Just you wait.

8) Sever

Okay, wait's over. This is my favorite 311 song in existence. Beginning with a small little drum solo, then breaking out into four different vocal parts. Some of my favorite lyrics by SA are in this song - "My vibe is holy, my eyes are closed - either I'm asleep or what I'm thinking is deep. Eventually I sigh and just kick the sheets and try to piece together why I'm here." They might sound bad together saying them out loud, but you have to hear this song to know how well it flows. To top it all off, Tim throws in a stunning guitar solo at the end.

9) Eons

This song's a bit dark. However, it's still really good, especially on rainy days. The lyrics kind of seem like deep thoughts from someone who keeps their feelings in, but I don't think that's what the song's about. When it breaks into the chorus, it seems kind of depressing. But 311 are about positivity, so there's a bunch of songs that make up for it. Even if it is depressing, that chorus is one of the best on the album.

10) Evolution

A 10-second drum solo begins the song, and it breaks into some raps about a computer from SA. The lyrics in this song are very mediocre, but the chorus is pretty catchy. Nevertheless, it's my second least favorite song on the album. I still listen to it, but just not as much when I'm skippin' 'round on the disc.

11) Leaving Babylon.

Bad Brains originally did this song. And no, I don't like it.

12) Mindspin

Another song for rainy days. It's hard about 1:40 of the way through, but it slows down there and it just seems so spacey. It's a really good song, and it sounds best on headphones, like Come Original. Not much else to say about it, really. But it's good.

13) Livin' & Rockin'

Why the album has a Parental Advisory sticker is determined by this song. It swears quite a lot. Anyhow, it's still a great song. One of 311's hard-rockingest. Did anyone notice that near the end of the song, they play one of the riffs in Down? Don't know if it's the exact same, but, you know, it sounds like it.

Buy this album, because it's worth it. Makes sense, right?