I'm not going to attempt to Vet myself as a 311 fan like many people think needs to be proved (especially the 18yr olds out there who claim to have been on the 311-train since '94), so i'll move past that.

I'm 24. This is an honest review (and most importantly, a *non-hateful, non-slanted review*) from a longtime, unashamed 311 follower who remembers listening and calling-in to radio stations for hours to hear "All Mixed Up" and "Down" in 4th grade because my parents wouldn't let my buy the 'Blue Album' due to the Parental Advisory sticker.

These are my 3 cents. This is straight-musical-talk. Take em or leave em.

A certain sect of "old skool" (I hate this term, by the way) 311 fans have been saying for about 8 years now that "311 is in a rut," and I agree. 311 is in a rut, and I don't know if they're capable of getting out. I hope they can. I am hopeful.

____________________

UPLIFTER:

I don't straight up dislike this album, but i'm not very thrilled with it beyond the first 5 songs. It starts to taper off. Parts of the album all-over get my head nodding, but it's shortlived. There are no "Welcomes" or "Full Rides" or "Guns" or "Applied Sciences" or "Rub-a-Dubs" that just instantly grab me within the first 20secs. I kinda have to be like "oh, ok, this is starting to get alittle interesting here, ok."

The start of the album I do enjoy, through "Indica Ink," and even "Daisy Cutter."

I start to clash with it at "Too Much Too Fast." I don't get that song at all.

I like the musical structure of songs like "Never Ending Summer"/"Jackpot"/"Something Out of Nothing," BUT i find myself being disappointed with the lyrics (especially those second two). I'm really having a hard time meshing with the jam/heavy sound and the "Ohh Ohhhs," "Everybody Jump!"s, and dumbed-down lyrics.......

Like Seriously: "Maaagic, Something out of Nothingg! The par-a-normal be-came nor-mal." Really? "Paranormal became normal?" You couldn't have gotten alittle more crafty or articulate with that? I know you could've made that flow better.

Or how about the "Crack-a-up a Coconut and Twist-a-up a Lime." That line just puts a big DENT in the song for me, unfortunately. ANY song that wants to be viewed of and taken seriously as "hard" needs NOTHING to do with coconuts and limes. And the "Everybody Say! Oooh OOOh." Total filler. Put some thoughtful lyrics in there and interest me MUCH MORE.

And the "Suuumeerrr, never ending suuummerrr, it's our tiiime, all the time, Nanana Nanana." It sounds like it's some kind of a schoolyard-playground-chant.

I apologize fans, I'm just having a big clash between the music and message on a good 1/3 of this album. It's like i need to mute-out some of the lyrics to be able to take the music more seriously.

The most meaningful/serious lyric I've gotten was "One song can end a war." And that's just 2 lines, compared to the repetitive "Oohhs" and "nananas."

____________________

THE SHIFT:

...I haven't been overly thrilled about a 311 album since 'From Chaos.' I feel like 'From Chaos' was the last time they really "brought it" (leaving "Amber" aside).

None of their music since then has really made me want to jump like "You Get Worked"/"Full Ride"/"Sick Tight"/"Wake Your Mind Up." And I really want to feel that way about their music again.

BUT 'From Chaos' was a double-edged sword(!)

Alot of fans had been saying it for a long time back when 'Evolver' came out, that "'Amber' was the song that should've never been." And I didn't really see it back then, but it's true.

..."Champagne" was much better, more thought, more class, more mature....but "Amber" was the ONE SONG that took 311 down the whole "Love Song"/love-fest/tropical-fest path that 311 seems to want to appeal to now, over the past 3 albums at least.

To me, that one song marks the beginning of that "311 rut" many speak of.

I've watched it happen before my eyes.

I started to seriously follow 311 in '97 when 'Transistor' rolled out. They carried a big skater/surfer/biker/stoner scene (at least here around NC and VA), and I was totally a part of it.

I saw them for the 1st time in 2001 right after 'From Chaos' dropped, and the "scene" was very prevalent. It was about "ROCK." It was about "JAM." It was "FUNK." It was pretty awesome.

....I've seen 311 5 times since that show, and that "late 90's scene" that was such a force back then is becomming less and less.

It's kinda sad to watch and experience. Where there used to be alot of sceners and stoners jammin' in the crowd, They've been weeded-out by boyfriends and girlfriends holding hands on date night. It's changed.

*311 used to be on the same stages as Rage Against the Machine and Deftones and Pearl Jam. They used to be in a copycat-of-style war with SUBLIME. Bands i refer to as 90's Powers.*

Now they gang up with your Jack Johnsons, Dispatches, OARs and Kings of Leons (not that that's bad, just not the same, except OAR does suck). And I could care less for SnoopDogg.

Can you not see the shift in power and influence as far as ROCK goes? RATM alone makes my point. 311 was once in that boat.

"Getting old and maturing" has nothing to do with it. TOOL has been getting old and maturing for as long as 311 has, and their edge is just as sharp (arguably sharper) than it was in '95.

311 needs to regain that sharpness and edge somehow.

Sure. I'm sure over time this album will grow, as music typically does.

But I already have that feeling that I will continue to be more devoted to their previous music, and I hate feeling disappointed like that.

I'm not hating, fans. Do see that. I just want 311 to reimpress me again. Take another ballsy chance like 'Transistor' or 'Kid A' or 'Lateralus' and grab somebody's attention again. Regrab that legendary status that I used to see.

Hearing the samples online had me less than excited about this album, but being a faithful fan I purchased the album anyhow. After listening to it a few times my impression? Amazing. This is 311 in top form. Blending styles, blending new and old 311 vibes, and brilliantly produced. This album will have you feeling like you did when you first listened to Grassroots. A fantastic album that has been well worth the wait.

Hey You - Nice intro. Kinda weird guitar melody outta nowhere in the beginning. Nice tune overall. Very catchy chorus. Don't think that this should've been a single because there's so many parts to the song, and it's more on the obscure side. But what's cool is that it really doesn't reflect the rest of the album. That spacey bridge part reminds me of something out of Ummagumma by Pink Floyd. Then the vocals at the end remind of Bad Religion with the ohs and ahs.

It's Alright - totally different feel for 311. To me this song is straight forward, catchy. Nice 80's slap bass bridge. Love the saturation of effects on the over dubbed guitars in the verses. They do this nicely throughout the album. Honorable mention - chad's toms.

Mix It Up - One of my fav tracks. Intro reminds me of Bad Religion again. I really love Nick's vocal delivery on this. His voice sounds very comfortable. Love the modulation on some of the overdubbed guitars/synths/vocals. Awesome guitar melody in the middle too. Reminds me of the 1,2,3 solo when Tim's just using an Octaver on a clean guitar.

Golden Sunlight-Another fav. Very good vibe. P-nut does not fear the whole note which is awesome. Powerful chorus. Awesome bridge. Starts out with an '80s feel, then turns into a classic 311 one noted distored riff with an Octaver. SA's vocals are very power and his delivery is awesome.

India Ink - Heavy. Nick has another great vocal delivery in the verses. Heavy. Nice Sitar break down. Then the heavy head banging part that comes after is very welcoming after a very somber DTOM. Heavy.

Daisy Cutter - Least Fav track. If they made this album an 11 song, i would omit this one. Straight forward. Heavy for a catchy song.

Too Much Too Fast - Great Track. Nice wailing guitars. 311's love for chromatics seems to shine on this album. 311's still got the swing.

Never Ending Summer - I have no idea what the jamaican guy is saying in the beginning but it's awesome. Nick Nails the verses and pre choruses. Great delivery. Good ole classic 311 riffage. Love the What Do You Do shout out to the lifers with the na na na's(it's gotta be a shout out!)

Two Drops in the Ocean - Great song. Love the guitar sounds. Very Jazzy. To me, it sounds like Nick is playing the guitar solo, because it sounds soooooo Ernest Ranglin. Hollow body FTW. Even sounds like they got the guitars running through a moog after the guitar solo.

Something Out of Nothing - Heavy. Love SA's apocolyptic delivery. I like that phaser they throw on the bass at the break after the guitar solo. I think the ending is a little drawn out though. It could've ended 8 bars early.

Jackpot - Cool track. Love the riffage in the chorus. That slide is awesome. Reminds me of Bad Brains. Especially the intro. Love how chad plays around with the back beat on Nicks verses. Putting that snare on 3 & 4 instead 2 & 4. Very Zeppelin of him.

My Heart Sings - Good track. Love the Envelope Filter guitar solo. Another kind of Jazz feel. Cool way to end the album

Overall, I really enjoyed the album. I think that it's far removed from the last two albums. It's not a DTOM part 2 or an Evolver part 3. It's heavier, epecially next to DTOM, and that's a plus. The tempos are up. Recordings get better each album. Love the mix and the tones of all the instruments on the album.

I actually didn't really care too much for the 4 B-sides that are out there. They have good parts in the songs, but they're kinda all over the place. They'll have good choruses, but not strong verses or whatever. The B-sides will probably grow on me. They're definately songs for us lifers. They chose the best 12 in my opinion.

As a long-time 311 fan, I wanted to give a fair review in opposition to all the positive feedback on this site. I give every album (from any artist) a fair chance before writing a review, but I'm sorry to say that Uplifter isn't near the caliber of music we're used to getting from 311. I really want to like this album, but too many of the songs just make me cringe. More than half the songs are about love, spending time together, and love (yep, again).

The band continues to explore new styles and clearly has mellowed out since their early days, but as we saw with Don't Tread on Me there is very little energy or edge to what they're doing now. Forget about rock, reggae, and rap, because you only get these in very small doses on Uplifter. P-Nutt has a cool bass solo in "It's Alright" and Chad stills lays down some good beats, but there is barely a song where all the elements come together. "Jackpot" is a solid song, and "India Ink" isn't too shabby but the rest lack substance.

If you liked Don't Tread on Me then you will probably enjoy this album as well. If you miss the style and intensity of their first 6 studio releases, then save your time and money and don't bother with this album.

Ok, Don't Tread On Me was still 311, but we all expected more out of the guys. I personally liked Evolver, but it wasn't up to par with anything that came before it. Coming from a fan that thinks Music is their best album (followed by From Chaos and Transistor), Uplifter allows 311 to evolve yet still throw it back to the old school. The result is an unbelievable album. The four years of effort the guys put into this album shows. I love it. Here's my track by track review:

Hey You: Great opening track, one of the weaker songs on the album though. Wise choice for first single though. 8/10

It's Alright: Catchy tune, reggae vibes. Could be a good single. 9.5/10

Mix It Up: This song is growing on me a lot. Pretty heavy. 8.5/10

Golden Sunlight: Beautiful. 10/10

India Ink: Heavy. And amazing. 10/10

Daisy Cutter: I've heard some people aren't into this song, I think it's one of the better songs on the album. The chorus is insanely catchy. 10/10

Too Much Too Fast: Feel-good vibes, pretty good song. 8/10

Never Ending Summer: One of the best songs on the album. miT's solo is absurdly awesome. 10/10

Two Drops In The Ocean: I'm really digging this one. Great slow song. 9/10

Something Out Of Nothing: Good song. I like the guitar work but not a standout track. 8/10

Jackpot: This may be my favorite song on the album. Will be a crowd favorite at shows and really brings 311 back to their roots. Sounds like a fusion of Music and Blue. 10/10

My Heart Sings: I like it as the album closer. Catchy slow song. 9/10

I Like The Way: SA is unreal on this song. 9.5/10

Get Down: Another great song. Surprised both the bonus songs weren't included on the normal version of the album. 9.5/10

All in all, you can't go wrong with this album. 311 is back in full force! Buy Uplifter and catch a show this summer - you won't regret it!