Universal Pulse is the tenth studio album by American rock band 311. It was released on July 19, 2011 on 311 Records/ATO Records. their first release on their own independent record company.

Album information Like its predecessor, Uplifter, this album was produced by Bob Rock. Unlike previous albums where their record label requested that the drums be recorded at an alternate location, all tracks, including the drums, were recorded at the Hive Studio. To support the album, 311 invited Sublime with Rome to co-headline the 2011 Unity Tour, with special guests DJ Soulman and DJ Trichrome. The artwork was done by Sonny Kay. With only eight songs and clocking within less than thirty minutes, it's their shortest album to date.

The album's first single "Sunset in July" was released on June 3, 2011. The album's second single "Count Me In" was released on October 4, 2011.

Reception

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave Universal Pulse a 2.5/5, commenting "Within the sharp relief of Bob Rock's immaculate production, this can mean that the fuzz-toned guitars and crunching riffs are strenuously underlined: they are the foundation of this unusually rock-oriented 311 album yet in this crystal-clear atmosphere they drill, not pummel." Erlewine concludes that "Universal Pulse can be wearying even at its half-hour length." Consequence of Sound gave the album a 3.5/5 and declares that it's the band's best album since From Chaos, saying "Once this album has completed its first full rotation, there’s an immediate urge to play it again. It’s short, sweet, and a perfect follow-up to where the band was in 2009."

Track listing

Charts ChartsPeakposition U.S. Billboard 200 7 U.S. Billboard Rock Albums 2 U.S. Billboard Digital Albums 4 U.S. Billboard Independent Albums 1 U.S. Billboard Alternative Albums 2 U.S. Billboard Tastemaker Albums 1

Personnel Credits are adapted from album’s liner notes.

311 Nick Hexum – vocals (lead vocals on all tracks), guitar Doug "SA" Martinez – vocals (lead vocals on 1–3, 5–8) Tim Mahoney – lead guitar P-Nut – bass Chad Sexton – drums, mixing

Production Bob Rock – producer, engineer Giff Tripp – engineer Joe Gastwirt – mastering Jason Walters – studio manager

References

External links