BUY THE CD HERE
311‘s forthcoming new album, “Universal Pulse,” went through “a lot of different phases,” according to frontman Nick Hexum. Among them? “A concept album about space travel” that he broached to his bandmates.
“Yeah, I don’t know if the rest of the guys really got into it,” Hexum tells Billboard.com with a laugh. Ultimately, he says, the litmus for the group’s 10th studio album — due out July 19 — was “to make songs that were going to be great for live performances.”
“Over the past few years we’ve realized we’re primarily a live band,” Hexum explains, “and we’re damn glad for that. So we felt the album should support the live setting. It’s nice to have a single (‘Sunset in July’) that goes on the radio, but that’s all kind of gravy. The core of what we do is touring and the live experience, so this album was created to support that. What’s going to be fun to play live, and what’s exciting? What you hear is a band in the studio, playing, and the album is mixed very naturally instead of going for more compression and everything.”
He also notes that “this is the [one] album we’ve done that doesn’t have any ballads. I don’t want to close the door on that side of us, but this time it’s a bit different.” – Billboard
OTHER NEW CD RECOMMENDATIONS:
3 Doors Down Time Of My Life
Antony & The Johnsons Swanlights Ep
John Butler Trio Live At Red Rocks
Cold Superfiction
Kottonmouth Kings Sunrise Sessions
Low-Fi After All This Time
Imelda May Mayhem
Tom Morello The Nightwatchman Union Town
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band Peyton on Patton
Rodrigo Y Gabriela Live In France
They Might Be Giants Join Us
Toxic Holocaust Conjure & Command