311 found their artistic niche with Transistor, and they went against a lot of expectations by the mainstream audience and disapproving media who wanted another "blue album" (a nice record itself, but not as artistic or musical as this one). This album was way ahead of its time when it came out in 1997. I find the beats and rhythms stellar, while the songs transport me to different places with their psychedelic appeal, voyaging into new territory almost on each track. This record may take a little time to grow on you, but once it does, you'll be glad it did. Other sad examples of this are Nine Inch Nails' "The Fragile", Led Zeppelin's "Presence", and Pearl Jam's amazing "No Code". Interesting how bands' most creative and interesting albums are often discarded and forgotten by folks these days because they lack the old reliable sound of the band. 311 has yet to match this album's artistic integrity and genius. This album may not have all the headbanging party songs from earlier records, but the songwriting is undeniably their best ever. They had been doing this act for some time, and it was about time they dared and challenged their listeners to enter new territory with them while still remaining true to their roots. Many people criticize the record for not being like the self-titled "blue" album, but there's one thing you must remember: the self-titled album, while being the band's first big hit album, was in fact their 3rd major label album. Don't get me wrong 311 is always good at rapping lyrics, but it's nice to hear two extremely gifted singers finally showcasing their deeper talents. The first thing the 311 listener will notice upon first listen is the greatly reduced usage of rapping. Mahoney's guitar work is amazing on this record, focusing less on metal-influenced chords and more on jazz, blues, and reggae soloing. The songs often do not follow traditional song structures, throwing in some interesting time signature changes and rhythmic transitons such as the reggae jam at the end of the title track. The lyrics here are top notch, not falling into the cheesy territory of the "From Chaos" record. This is a long album with only a handful of roof-raising hard rock songs, focusing more on expanding the band's sound into larger territory with songs like "Inner Light Spectrum" and "Stealing Happy Hours". Haven't quite figured that one out yet it's just not 311 at all. Every song on here is amazing, except maybe for "Rub a Dub". This is undeniably 311's most eclectic and experimental album to date, and understandably so the band was simply at a point in their career where making the same record twice was not an option anymore. I don't understand the so-called "fans" who bash this album for not sounding like old-school 311.
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