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Sublime (1996) [24 bit FLAC] 180g vinyl

Genre: Pop/Rock
Styles: Ska, Punk, Reggae, Alternative
Source: 2008 Geffen B0011696-01 / 180 Gram Double LP vinyl
Codec: FLAC
Bit Rate: ~ 3,000 kbps
Bit Depth: 24
Sampling Rate: 96,000 Hz

Lineage

JVC L-A31 Turntable ->
Digidesign MBox 2 Pro ->
Pro Tools 7.4.2 ->
24bit 96kHz Broadcast WAV Files ->
X Lossless Decoder -> FLAC

Review

Sublime's eponymous major-label debut arrived a few months after the band's leader, Brad Nowell, died tragically of a heroin overdose. As a show of sympathy, the album tended to be slightly overrated in some critical quarters, who claimed that Nowell was an exceptionally gifted lyricist and musical hybridist, but Sublime doesn't quite support those claims. Even so, the trio does have a surprising grace in its unabashedly traditionalist fusion of Californian hardcore punk, light hip-hop, and reggae. Switching between bracing hardcore and slow, sexy reggae numbers, Sublime display supple, muscular versatility and, on occasion, a gift for ingratiatingly catchy hooks, as on the hit single "What I Got." What they don't have is the vision -- either lyrical or musical -- to maintain interest throughout the course of the entire album. Sublime sags when the band delves too deeply into their dub aspirations or when their lyrics slide into smirking humor. The low moments don't arrive that often -- by and large, the album is quite engaging -- but they happen frequently enough to make the record a demonstration of the band's blossoming ability, but not the fulfillment of their full potential. Of course, Nowell's death gives the record a certain pathos, but that doesn't make the album any stronger.