Issue #6: Sublime – Sublime

Release Date: July 30th, 1996

Recorded:  February – May 1996

Genre:  Ska Punk, Reggae Rock

Record Label:  MCA

Duration:  58:31

Producers:  Paul Leary, David Kahne

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

Why Sublime is One of My Favorites

My previous 5 issues of “Favorite Albums of the 90’s” have thus far been somewhat on the heavy side – not necessarily heavy when it comes to music, but heavy in terms of content and subject matter.  Although Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness has its share of lightheartedness, it is also a dense and layered album.  Sublime’s third and final album, simply titled Sublime, is a much more laid back body of work than the previous albums.  Rarely does it take itself seriously, and I’d even argue that it has a bit of a disjointed feeling as opposed to acting as one cohesive work.  Regardless, it is still a fine collection of songs, and in the end, its randomness becomes part of its charm.  I have no doubt that if Sublime had put out another album after this, it would’ve been their finest material.

Unfortunately, Bradley Nowell’s life and Sublime by extension would take a tragic turn; he was found dead just 2 months prior to Sublime’s release.  Some critics have opined that Nowell’s death played a large part in the success of the record.  I don’t know how true this is, but I do know that I got into this album at a young age, while the first 3 singles received lots of airplay on the radio and MTV, and I had absolutely no knowledge of the band’s personal matters.  Like Mellon Collie…, Sublime came into my possession before I was a teenager, and as such predates my interest in heavier, darker themes, though still remained a favorite throughout the years.

Sublime evokes a scenario equally at home at a West Coast beach party or a trailer park in the Southeastern US (complete with patio lights!).  There is a laid back, informal, and friendly vibe running throughout the album, suggesting that these guys weren’t rock stars or even full time musicians, but a few guys who worked at the plant and put on a show for the neighborhood at night.  It’s a casual, playful record that in many ways doesn’t even feel like a record, but rather a snippet from one performance or another all strung together.  Several factors contribute, including the generous borrowing from other artists in both explicit and implicit form as well as the meandering, “jam-like” structure of several tracks.

Despite whatever personal troubles may have been underway at the time, Sublime at least sounds like the guys were having a great time.  It’s easy to imagine being a few feat away while this feel-good vibe proliferates.  The songs cover a wide range of topics but most are underscored by upbeat ska and reggae inspired rhythms.  Borrowing from punk, some songs are socially charged (“Get Ready”), while others take influence from hip-hop to tell stories (“Garden Grove”), and many more combine both (“April 29, 1992,” “Wrong Way”).  The entire album takes bits and pieces of several styles, giving these songs an extremely unique quality.  “Santeria” even has a southwestern feel to, and much of the song “Caress Me Down” is sung in Spanish.

It’s difficult to make sweeping statements about this record, mostly because the songs are very different from one another.  There’s a similar thread running throughout all of Sublime, but each individual song borrows a little less from here and maybe a little more from there, making broader stylistic comparisons difficult.  Most consistently impressive is the guitar work.  Besides its more common  use on song like “Wrong Way” and “Same in the End,” it also takes on a very contrapuntal role in songs like “Santeria,” “Jailhouse,” “What I Got,” and “Pawn Shop.”  The beachy, relaxed guitar melodies strike pleasant middle ground between over-indulgent soloing and the standard churning riffs heard in punk rock.

Percussion and other rhythmic elements (including the bass and accents like the electric organ) have a “start-stop” quality to them, part of what maintains the informal feel.  The album has a few scattered moments of unchecked energy, though it tends to maintain its composure as if to say “take it easy” before anything gets “out of hand.”

As a whole, Sublime is diffuse and unfocused, but when examined track by track, the unconventional combination of melody and rhythm makes for an intriguing listen.  What’s more is that it never sounds forced or unnatural.  It’s clear that Nowell and company didn’t set out to intentionally combine punk, reggae, rap, etc., but that their influences simply converged in an organic manner.  Had they had the chance to evolve over the course of maybe another album or two and refine their approach, there’s no telling what we may have seen a few years later.  Sublime would probably be remembered as the precursor to something greater; as it is, we may not be left with the most polished album ever, but it is a ton of fun to listen to.

Written by The Cubist

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Written by The Cubist

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I collect as much video gaming paraphernalia as I can get my hands on, especially when it comes to hardware. With over 40 systems including oldies like the ColecoVision and Intellivision, obscurities like the CD-i and 3DO, and the latest and greatest including the Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, 3DS, and PS Vita, I get easily overwhelmed. Most of the time you can find me firmly nestled sometime between 1985 and 1995 when it comes to my games of choice, but I’m also having a great time seeing what the 8th generation has to offer.

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