During the whirlwind of bad-mood music that filled 1990s airwaves, 311 was one of few acts who toted positive lyrics and survived.

The band's first CD following the decade of depression is "From Chaos," which today is best remembered for housing the unarguably overplayed "Amber." That's a real shame because there's way more to enjoy here.

"You Get Worked" opens the album and grabs listeners' attention with the first riff. The lyrical edge and crunchy guitar sets the tone for the album, which is the most rock-heavy at this stage in the band's career.

Case in point is "You Wouldn't Believe," the first single. It opens with a punky guitar hook and has bravado-laced lyrics such as, "If dealing with punks were school, I'd have a Harvard degree." When compared to past singles like "Come Original" and "Down," it's obvious a lot more testosterone went into the songwriting.

But typical of 311, there are borderline reggae songs thrown in to dull down the rock edge — "Amber," "Champagne" and "I'll Be Here a While." A balanced mix of uptempo and mellow songs make "From Chaos" the perfect soundtrack when driving around town with your friends on a boring Saturday night.

Lyrically, 311 really stepped up its game, using more of the same clever wordplay and positive thinking that made them such a welcome contrast to its downtrodden, popular peers: Counting Crows, Hootie & the Blowfish, Matchbox Twenty, etc.

"From Chaos" is easily the best album 311 ever released and sounds just as fresh and interesting as it did seven years ago. Nick Hexum and his other Omaha natives proved here they can break out of their musical comfort zone while still holding on to the foundation that made them famous.

Jeremy Castillo is a graduate of Windward Community College and the University of Idaho.