Hey Incubus...What Ever Happened to Rock n' Roll?
Written: Apr 11 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Warning...
Cons: Very pop, very unremarkable, rather generic, sometimes difficult to listen to...
The Bottom Line: Selling out is understandable, but selling out in favor of making uncreative, unemotional, and uninteresting music is unforgivable. Bad Incubus, Bad!
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| lambchops's Full Review: Morning View [ECD] - Incubus (Rock) |
Incubus wasn’t a new band when they scored their first hit in 1999. Having already been around for nearly a decade the time was suddenly right for rock n’ roll to make a comeback. Pardon Me was the start of major mainstream success for the California rock act.
Combining elements of rock, metal, funk, pop, and rap into one neatly produced package, Incubus owes a great deal to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Korn, Faith No More, and the Deftones. It was this combination of eclectic rock elements and being at the right time and place that earned the band a major label contract followed by constant touring in support of established acts. Brandon Boyd (vocals), Mike Einzinger (guitar), Dirk Lance (bass), and José Pasillas (drums) added their permanent fifth member DJ Lyfe (and later DJ Kilmore) as turtablist to complete their lineup. Everything was set in motion Incubus to make a splash.
1995’s independent Fungus Amongus was good enough to get the band signed to Immortal (a subsidiary of Epic). That was followed by an E.P. and later 1997’s S.C.I.E.N.C.E. which earned the band a spot on the first Ozzfest and Family Values tours. Still that album didn’t make the splash they’d intended. It took until the band’s third full-length effort Make Yourself (1999) for things to come together. Suddenly Incubus was everywhere—on MTV, on radio, and touring the nation. Songs Pardon Me, Drive and Stellar all were hits on various charts and in various markets.
Strangely despite the fact that Incubus is predominantly rock n’ roll, I still was never quite able to connect with the band on any level. I grew tired on the songs, and had problems distinguishing one song from the band from the next. Their music blended a little too well into the rock landscape of the time. For that reason, Incubus never quite carved out a corner of my heart. I wanted to like them, still I couldn’t but I did hold out hope that they would do something really special on a fourth album. 2001’s Morning View was what Incubus next unleashed unto the world. In fact, I was even less convinced of the band’s importance after the release of Morning View then I was before.
Morning View is tired from the moment it begins to the moment it ends. There are still some moments that rock ala earlier Incubus, but on the whole the band has dropped the metal in favor of more easily marketable pop niceties. This direction is apparent right from the start with hit single Nice to Know You. Mid-tempo, occasionally acoustic, and concentrating on the supposed melody I can’t help but think for a moment the band has officially jumped the shark. They are not cool, they are not rebellious, and they don’t add anything to rock that hasn’t been done better before.
Circles tries a bit harder to rock, but somewhere after the first minute or so it loses momentum and direction and subsequently my attention wanes. Wish You Were Here goes back to the unfortunate direction of Nice to Know You however it is even more nauseating with a combination of DJ noise, pensive pseudo-profound lyrics, and a sloooow pace make for a trying listen. I’m certain that folks who like this homogenized post-grunge variety of schlock were immediately attracted to the Incubus effort. Me? Well, it just proved once and for all that the band is no longer rock n’ roll. They are instead the kind of MTV-ready pop that pretends to rock but in the end appeals to a kind of listener who really doesn’t want to try to hard to appreciate their music.
From this moment forward, Morning View passes without any particular energy or creative spark. Just a Phase, 11am, and Mexico all turn in more “power ballad” types of arrangements while Blood on the Ground is slightly more of a rocker still there just seems to be something missing. These are not special, interesting, or even particularly catchy songs. If there’s one thing that radio-ready pop should be, it is catchy. Incubus fails on that front. The album doesn’t get better as it progresses either. Warning is the only exception and it proves to be one of the more interesting offerings on this album (fortunately). It’s got a decent, sparse arrangement and understated guitars. Even more impressive however is that Boyd turns in a restrained but relatively emotional performance—one of his few of Morning View.
Echo is yet another “power ballad” ala Incubus. There’s only so much of this generic “love me I’m a man with a soul” music I can put up with. Are You In? suffers a similar fate. Clumped together at the end of Morning View are two rockers. Unfortunately, Have You Ever and Under My Umbrella just don’t really ever take shape entirely nor does Boyd ever unleash his scream. Believe me, as much as I don’t like him screaming all the time the occasional yelp would be a welcome release from this yawn-worthy album. The least likely song of all crops up in the thirteenth and final slot. Aqueous Transmission twists together Middle Eastern influences, strings, a slow and methodical ballad, and generally nauseating musical ideas into the least appealing of all songs on the entire album.
Incubus clearly was trying to do two things with Morning View. First of all, they were trying to appeal to the fans who supported them with Make Yourself. Secondly they were trying to do things a little differently. Unfortunately, in the process of making this album the band seemed to forget that they were rock n’ roll. In the process they certainly angered and confused long-standing fans. In the context of the band’s career, Morning View is the clear low-point. In the context of music in general, the album fares only slightly better. In all fairness, the band made ever-so-minor improvements on their 2004 release A Crow Left of the Murder.
Rating: 1.5/5 stars (rounded down)
Track Listing:
01. Nice to Know You
02. Circles
03. Wish You Were Here
04. Just a Phase
05. 11am
06. Blood on the Ground
07. Mexico
08. Warning
09. Echo
10. Have You Ever
11. Are You In?
12. Under My Umbrella
13. Aqueous Transmission
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Related Review:
A Crow Left of the Murder (2004)
http://www.epinions.com/content_128297045636
Recommended:
No
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lambchops
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