Incubus – Light Grenades
So I’ve had the new Incubus record for about a week and I can’t believe I still havn’t put up a review. I must admit straight off that I’m a bit biased, as not only am a huge fan, but a very dedicated and long term one. I first heard Incubus back in 1996 and promptly started a fansite for them, titled Incubus World, which morphed into Familar Incubus World, then Incubusweb, then Incubus Online, and now Incubus Online View. To say that I’ve got a special place in my heart/ears for this band would, I suppose, be an understatement. However, over the past few years my involvement in anything website based or promotional based for the band has basically been nonexistent. I decided some time ago that I was not getting everything I SHOULD out of the music. Why? Because I spent so much time dissecting lyrics, hunting down concert dates and finding rare information that I just couldn’t pop an album on and zone out…I couldn’t take in the album as I was in desparete need of. I started to notice my love for the music was starting to falter during the writing of Morning View and I did something about it…I stepped down from duties on the website…and I thank god I did….
With each release since I have found myself just loving the albums for what they are…albums, not work that needs to be done. Yes, I loved Morning View…and A Crow Left of The Murder…no, they are not SCIENCE and neither was Make Yourself…and we should be thankful for that. I’m so tired of old Incubus fans comparing everything to that record. Sometimes I wish it had never been made…sure we’d be missing some of the most amazing music ever, but many more people would just allow themselves to simply enjoy Incubus’s other albums instead of comparing them to SCIENCE and deciding they don’t stack up. Of course they are not SCIENCE, and SCIENCE wasn’t Enjoy or Fungus Amongus…and isn’t that why we love this band…growth and everevolvingness (I think I just made that up).
On the new album, Light Grenades, Incubus have once again morphed…maybe not as much as in some other instances, but enough to distinguish between previous records. I really feel that once again my favorite aspect of the record is the O’Brien production. He just makes records that I like…period. Brandon’s vocals are once again top-notch, he really is just an amazing singer. His lyrics leave me a little sour at times…not the metaphors, I always love those…even when he is reaching. No, my problem at times is the “corny” or “lame” or maybe “lazy” lyrics such as “love hurts but sometimes it’s a good hurt”…come on Boyd! Mike is once again on fire…less solo time but great riffs that stand second-to-none. Ben hides in the background more on this record with his bass…but he does do great backup vocals. Jose took it easy on the beats but Kilmore made up for that with his crazy additions. Incubus are still using a “DJ” and guess what, it’s not outdated, it’s something that really adds to the band. He doesn’t even really have that title anymore, as he plays other things then the turntable.
Reading the above you’re saying…so, what should I like about this record…there are many things in that paragraph that stick out as negatives. To be hoenst I really only have 2 ‘problems’ with this record. First, “Earth to Bella” should not have been split, and second, the two tracks on the import version (Punchdrunk, Look Alive) should have been included in this official standard release and worked into the tracklisting. Other than that, and the above mentioned mis-step of lyrics at times, I feel this is a very strong effort by a band that has withstood the nu-metal label (why they were ever lumped into that I’ll never really get). The catch is, even while downplaying their instruments (Ben, Jose) and taking out the solos (Mike), the album is very solid. It’s not ground-breaking…it’s not the “old” Incubus…but instead of comparing this new album to SCIENCE…or any of their other albums, just listen to it…for what it is…the newest Incubus album. It’s titled “Light Grenades” and it’s quite good….
November 26, 2006 at 12:47 am
It can be hard not to get frustrated with all of the prefacing and talk of “we all know how people are going to make the SCIENCE comaparisons straight out of hand…” that is almost a given whenever discussing a new Incubus album. Perhaps it’s flattering that they’ve set such high expectations for so many people, or maybe just sad that so many people aren’t getting it after all these years.
Getting to the music itself, I find this to be quite the enjoyable album, picking up right where they left off on the last one. While Brandon Boyd has added a more direct contribution to the music writing in addition to his usual musings, it’s Mike Einziger that continues to make Incubus one of the most consistantly interesting mainstream groups.
November 28, 2006 at 12:41 pm
Well said my friend. I find myself envious of the extra tracks you are enjoying that did not come on my peasants copy of the album. I may be a little different then other Incubus fans in the fact I compare all their works to Make Yourself instead of S.C.I.E.N.C.E. I feel that was the culmination of the bands sound, Enjoy Incubus / Fungus Amongus was the conception, S.C.I.E.N.C.E. was the birth, Make Yourself was the perfection, Morning View was the maturity. It wasn’t until A Crow Lefts of the Murder that the bands sound fully broke off to this new incarnation. The departure of Dirk Lance and the addition of Ben Kenney has a lot more to do with that then people think. There was a missing element or intangible in these last two records since Dirk split. I may just be a bass freak and over thinking the issue. That being said, my life cycle comparison to their discography really hits home if you go back and listen to the albums in chronological order. You will see a perfect leap in the bands evolution staying true to their original sound all the while expanding upon new ideas. That is until A Crow Left of the Murder, were it takes a slight jolt off to the right, not a big jolt just a slight. The band is continuing on this Jolt with Light Grenades and it is the perfect step in evolution from A Crow Left of the Murder. Maybe we have witness the start of a new Incubus life cycle.
After reading your review I feel the need to inquire about your interest in showcasing your talents elsewhere? I would like to offer you a spot on the staff at sawkick.com, which is an Internet radio station (Saw*Kick Radio) and website that I run and think you would be perfect for. We handle all things rock, sports, comedy, and then some. Let me know what you think.
jgiangola@sawkick.com
http://www.sawkick.com
November 30, 2006 at 5:19 am
Look at that eh…….its paying off for you fellas.
November 30, 2006 at 8:59 pm
“I may be a little different then other Incubus fans in the fact I compare all their works to Make Yourself instead of S.C.I.E.N.C.E. I feel that was the culmination of the bands sound, Enjoy Incubus / Fungus Amongus was the conception, S.C.I.E.N.C.E. was the birth, Make Yourself was the perfection, Morning View was the maturity. ”
I don’t think that’s a very uncommong opinion. That’s pretty much the way I feel. The only difference is that I see the last two records as a continuation of that maturity, and I really have no problem with the direction they’ve taken with these last two.
November 30, 2006 at 11:59 pm
“I see the last two records as a continuation of that maturity, and I really have no problem with the direction they’ve taken with these last two”
That may be true but you can’t deney the fact Brandons vocals and Mike’s guitar sound took a slight side steped on A Crow Left Of The Murder leaving a gap inbetween it and Morning view. It feels like there is a missing Incubus album out there somewhere, one that bridges that gap. At least that is what I think, but who I am.
December 1, 2006 at 12:38 am
Yeah, there’s a bit of a jump in between. Not that much though, espcecially compared to the way they had changed on everything before it. I think you’ve pointed out the biggest factor…a change on bass.
I’ve been reading some other reviews of this album. Generally they’ve been well received critically. Kind of ironic that their reviews have gotten better over time (not that they were ever poorly reviewed), even with the constant moaning from those fans who are always looking back in time.
December 1, 2006 at 1:55 am
Amen to that, they should just get punched in the face.
December 4, 2006 at 11:28 pm
Most agreeable. It is most dissapointing that Punchdrunk and Look Alive have been isolated from the American version release. I don’t understand why Japanese releases always include extra benefits? Shouldn’t it be vice versa?
December 8, 2006 at 2:17 pm
“I’ve been reading some other reviews of this album. Generally they’ve been well received critically. Kind of ironic that their reviews have gotten better over time (not that they were ever poorly reviewed), even with the constant moaning from those fans who are always looking back in time.”
its like when you heard any incubus album for the first time…its good but not the greatest album youve ever heard, then you heard it by the second time ..it was different obviously better and it goes on and on. Thats a very particular and distinguished thing on any incubus album…. it has to grow on you. And refering to light grenades i think its one of the greatest albums theyve launched ….but well… i would actually say that about any of their albums
cheers from mexico
April 3, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I would like to agree with all of you and disagree with some statements, this is a band that we have all grown up with and wathed evolve with each up coming album and maybe that why i like them probably because i have evolved as a peson and experienced new things,i think brandon really emphasizes that alot in his tracks. to say that he was a little lazy with some of his lyrics is an understatement, he is a lyrical genius, he has a gift unlike anyone, he sees the world in a different way but yet still can explain it in words that we understand, and has a great voice to back it up. I would hope that this band would go down as one of the greatest bands of our age, considering that there arent to many great bands anymore, and u may disagree……but look and what this band has brought to the table, they callborate better then any band, have some of the greatest lyrics, they are all excellent musians, and with each new sound they never fail to dissapoint
December 15, 2007 at 11:18 pm
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce