Volume CXXXIII, Number 10 November 16, 2001 f

Incubus's Morning View is refreshing
BEN KREIDER
STAFF WRITER

Morning View, Incubus's third major-label debut, is a diamond in the rough. At a time when the hard-rock scene is populated with whiny, bland groups like Korn and Papa Roach, this album is a breath of fresh air. The record combines the scratching of DJ Kilmore with hard-driving riffs and excellent songwriting to create a brilliant end product.

The members of Incubus. (enjoyincubus.com)

The album deserves all of the hype it has generated. One can listen to it from start to finish without skipping a single track, and the songs are consistently interesting and well-written. It has a nice mix of slow and acoustic songs in addition to fast-paced, heavier ones.

Standout tracks include "11 a.m.," "Blood On The Ground," "Mexico," and "Circles." The beauty of these tracks is that each one is quite different musically, yet each have insightful lyrics. For instance, in "Blood on the Ground" lead singer Brandon Boyd waxes poetic: "I bite my tongue every time you come around, cause/ blood in my mouth beats blood on the ground."

Incubus may not be the most talented band out there, but what they lack in skill, they make up for with passion. Boyd is a versatile singer who is just as comfortable yelling at the top of his lungs as he is singing soft high notes for acoustic ballads. He is also one of the few songwriters in his genre who can write lyrics that are both emotional and intelligent at the same time.

The album is quite diverse in terms of its sound. "Mexico" is a slow acoustic song that will bring tears to your eyes, while "Nice To Know You" is an edgier electric song that will get hearts pumping.

The album's one main flaw is its lack of innovation as compared to past Incubus albums. The band's first independent release featured funk music reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and their second release, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., was a breakthrough work that combined surprisingly heavy riffs with creative turntable work. Their most recent release was not as creative as the previous two, but it incorporated the DJ into the songs much better.

On Morning View, the DJ's effects add to the music on the few songs when they are noticeable, but they seem somewhat forced. The release would have been close to perfect if Kilmore's scratching talents were utilized better.

With that said, this album is still more creative than most of the drivel getting played on MTV these days. "Aqueous Transmission," for instance, sounds more like a track you would hear in Asia than one produced by a mainstream American rock band. Eastern strings, combined with Boyd's excellent vocals, create a touching song that is almost eight minutes long.

While Incubus may now be considered mainstream, few bands have the creativity to write such an album, let alone pull it off successfully.