Tag Archives: Incubus

Appreciating The Evolution of Incubus – Concert Countdown

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

It’s despicable, it’s wrong, and it’s gutless… that I haven’t seen either of my favorite bands live in concert. Of course, that will change this month, when I Incubus perform on August 19, in Atlanta, as part of the Honda Civic Tour. To get myself pumped for a concert, I always like to listen through their discography in the couple of weeks preceding the show. For the upcoming Incubus concert, that means listening to Incubus’s older work (which I’m less familiar with) and seeing if what I’ve heard countless times–”I really like the old Incubus stuff”– is agreeable.

Released way back in 1995, Incubus’s first studio album, Fungus Amongus is reminiscent of some early Red Hot Chili Pepper albums (my other favorite band). As such, Brandon Boyd has explicitly credited the Chili Peppers as being a key influence for his band. Listening through the album, the funk stood out more so than other genres, but the jazz, rap, and heavy metal were also present and worked nicely together in “Deep Inside.” I fully intend to deep dive this album and get the whole Incubus picture before the concert.

S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is certainly very different from their most recent album, If Not Now, When?. Considering S.C.I.E.N.C.E. came out nearly a decade and a half prior, it’s not too surprising to see a band grow and evolve a good deal over that time. The blend of techno, jazz, and metal is pretty obvious and makes me think of the concept coined by Linkin Park, “Hybrid Theory”–bringing together an eclectic group of talented musicians with different styles and tastes to create a sound that is more powerful than any singular genre in the music. It certainly makes the pairing of Linkin Park and Incubus in the Honda Civic Tour seem fitting. Sailing Catamarans Is Every Nautical Captain’s Ecstacy is a pretty funny acronym too.

So, after looking at their entire discography chronologically and holistically, I can understand why some may only like their older music, because it markedly different from the smoother softer sound that appeared on Light Grenades and became more pervasive on If Not Now, When?. While different, I love both styles and respect the band’s evolution

What pre-Make Yourself song is your favorite? What must I listen to before I see them live?

Here are some of the Incubus songs I hope to hear live from the latter albums I know and love them for, starting with my favorite, Make Yourself, and progressing in chronological order.

Make Yourself (1999)
Top Tracks:

  • “The Warmth”
  • “Clean”
  • “Stellar”
  • “When It Comes”
  • “Drive”

Morning View (2001)
Top Tracks:

  • “Under My Umbrella”
  • “Wish you Were Here”
  • “Circles”

A Crow Left of the Murder (2004)
Top Tracks:

  • “Megalomaniac”
  • “A Crow Left Of A Murder”
  • “Beware! Criminal”

Light Grenades (2006)
Top Tracks:

  • “Dig”
  • “Anna Molly”
  • “Love Hurts”

If Not Now, When? (2011)
Top Tracks:

  • “Promises, Promises”
  • “Adolescents”
  • “If Not Now, When?”

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

Linkin Park Releases ‘Burn It Down,’ New Album and Honda Civic Tour to Follow

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

If you’re like many Linkin Park fans you enjoyed the band’s first two studio albums–Hybrid Theory and Meteora–but only a smattering of their newer songs. The trouble is that Meteroa, the bands second album, is now nearly a decade old. The good news is that if you’ve stopped following Linkin Park it’s time to get back on board. The band recently announced a June 26 release date for their upcoming album which is entitled Living Things. While the album certainly won’t mark a full move back to “nu metal,” it does promise to incorporate the type of sounds that made their first two albums so wildly successful and beloved.

Mike Shinoda, the Linkin Park rapper and producer, recently wrote a very interesting blog post explaining how the band intentionally avoided the style and sounds that brought them their initial fame. A great read from a forthcoming artist, this is totally worth any fan’s time. In the same post he also explains how band grew willing to use all the tools in their toolbox for this album, including those that were more commonly used in their earliest albums (excerpt below).

Over the course of the last year, the subject kept popping up, and we talked about how to tastefully bridge the gap between all the musical places we’ve been, to marry together all the ideas we’ve accumulated about how to make a song. And as LIVING THINGS began taking shape, the most powerful shift I saw take place was the acceptance and eagerness to use all the tools in the toolbox, not just some. Everything at once, together.

Some people have already compared our new album to the early ones. I suppose it depends on how you want to make that comparison (by the way, it’s certainly not about guitars). For me, it’s all about getting back to the real “hybrid theory” — not the album with that name, but the idea that the six guys in our band have drastically different tastes in music, and the blending of all those sounds into one is exactly what we built our band upon.


Comments like that have me excited about the potential of Living Things, but it’s not just what the band is saying it’s also their new single which they released on April 16th. It doesn’t sound like all their other stuff, which is their promise–to not produce music that sounds like everything they’ve done before–but it somehow harkens back to their old days while infusing a new electronic/techno element I haven’t heard from them before. Check it out yourself.

That’s not the end of the good news. Linkin Park has also just announced dates for the album’s supporting tour. Tickets for the Honda Civic tour will go on sale April 27th and they will be touring with one of just two bands I enjoy more than Linkin Park–Incubus!

Brandon Boyd, Incubus’s lead singer, was recently interviewed on Beat TV and made a great comment about how they refuse to pander to fans and called each album an exercise in “self-indulgence.” (skip to the 1:00 mark) Given Linkin Park’s refusal to continuously put out reruns of Hybrid Theory, these comments underscore why these two experimental rock bands will compliment each other so well this summer.

You can expect an album review and likely a concert review of their Alpharetta show. Until then, enjoy their new single and look out for more music blog posts. I’ll be attending a Switchfoot/The Rocket Summer concert in Athens, Ga in two weeks and will probably have a concert review for the show. Hopefully The Rocket Summer plays “Colors” live!

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading! 

If Not Now, When? – A Review of Incubus’s New Album

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

After a long wait between albums Incubus gave their fans a new album to pour over. Incubus’s new album, If Not Now, When? hit shelves on on July 12th, 2011, and offers a much different sound than previous albums. Much like Linkin Park, in their most recent album, A Thousand Suns, Incubus offers softer, smoother, less aggressive tunes than we’ve come to expect. Let’s break it down by the track.

Adolescents: The album’s lead single, “Adolescents,” was a radio hit as fans anxiously awaited the release of Incubus’s first full-length album in years. “Adolescents” gives you a pretty good idea of what you can expect from the rest of the album–smooth melodies, soft instrumentals, and abstract lyrics. It marks a change in style from what I would describe as somewhat aggressive and loud to a smoother and softer style. Nonetheless, this song rocks! On the surface level it is about feeling overwhelmed, but on a deeper level it’s a commentary on our overall culture. 8/10

If Not Now, When?: Another in the new softer Incubus style, this one goes for slow and epic, “If Not Now, When?” is one a long (over 5 minutes), soft, smooth, almost epic song with beautiful peaks and valleys. It was originally meant to be an high-energy rock song, but it evolved into a beautiful ballad, one in which lead vocalist, Brandon Boyd, shows off his ability to hold a note in a few spots. 8/10

Promises, Promises: You may have heard this one, as it was the album’s second single. It’s one of my favorites, and for good reason. Great lyrics, my favorite line being, “let me be the rabbit in your hat,” make it more than just a catchy tune. The song tells the story of a young girl, who after so many failed attempts at love, has armored herself against the pain of intimacy by only engaging in surface affairs. The keyboard in the background also adds a nice element. 9/10

Friends and Lovers: This may be the most amiable song Incubus has written. It marks a far departure from the aggression in songs like “Pardon Me” and “When it Comes” (both from the album Make Yourself). It lacks that  catchy “hook,” but still makes for an enjoyable tune. 7/10

Thieves: Initially I didn’t care for this song. Early impressions of songs are generally surface level (which may be why poppy songs lacking depth seems to get popular really quickly and then disappear), and to be frank, the provocative lyrics that seem to poke fun of “God fearing white Americans” turned me off. This one is a grower though, after a couple listens I became a fan. Even though I haven’t dug into the deep meaning of this one yet, the delivery and instrumentals are more than solid. 6/10

Isadore: “Erika and her Isadore”…”I won’t rest until the world knows the name Isadore” what the heck is “Isadore”? A name? Some sort of gift? I’m not totally sure, but this track, with its use of the acoustic guitar, is one of the best on the album. Vocals and guitar work flow well together making a standout track. 8.5/10


Original: This tribute to a particular woman’s beautiful uniqueness makes for an interesting song. “Your mind, it is original. Girl, you are the Original.” A slow yet dynamic tune, this one took a few listens for me to appreciate, especially as it is a departure from the Incubus we’re used to. 6.5/10

Defiance: An acoustic track, this is a great listen, one where the lead singer flaunts his talent. As impressive as it may be, this one doesn’t stick with you and makes for a very solid, but not outstanding song. 6.5/10

In The Company of Wolves: The longest song on the album, it’s hard to give a sufficient statement and rating on this song. Dynamic, in that the entire feel of the song quickly, but smoothly shifts from uplifting, almost in a gospel-ish way into a long, strange, abstract, instrumental interlude, to what seems like a totally different song, “In the Company of Wolves” is the most experimental song on the album. 4.5/10

Switchblade: A throwback to the Incubus style we’re used to, “Switchblade,” is easily the most aggressive song on the album. Relating a woman to a switchblade, the metaphor is striking the music does it justice. Probably Boyd’s weakest song from a purely delivery standpoint as this track doesn’t call for the long drawn out notes he hits so beautifully in the other tracks, but it does make for a great change of pace from the rest of the album and features some stellar work on the drums. 6.5/10

Tomorrow’s Food: A strange and slow song, this track is the album’s low point. Inspired by an American Philosopher’s quote; “”No epoch is finally privileged. We are all tomorrow’s food. The process continues. And spirit is found in the process itself, not in any particular epoch, or time, or place,” the song is written from the heart, but without a whole lot of lyrics, it seems like this song is one long and mediocre interlude. 2.5/10

Over the album is very enjoyable, despite not being what you’d expect from Incubus. It gets my recommendation. You can order here.
Album: If Not Now, When? 7/10

A Wave of Great New Music Is On The Way

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

Incubus just released a new single, “Adolescents.” I just gave it a first listen tonight, and I liked what I heard. It certainly has a great smooth sound with awesome guitar work. After just one listen the song seems to be about feeling overwhelmed, but I don’t want it to be that simple. Lyrics are at the bottom of the post for you to overanalyze. Incubus will release the full album, entitled If Not Now, When? on July 12.

Incubus isn’t the only band doing work, there is a wave of great music on the way.

  • The Red Hot Chili Peppers will release a new album this summer. They’ve already recording the songs, so the bulk of the work is done, and I’m expecting it in June although I’ve heard May. I would guess it will be their final full length album and I expect nothing short of Stadium Arcadium which I consider one of the greatest albums in the last 30 years.

  • I caught word (via 96.1fm in Atlanta) that about a month ago Shinedown was in LA working on a new album. I have to think that a release date will come this summer.
  • On my ride home today 96.1 played the new Beastie Boys single. I listened to it on the radio and just gave it another listen for good measure. I shouldn’t have wasted my time, but you can waste yours. Here it is… Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise”
  • Tommy’s last band of the week Veer Union is currently working on a new album entitled Divide the Blackened Sky. For more on Veer Union see Tommy’s post,

I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot…but the lyrics to Incubus’s new single are below so read, share your thoughts, and tell me about any upcoming albums I forgot.

I’m feeling out of bounds, out of bounds
I’m running out of time, out of time
I know there’s no such thing as either of them
But its doesn’t make me feel any better

Out of sight, out of mind
Out of sight, out of mind
We’re out of time
We’re out of mind
Out of mind
Out of mind
Yeah, yeah

I’m feeling overwhelmed, overwhelmed
It’s getting out of line, line, line
I know I’m not alone
Just adolescents, you and I
It doesn’t make me feel any better

Out of sight, out of mind
Out of sight, out of mind
We’re out of time
We’re out of mind
Out of mind
Out of mind
Yeah, yeah
Out of sight, out of mind
Out of sight, out of mind
We’re out of time
We’re out of mind
Out of mind
Out of mind
We’re out of mind
Yeah

What Is The Warmth?

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

Most people think of the hit songs “Drive” and “I Wish You Were Here” when they think of the alternative rock group Incubus. Despite those mainstream (albeit good) songs, Incubus is actually a pretty off-the-wall experimental band.

One of their better and more experimental songs is “The Warmth” from their third album Make Yourself.

The intro is interesting, strange, and unique. It sounds like whales to me. I’m not sure if that’s the image they were going for with the intro. Anyway, the core of the song is about not letting others who aren’t happy with their lives make you feel down about your own life. The most interesting lyrics are below

“Remember why you came and while you’re alive
experience the warmth before you go.”

Those lyrics lead me to the obvious question; What is “The Warmth”?

Click here to listen

Click here for the lyrics (warning explicit, but deep)

 

This may be my last music post for a long while as there is a lot of other blog worthy stuff going on in the coming days. Tomorrow is my favorite day of the year–fantasy baseball draft day– next Tuesday I’m making a trip to Philips Arena to see the Lakers play the Hawks (my last chance to see Kobe in person and in his prime) and we still have liberals protesting in Wisconsin. I think my co-blogger Tommy likes it when I leave the music posts to him anyway.

So give it a listen, check out the lyrics, and please leave your thoughts on what”the warmth” is in the comments.

Incubus