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Album Review
by SashaS
22-10-2001
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| 'Morning View' |
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Incubus: 'Morning View'
(Epic/Sony)
Incubus is one of the great American bands that is under-appreciated in the heavy European theatre
Some musical injustices are well puzzling and one of the greatest is committed against Incubus. The band, popular in America, is hardly recognized in Europe although they make music that is much better than what upstarts like Linkin Park are actually riffing. Why there is such lethargy, even the lead-singer Brendan Boyd sports pin-up looks, is a mystery but music biz has hardly ever operated on a logical level.
It is not that Incubus is hard-to-swallow, they are not fronting a musical revolution – and who is anyway, Slipknot? Don’t make me laugh! – but what they do is of superior quality to the bands that sell cargo-full of derivative albums; Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach do come to mind. In face of that pile-up of clichés Incubus make thoughtful, engaging and heavy-but-adventurous music.
What they share, coincidentally, with the fellow Californian System Of A Down’s ‘Toxicity’ is a tad of regression into prog-rockness. There are more nuances, more tempo-changes, greater variety of sonic expressions and more space… ‘Mexico’ is a gentle acousto-ballad, while ‘Warning’ has a steel-like grip on hardness; Incubus display this duality of rocking and a more mellow side frequently which, frankly, is welcome as so many bands play at one speed, about fifth gear, if they weren’t metalomatic Stateside.
Incubus spreads its reach wide and the inspirational wind blows from China on ‘Echo’, perhaps more effectively employed on the closing ‘Aqueous Transmission’. Fury breaks out of hell on ‘Have You Ever’, atmospheric-cum-rhythmic ‘Are You In?’ indulges in masterful decks-guitar duelling, with some cosmic details. ‘Under My Umbrella’ urges you along with a funky bass and filigree-guitar motif…
This is an album by a band being comfortable to wear so many different sonic coats which is very valiant thing to do in the marketplace full of consumers happy with one-dimension.
Incubus’ ‘Morning View’ lets you get out of the second-hand daylight glare…
8.3/10
SashaS
22-10-2001
Incubus’ album ‘Morning View’ is released 22 Oct. 2001 on Epic/Sony
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