thePULSEAnother jewel in the Incubus crown
Incubus: A Crow Left of the Murder
April 2004 – Upon first listening, the most striking thing about Incubus’ newest offering, A Crow Left of the Murder, is the exceedingly high quality of the singles. ‘Megalomaniac’ is the perfect album opener, with the track laying waste to rumors of Incubus’ talent waning with age. Mike Einziger’s heavy yet effortlessly melodic guitar crashes through the song like Godzilla through Tokyo, and the addition of vocalist Brandon Boyd’s scathing vocals make the track a powerful and memorable single.
Upcoming single ‘Talk Show on Mute’ is an indisputable example of Boyd’s lyrical and songwriting talent. Brimming with social commentary, ‘Talk Show…’ is sure to follow ‘Drive’ and ‘Pardon Me’ as another surefire hit for the band. As well as the high quality of the songwriting, the guitar riffs showcase Einziger’s obvious talent, whilst the rhythm laid down by drummer Jose Pasillas and former Roots bassist Ben Kenney provides the track with the solid musical foundation to make it a simple yet engaging single.
Other stand-out tracks include ‘Sick, Sad Little World’, which despite the band’s attention to structure, has an undeniable improvised and ‘live’ feel to it. The energy of the song is interspersed with introspective and vivid, almost haunting interludes of lyrical honesty – ‘The world is a drought when out of love / please come back to us’ . Some tracks are certainly explorative in terms of how they deviate from the ‘typical’ Incubus sound. Songs like ‘Priceless’, with it’s insistent beat and vitriolic lyrical style may not be immediately accessible to the Incubus newcomer. The addition of Primus’ Larry LaLonde certainly adds to the frenetic style of the song.
But this inaccessibility is more than compensated for with tracks like ‘Here In My Room’, which deftly illustrate the tragic beauty of Incubus at their best, coupling intelligent social commentary with sorrowful psychedelia. Other more ‘traditional’ songs like ‘Agoraphobia’ concentrate on the simultaneous complexity and simplicity of Einzinger’s riffs, brilliantly matched by Pasillas’ beats, and let’s not forget the excellent use of the trademark vocal harmonizing we have come to expect from Incubus at their best.
Some tracks such as ‘Zee Deveel’ could be described as vaguely disappointing. The quality of the track is inconsistent with the rest of the album, but this ‘poor’ quality could be attributed to the somewhat experimental nature of the track. However, the song does boast expert manipulation of sound by the band’s DJ Kilmore. Other tracks such as ‘Smile Lines’ function as a showcase for Boyd’s obvious vocal range, but otherwise lacks any ingenuity or memorable, defining characteristics. This track, compared to the quality of the rest of the album, remains remarkably pedestrian.
Overall, ‘Crow…’ is a good album. It lacks the commercial qualities of ‘Make Yourself’ and the accessibility of ‘Morning View’, but it is sure to please both seasoned fans and Incubus newcomers alike. With ‘Crow…’, perseverance is the key — what could be initially perceived as a ‘bad’ album is actually yet another jewel in the Incubus crown.
