Review Summary: A new definition of Incubus is necessary as the band moves further from its roots with no intention of return in this duplicitous sixth release.
It’s been a long road since the alternative metal days of old when rap-core was in full effect and nappy dreads were considered fashionable for a rock singer, and as much as the members of Incubus would like to believe they are simply more learned, matured versions of their former selves, it is clear something has been lost on the road to their sixth LP. Yet along that journey they have gracefully weathered a potentially career-devastating line-up change and have even managed to bond as a new unit of five rather quickly. But let’s face it; Incubus is a totally different band since former bassist Dirk Lance left.
When Dirk was with the band their songwriting was generally more fluid, having now turned into what guitarist Mike Einziger openly admits sounds like “13 different bands playing 13 different songs”. Never again will we hear the distorted outer-space aggression of Make Yourself or the contented Malibu beach rock of Morning View. What we are left with is a very talented band striving for importance by aiming for prog-rock feats that it has neither the vision to complete nor the identity to pull off. As Brandon Boyd would agree, “let’s just call it what it is…oil and water.”
Perhaps it’s easy to be so hard on the new Incubus when the former was so suitable for what was lacking in rock in the late 90’s – early 00’s. They seemed to be a band with drive and identity, not to mention an amazing lead vocalist with a strong sense of melody, who demands recognition more and more with each successive album as proven in the rocker “Rogues”, one of the best attempts on the record. But now with the addition of Ben Kenney on bass, the band seems to be having difficulty avoiding a musical duplicity. It is a struggle between pop compromises and artistic credibility, not so evident that one could separate the album into two parts track by track, but more so displayed in the lack of direction the recording has as a whole. While this could be faulted to producer Brendan O’Brien, who has a long history of success, it is probable that growing accustomed to a new band member takes more than two albums.
Light Grenades opens with a wonderful sign of things to come as “Quicksand” jostles between odd meters. From 4/4 to 9/8, with an occasional 5/8 bar, this experimenting works for the most part due to Mike and company creating a landscape of tone that wraps you in the experience. It appears that Incubus are on the right track here, but as the album progresses Einziger experiments a couple guitar tones too far from cohesive pattern and ultimately leaves the listener stranded.
Good music takes someone into a story, or to a certain place in time, where the music is all that connects with reality, a world of aural sensation. Incubus are more than capable providers of such and as “Quicksand” fades into “A Kiss To Send Us Off” one thinks they have accomplished just that. By the time we reach the bridge we are so blanketed by the reverb-laden guitars we can actually feel the electricity from the “storm in the sky”. Unfortunately, the clouds clear and the blue sky releases us from the grip of an unfinished story as “Dig”, while arguably the best song on the album, comes in with acoustic guitar and warm melody. It’s easy to hear where the R&B influence has made it’s way onto the album and surprisingly enough it works here. It just seems too early to introduce this powerful sing-a-long when the first two tracks held together so nicely. Appropriately, it is a radio move as this might turn out to be their strongest single and singles apparently always make side A of the record.
Immediately following we are led into the lead single “Anna Molly” which showcases some of Brandon Boyd’s better lyrical efforts, as he discusses love’s idealism. These lyrics, however, are so glaringly juxtaposed against the obviousness of “Love Hurts”, in which a catchy melody is actually hindered by generic lines such as “love hurts, but sometimes it’s a good hurt”. Despite the accuracy and sincerity of this statement, one expects a little more aesthetic value in the art.
Halfway through now we abruptly run into the title track and “Earth To Bella (Part 1)” which sorely seem out of place. The former awkwardly jump-starting the record at break-neck speed only to slam on the brakes as the latter gently swoons with one of the best melodies Light Grenades has to offer.
Now that Incubus has completely disrupted any continuity it is no surprise that the two most predictable tracks would follow. Playing like bad versions of Make Yourself’s “Stellar” without the cohesive mood and killer bass line, these songs join “Love Hurts” in the category of post-funk Red Hot Chili Peppers karaoke. “Oil And Water” even plays angry stepchild to the groove of Coldplay’s “Clocks”. While compact pop songs, and catchy ones at that, it appears the band has love-drunkenly stumbled into the land of lollipops and radio. Gratefully, we are slapped back into submission with the strum-happy “Rogues”, a welcome rocker that ventures away from the subject of love and into typically over-sung political topics, but here we embrace the change of scenery. “Paper Shoes” drags and is both over-wordy and too long, and “Pendulous Threads” almost reminds of S.C.I.E.N.C.E. as Boyd returns to non-melodic vocalizations with shouted intensity.
The album closes well with the second part of “Earth To Bella”, as the lyrical imagery reunites with the soundscape and one actually gets the feeling that we can “see the deep” as the water opens in. Light Grenades is bookended nicely but it’s the substance in the middle that lets us off the hook. If Incubus were a band noted for it’s pop vibe, it would seem that this record, while still being adventurous, was a popular success. But they are not a pop band and it is clear, based on previous work, of what they are capable. Nevertheless, we once again remind ourselves that this is a new Incubus, and that a new identity demands a new definition.
3 / 5 stars
- Jonathan Kroening
http://www.itsjustmusic.net
Highlights:
- “Dig”
- “Anna-Molly”
- “Earth To Bella (Part 1)”
- “Rogues”
