Review Summary: An accidental concept album.
A Crow Left of the Murder is an infamous album for Incubus purists. They won't quite call it terrible, but say dirty things behind its back and insinuate that its company is not welcome. "Morning View was the last good Incubus album" they'll whisper a little too loudly, hoping A Crow will fly out of the room and join the rest of the murder that did its number on the band's career. A Crow is unaffected though. It struts proudly amongst the peers of their discography, because it knows that it doesn't only belong here but that its versatility will in fact be the life of the party.
What is it that marks almost every band's supposed descent into bullsh*t mediocrity? What is it that takes a band from youthful, bouncing energy to accused evil old curmudgeons with a cynical and disgusted view of the world? What is the one mistake that is always made when a band inevitably evolves to a point where half their fanbase can no longer make eye contact without longing for the days of carefree rock and roll? To quote the Incubus fan that obviously knows more than me,
"They got political."
Well, that's certainly one thing that happened between Morning View and A Crow, but the event was not without accomplices. Two other significant occurrences accompanied the shift in focus from Incubus's third eye to a more realistic viewpoint:
1. The band lost an important member.
2. Brandon Boyd must've gotten his heart broken.
A crow Left of the Murder is our first glimpse of a disillusioned Incubus, and it's an emotional comedown that fans of the starry eyed musicians have trouble swallowing. Almost every corner of this album reeks of loss (though it is coupled with recovery throughout). These songs all deal with secular confrontation. There are points when the lyrics are out right defeatist followed by intense moments of "F*ck that! The world f*cked us over, not the other way around."
Brandon's symbolism even overlaps his realism here at points, and I can't help thinking that it may not be on purpose. The album's opener is pretty unashamed hate mail to then President Bush. As the album continues, he begins to shift his confrontation toward a lover and at times the world in general. He shifts his hatred so often here that the line begins to blur to the point where it appears as if he may even be breaking up with President Bush.
Songs like "Beware! Criminal", "Agoraphobia", "Talk Shows on Mute", and "Leech" can all be taken as both political allegory and complaints of a lackluster relationship. Maybe Brandon once expected more of ex-President Bush, and his political outbursts can't help but pair with his need to get out of a relationship both in turn combine with his hatred for a world crumbling down around him. All these aspects create an image of a man who's not used to being wronged, being f*cked over in several departments of his life all at once. The overall concept of this album comes across as "all the things I hate are in cahoots and deserve to be treated the same".
There are a few exceptions to that rule and they are where the album shines and falls short. "Southern Girl" is certainly the album's biggest misstep. And while it isn't terrible, it sticks out as unnecessary to the album's flow, a filler track if there ever was one. However, it's really the only filler here. ("Smile Lines" and "Zee Deveel" can be seen as a drop in quality somewhat, but not filler by any means) The other two exceptions to the concept happen to be the two best tracks on the album: "Sick Sad Little World" and "Here in My Room".
"Here in My Room" is a touching tribute to and appreciation of girls that society labels as sluts. It's the only track here to feature piano as its main attraction. And instead of coming across as the obligatory piano track, it quickly proves that the instrument was chosen as its vehicle for a reason. "Sick Sad Little World" stands out as not only as the best song on A Crow Left of the Murder but most likely as Incubus's best song in general. The band has never sounded tighter than they do on this song. And yes it's true that Incubus's first bassist, Alex Katunich, was essential to the band on their first four albums, but his replacement does an amazing job of jumping right in and adding his own flavor to the group. Ben Kenney's style is more subdued but he is every bit as effective at carrying a song and getting the job done. More acute listeners will surely notice this.
At the departure of Katunich, Mike Einziger really got around to completely honing his style as well. On "Priceless", we are treated to a solo that solidifies him as one of the greatest guitarists of his time and style. He doesn't hold back for the rest of the album though. Pick just about any song here, and his talent will grip you if you listen in his direction.
A Crow Left of the Murder is Incubus in top form. Its stylistic change and moody songs understandably threw off some listeners at first, but it deserves much more attention from fans while it stands as the band's best effort.
