Incubus- Fungus Amongus
This is Incubus’ very first recording and was recorded, and co-produced by them. I absolutely love this band. Dirk Lance has been a major influence on my bass playing and the musicianship on this album from all of them is amazing (especially for 16 year olds!) This CD is a hybrid of funk, rock, and rap. It could not utilize every genre more perfectly. The liner notes are cool too. :)
Incubus is….
Brandon Boyd- Vocals
Mike Eizinger- Guitar
Jose Pasillas- Drums
Alex Katunich (a.k.a. Dirk Lance) - Bass
The tracks…..
1) You Will Be a Hot Dancer- Starts with some nice, flowing funky guitar lines from Mike which flow into a calming groove with a catchy slap bass/ drum groove. Brandon’s Vocals are smooth and are perfect for the subtle, thick funk rumbling underneath. The chorus is a tad heavier with Brandon yelling “Don’t you make fun of me!” while the guitar plays some chords. It goes into another verse which feature a tiny bass solo which only can be described as UBER FUNKY with some awesome use of the bass’ full range and some fat slapping work. The main groove goes on with some comedic lyrics and leads to another heavy chorus. The bridge is cool with some heavy riffs and some more awesome grooves. The guitar solo rocks and is very similar to John Frusciante’s solos in the Red Hot Chili Peppers earlier work. He may have used a wah pedal, because it sounds awesome with some pitch changes. The last chorus gives into some playful effects of children teasing you with the title line, which is also similar to Chili Pepper’s style. You can really see the influence they had on Incubus in this song. Great, funky way to kick off the album. [5/5]
2) Shaft- Cool, little guitar line at a faster tempo. The bass and drums fade in with an awesome groove, but not for long. The pace builds up and unleashes, becoming much heavier, with Brandon rapping. After every lyrical phrase, the title line is overdubbed with him screaming it. The verse has overdubbed guitar lines, each being unique and weaving through the mild grooves perfectly. The choruses are chaotic, and have a rushed, crazy tempo with Brandon rapping like his heads going to fall off. But it does get a bit repetitive, hearing “Shaft” every 2 seconds. Still a great song though. [4/5]
3) Trouble in 421- Starts with a fun, effects heavy guitar lick that reminds me of the Super Mario theme song. Kicks in with a crazed, funky guitar line. The drums give a fill into a slow groove, with Brandon singing very well and the bass shows some restraint, with some slow, but grooving slap lines. The drum fills are showcased in this song. The chorus picks up with some heavy riffing and Brandon singing very fast. The next verse has more bass, with some awesome bass grooves all over the fretboard. The vocals are pretty cool on the pre-chorus with overdubbed screams. The guitar and bass do a lightning-paced lick and the chorus picks up with Brandon making unusual sounds and the bass and guitar trading off riffs. Then, BASS SOLO! An amazingly funky solo with properties of Les Claypool and Flea’s styles all jammed into 8 seconds of milkshake thick funkiness. Man do I love this solo. The solo continues throughout another verse while the groove dominates. What I love about Incubus is that the song is almost secondary to the groove. It is so groovy it’s not even funny. The groove continues while Mike takes an awesome solo that weaves in and out of the groove, but shortly picks up and turns on the wah. I think this solo alone puts Mike into my “Top Guitarists” list. The funk continues with a heavier feel as Brandon chants. Some fast riffs fade out to end this mind-blowing song. [5/5]
4) Take Me to Your Leader- This has more of a “S.C.I.E.N.C.E.” feel to it. Starts with some strange, creepy noises that explain the title perfectly, with an extra-terrestrial feel. The drums come in while the guitar wails. Suddenly, the vocals come in with an in-your-face feel while the bass follows the melody note for note. The choruses are somewhat heavier than the verse, while the guitar riffs back up Brandon’s rants. Shortly after, some more eerie effects dominate the spotlight. The funny overdubbed vocals come back in with the bass chugging along with random drum fills. Another strange chorus with some heavy guitar riffs. The bass groove after is pretty cool while Brandon is losing his mind. The build up unleashes another chorus with crazy sounds that fade out. Not bad. [4/5]
5) Medium- Starts with Snow White singing while birds chirp. Interesting effect to start the song with. The bass kicks in with a solid lick and gives into a fantastic groove while Brandon chants “medium” and Mike gives some cool lines. The verses have a stable, rock solid groove that is nice and mellow. The lyrics are playful, with Brandon describing the perfect coffee. The chorus has a very funky feel and showcases the rhythm section, yet again. Back to the mellow groove during the verse. The next chorus has a faded voice whispering ‘medium’. The pace picks up with some heavy riffs but quickly jump back into the groove. A lot of tempo changes in this song, as you can tell. The next verse is quite funny, with Brandon talking about body odor. The chorus riff fades out to end this playful song. [4/5]
6) Speak Free- The heaviest song on the album. And quite possibly the only serious one too! Starts with a cool riff that you can tell is going to kick into something crazy. And it does! After 4 loops of the riff, the music stops and the bass just rips a crazy, fast lick that makes you think “how the hell is that possible?” After two of those awesome bass lines, the drums and vocals come in with Brandon screaming his head off. The main riff goes on with Brandon talking about freedom of speech and the problems we face with ignorant people. The choruses are just a bit heavier, with Brandon screaming fast while Mike and Dirk follow. That funky, main riff comes back in for a short while, before another chaotic chorus. The interlude features a menacing bass line which still manages to groove. It’s still haunting though, with Brandon giving an eerie rant while the bass flows through the mild guitar noises. This bridge is incredibly freaky and builds up into frequent screams. The second half features the intro riff, but quieter to give it that powerful, creepy feeling. It builds up while Brandon describes a mental breakdown. He screams and before you know it, that crazy bass line comes back in to build up into that awesome, catchy chorus for one last time. More riffage goes on to end the song with a final scream. Awesome! [5/5]
7) The Answer- Showcases Jose’s talent in the beginning. The drums give into a funky, but heavy guitar/bass riff, with Dirk slapping. Brandon comes in with some powerful vocals, as Brandon’s voice is very similar to the previous track. While he’s ranting, the bass is grooving with the guitar. The chorus is a bit more serious, talking about death. The guitar picks up with a much heavier riff and faster tempo. More verse grooves and chorus chaos. The bridge has some weird, percussive sounds and different, but cool riffs. The verse comes back in with that awesome riff and the song ends with the last chorus. [4/5]
8) Psychopsilocybin- Whatever the hell it means, its one amazing song. Probably my favorite off the album. Starts with a calm, subtle guitar line that is joined by a counter melody slap bass lick. Jose holds it down while Brandon raps with a grooving quality to his voice. The chorus is heavier, but it’s not “power-chord” heavy, just at a faster pace and a tad louder. The chorus is followed by a funk-fused melodic bass line that is very reminiscent of Flea’s solos. The groove is perfect while Brandon screams and the guitar takes a short, but sweet solo that is totally on queue and fits in perfectly. It seems as though every time you hear Brandon scream “psychpsilocybin’’, a solo comes in. The kick arse groove comes back in and you hear the title again. This time, Jose gives a mind-blowing 4 second drum solo before the verse comes back in. Mike takes another solo that has a Latin, yet classic rock feel to it. Brandon raps again with the groove leading the song along. I love the feel the song has; it’s mellow, yet awesome. Another jam session, with Mike and Dirk trading little solos, just before an amazing guitar solo. It’s perfect. That’s all I can say. This song is utterly perfect in every way, shape, and form. What do you think I’m going to rate it? [5000/5]
9) Sink Beneath the Line- Starts with some more playful, funky guitar lines. The bass joins in along with the vocals to give into an amazing groove. Has a very playful, dance feel to it. Very similar to the song ‘Azwethinkweiz’. The bass holds down a purely awesome groove with Jose while Mike takes the role of ‘mellow, amazing soloist.’ After a chorus, Dirk and Jose trade off little fills which are followed by some funny, playful noises that Brandon makes. Now that I think of it, Azwethinkweiz is the protégé of this song. Mike takes an awesome solo that makes me love this song. After some more dancing grooves, the song unfortunately comes to an end. If only it could last longer. [5/5]
10) Hilikus- Another funky track that centers a groove around a catchy as hell bass line. Frequently changes pace and tempo with a tasteful use of dynamics. Brandon raps throughout the verses. The choruses are heavier, with Brandon screaming “You’ve got to be Hilikus!” The verse comes back in with that subtle funk and runs through the groove again, right before the second chorus. The choruses sound more like “Speak Free” while the verse sounds like the previous track. You’re in for a surprise (not really, you’d probably expect it) when Mike takes another amazing wah-heavy solo that weaves throughout the catchy bass lick. After the third chorus, Mike takes another VERY short solo before the song stops. Amazing closer. [5/5]
Overall This album deserves nothing less than a perfect 5. It has made me rethink of what I view as funk rock. In my eyes, Incubus is the epitome of amazing music and their debut isn’t anything less than their other albums. [5/5]
