Incubus (USA-CA)
Morning View

Release Date: 2001 | Tracklist

Album: Morning View
Artist: Incubus
Brandon Boyd - Vocals
Mike Einziger - Guitar
Dirk Lance - Bass
José Pasillas - Drums
DJ Kilmore - Turntables
Released: 2001 (Sony)
Favourite Songs:
Nice To Know You
Wish You Were Here
11 Am
Under My Umbrella



There are two opinions to this album I find. Fans of the older stuff S.C.I.E.N.C.E and Make Yourself will find this album as a worse album, too soft for their liking and then there's people who hold this as Incubus's best album. The final decision comes down to you but I myself am a fan of the former Incubus style. This album is alot more fellow but the hard tracks still exist.

The first song to kick off the album is 'Nice To Know You' and a good song it is. It's a harder edged song. It starts off with guitars with phasers before the bass kicks in and the cymbals of the drums. It's soft for about 30 seconds then bang. Into a distorded chorus. The lyrics are well written and it's a good song. The next song is also harder edged. It's called 'Circles' and Brandons vocal preformance is great on the song. A standout moment is when he sings 'I saw you standing in my headlights Blink Blink Blink. I thought i'd run you down'. Another great song. 'Wish You Were Here' the first single is next and your most likely sick of it by now since it was overplayed when it was released but it's a pretty song. Brandons lyrics are pretty and I personally like Dirks bass line in the song. One thing consistent throughout this album is musicianship. Incubus are amongst some of the leading bands when it comes to this talent and there's never a let down moment here. The next song 'Just A Phase' is decent but the major problem is how it takes so long for it to kick in. 2 minutes and 22 seconds before the singing begins if you want to get technical. This is a good example of what the rest of the album will be like. It's quite mellow but the lyrics and singing are done well. A personal fav follows next '11 Am' Brandon gets brownie points for this songs lyrics. They are some of the best and smartest lyrics i've heard in rock music ever. It's a mellow song again so that can put people off otherwise strong song. Song 6 is 'Blood On The Ground'. Picks up the pace and edge a bit. The intro is some very cool strumming from Mike with Brandon singing and then everyone comes in. Brandon can sing in a very unique style and he showcases it on this song. The verses sound great and the chorus works in well. From hard song to exact opposite we go. 'Mexico' is the next song and I personally strongly dislike this song. It's an acoustic song with just Mike and Brandon. Some people love it, some don't make your own decision with this song. 'Warning' is the next song and IMO it has one of the best music videos ever this song. The song itself is great. The lyrics are well written and the vocals are well done. Move onto 'Echo'. Probably one of the most mellow songs on the album. Don't expect any distorded guitars on this song. It's simply chill music with good vocals but to me it doesn't really stand out from the album. A nice love song however. 'Have You Ever' puts a smile on my face. Awesome bass playing and the guitar sounds great. This is a hard song and Brandons vocal style is so unique on this song. The verses sound brilliant, it's just a pity the chorus doesn't quite match the verse standard but good song. And the most overplayed single of this album features next. 'Are You In'. Personally the amount of radio play has ruined this song for me however it isn't a bad song. Another more mellow chill back song. Ups to Dirk for his awesome bass line :thumb: 'Under My Umbrella' my favourite of the album is the next song. What a contrast from the lovey dovey 'Are You In'. This song is the albums hardest for sure. The great thing on this album is how Brandon changes his singing style on nearly every song keeping it all unique. The chorus of this song is what makes it great. Finally to round off the album is the most mellow track 'Aqueous Transmission'. I would like to see so many of todays modern rock bands produce such a track. You can really feel yourself floating down the river which Brandon sings about on this song. It's a very mellow way to end the album and it's a top knotch song.

Overall Morning View see's Incubus progress in terms of musicianship from Make Yourself but they do lose the harder edge. The final verdict is really up to the listner of this album. I prefer the previous two efforts but this album is still very well done. The lyrics and singing are great. Dirk plays bass like no other, Mike's guitar style is truely his, Jose keeps the beats solid and has a versatile range and Kilmore knows just what to add to a song to give it X factor. An impresive album by an impresive band.

Rating: 4/5 :thumb:

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4 excellent

Rank: #125 for 2001