Review Summary: "Light Grenades" is solid on the whole, but leaves something to be desired.
For the first time since the band entered the mainstream, Incubus received backlash from fans and critics for “A Crow Left of the Murder.” After settling into a sweet spot with “Make Yourself” and “Morning View,” Incubus’ fifth full-length record failed to live up to these works, and served as a regression. “A Crow Left of the Murder” was also an indication that the band was not afraid to continue changing their sound, for the album was even more bizarre than anything the band had released since “S.C.I.E.N.C.E.” The mixed results that were received for “A Crow Left of the Murder” can be directly related to the departure of bassist Dirk Lance from the band, who was one of Incubus’ main weapons. Fill-in Ben Kenney however, showed signs of cohesiveness and conveyed the idea that he would continue to grow as Incubus’ new bassist. With all this carrying into the band’s sixth record “Light Grenades,” Incubus was challenged to produce something both consistent and innovative.
Incubus’ 2006 release “Light Grenades,” is their most generic and poorly structured album to date, but still features enough highlights to leave a memorable impression. The sound of the record can be most closely compared to “A Crow Left of the Murder;” the funk rock of “Fungus Amongus” has long since passed, as did the spacey melodic rock of “Morning View.” The absence of turntables is just an indication that DJ Kilmore’s role in the band appears to have diminished even more. Strange sound effects were also kept to a minimum, presenting Incubus’ most straightforward release of their career. The majority of the creative energy offered by “Light Grenades,” is from guitarist Mike Einziger, who is arguably becoming the band’s most significant figure (besides Brandon). Einziger’s inventive riffs are scattered throughout, and he makes tremendous use of the plethora of effect pedals in his arsenal.
Pendulous Threads is an all-around spectacular effort from Einziger, and probably the most creative track the album has to offer. Propelled by his distorted leads in the introduction,
Pendulous Threads develops into the most intriguing track on the record. Einziger’s soloing is top-notch, and the blistering energy of the song is quite astonishing. Lead single
Anna Molly, while not as obscure as
Pendulous Threads, features a turbulent riff that elevates the track as well. It is songs like these that specify that Einziger appears to be Lance’s real replacement.
In many ways, “Morning View” was successful due to the abundance of mellow tracks. “A Crow Left of the Murder” however, did not feature nearly as many of these songs, and the ones that were recorded for the album did not live up to
Are You In? or
Aqueous Transmission. Incubus seemed to address this immediately on “Light Grenades,” for
Dig is one of the band’s greatest accomplishments to date. Although somewhat simple,
Dig presents a bone chilling introduction and a dazzling vocal performance by lead singer Brandon Boyd.
Oil and Water is one of the most intricately developed pieces on the album, and takes the meaning of pop-rock to new heights. This track grows and has an exceptional momentum, that drives it to a powerful climax. With that said, none of the other low-key tracks appear to deliver the same effect; for
Love Hurts is clichéd and a bit cheesy and
Paper Shoes leaves something to be desired. Both songs are rather solid on the whole, even though they do not reach the bar set by
Dig and
Oil and Water.
If “A Crow Left of the Murder” is considered to be inconsistent, than “Light Grenades” is erratic to say the least. Amidst the great tracks that “Light Grenades” is highlighted by, are several “throw-away” songs that the record would have been much more successful without. The title track is the first of these duds; it is virtually a hastily constructed piece that is neither enjoyable nor impressive in any regard. Following track
Earth to Bella (Part I) is a two-parted song that very poorly transitions from the soft acoustic sections to the unnecessarily deafening and distorted segments. With these pieces grouped next to each other, a major issue of the album is revealed. The track listing is very poorly organized, grouping four of the best songs on the album after one another (A Kiss to Send Us Off through Anna Molly), and placing
Earth to Bella (Part I) after
Light Grenades.
Earth to Bella (Part II) is incredibly anti-climatic at the closer, and although better than its first parted counterpart, just provides further evidence for the record’s inconsistency.
Unfortunately, “Light Grenades” just appears to be another regression for a band that has delivered much more inspired, and quite frankly much better music in the past. Better track listing, stronger ballads, and even more innovation would have proved to be more beneficial for “Light Grenades,” which is probably the band’s weakest album. You can’t help but consider what Incubus would have been like on “A Crow Left of the Murder” and “Light Grenades” with bassist Dirk Lance. Although Kenney seems to be developing a bit of confidence and experience with Incubus, it is apparent that Lance has been missed more than has been imagined. To re-capture the glory of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Incubus must be able to produce the unique and creative sound they once had. For now with all things considered, the band has produced another solid album that is enjoyable on the whole.
Recommended Tracks:
Dig
Anna Molly
Oil and Water
Rogues
Pendulous Threads
