|
| |
|
|
|
Review Summary: Mediocre album by itself but depressing coming from Incubus.. You would expect change from a band that has been around for twenty years for sure but certainly not like this. They were building a consistent direction throughout their discography always having a soul/funk style to even resonate a Rolling Stone-esque “rock 'n' roll” band on latter releases but their intention is obviously to disregard any fusion they made before for having a brand new “mix” but truth is, no band can do that without having that special something that made them famous in the first place and the worst thing is that they’re not replacing/adding nothing but a dull alternative sound that lots of new bands are already expanding out there.
I have to admit being a fan since I heard “Drive” for the first time long time ago and something that really impressed me about them was that, regardless the style of their songs, their compositions were always shiny, they could make any song fun and catchy as hell but in If Not Now, When? they really struggle to accomplish that, when Boyd sings in the song "In The Company Of Wolves" ("Something’s wrong when it all remains the same") while listening to this boring music, and then half through they try to build up with a heavy sounding bass line, whispered vocals, screeching guitars, and keyboard notes you can hear an attempt to create an epic sonic landscape, but it makes you wonder, to what end? It’s not bad but is this change memorable, innovative or even catchy? They already have a transitional song "Just a Phase" and it is a thousand times better because they actually sound passionate, like trying to make something worthy, these just turned out lackluster, as most of the songwritings in here, imagine taking “Here in My Room” and “Talk Shows on Mute” and make an album out of it.
There are only two more songs that sound like they're at least trying, the first being "Switchblade" which visits some indie territory having another loud bass line along with a listenable melodic guitar riff, but once more it sounds like they're trying to hard to be someone else and, while Boyd's voice is generally very well produced on this record, he totally blows in here, I actually find him very annoying, even Pasillas's drums sound aggravating, the second song is "Adolescents" which is actually the only good one of the whole album, not because is a great track by any means, but because it sounds like Incubus doing their job.
The lyrics also suffer a lot in this album, I mean, having a phrase like:
“I've seen that porcelain shell
Your exoskeleton
And I feel like we'd walk well together”
on the cheesy love ballad "Friends and Lovers" seems very out of place, another good example of this issue is the track "Thieves" that contrast with a pretty much dumb political message, Boyd’s eclectic lyricism nature just seems to be all over the place, and it also doesn't work with Einziger compositions this time around.
There's really nothing I can say to defend this album except for pointing out "Adolescents", songs like "In the Company of Wolves", "If Not Now, When?" and "Thieves" are not dreadful like the rest but they're just so underwhelming it just can't make up for anything. Since their "best of" release I was anticipating this album because even if "Black Heart Inertia" was really “meh” for a single, the unreleased material of the second disc was pretty good, "While All The Vultures Feed" eventually became one of my favorites and I have to ask, have you ever heard the b-side "Surface To Air"? It's better than anything on this CD, so yeah I’m seriously disappointed.
Einziger and company are bold enough to admit their content with simplistic music calling it “something unique” but my response is that a once-talented band with no ability to progress and certainly with no ambition will only make crap, and that is what this is to me, I find that very ***ing sad.
| other reviews of this album |
|
Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off
yeah cool
| | |
"It’s not bad but is this change memorable, innovative or even catchy?"
This is the best part in the entire album, so hell yes.
"once more it sounds like they're trying to hard to be someone else and, while Boyd's voice is generally very well produced on this record, he totally blows in here, I actually find him very annoying, even Pasillas's drums sound aggravating,"
LOL oh god CALM DOWN
Not a bad review, but it does come across as more of a rant than a logically written piece. You also need to split up your sentences more often; sometimes it actually is grammatically cogent, but other times it ends up in run-ons and that type of thing.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
I find myself strictly only coming back to the second half of this album. Shame. The review is a bit too rant-like, but has a lot of great points.
| | |
rant >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> review
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
They were building a consistent direction throughout their discography always having a soul/funk style to even resonate a Rolling Stone-esque “rock 'n' roll” band on latter releases but their intention is obviously to disregard any fusion they made before for having a brand new “mix” but truth is, no band can do that without having that special something that made them famous in the first place and the worst thing is that they’re not replacing/adding nothing but a dull alternative sound that lots of new bands are already expanding out there.
Is that actually one sentence?!
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
''There are only two more songs that sound like they're at least trying, the first being "Switchblade" which visits some indie territory having another loud bass line along with a listenable melodic guitar riff, but once more it sounds like they're trying to hard to be someone else and, while Boyd's voice is generally very well produced on this record, he totally blows in here, I actually find him very annoying, even Pasillas's drums sound aggravating, the second song is "Adolescents" which is actually the only good one of the whole album, not because is a great track by any means, but because it sounds like Incubus doing their job.''
And breathe.
| | |
I have to admit being a fan since I heard “Drive” for the first time long time ago and something that really impressed me about them was that, regardless the style of their songs, their compositions were always shiny, they could make any song fun and catchy as hell but in If Not Now, When? they really struggle to accomplish that, when Boyd sings in the song "In The Company Of Wolves" ("Something’s wrong when it all remains the same") while listening to this boring music, and then half through they try to build up with a heavy sounding bass line, whispered vocals, screeching guitars, and keyboard notes you can hear an attempt to create an epic sonic landscape, but it makes you wonder, to what end?
is one sentence.
and the third paragraph
There are only two more songs that sound like they're at least trying, the first being "Switchblade" which visits some indie territory having another loud bass line along with a listenable melodic guitar riff, but once more it sounds like they're trying to hard to be someone else and, while Boyd's voice is generally very well produced on this record, he totally blows in here, I actually find him very annoying, even Pasillas's drums sound aggravating, the second song is "Adolescents" which is actually the only good one of the whole album, not because is a great track by any means, but because it sounds like Incubus doing their job
is too.
| | |
Gives complaints without actually backing them, grammatically a disaster (proof read?) and devoid of actual objectivity, doesn't describe the sound of the album.
Re-write.
| | |
i've been meaning to give this a good re-listen at some point. possibly wrote it off too quickly
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
This grew on me after I accepted it for what it is. It's a very well-written album.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
God, I love Incubus so much but was frustrated at how painfully average it was (save for In the Company of Wolves, because that's one of the best songs they've written in a decade), but I will go the Yazz route and re-listen because I'm in Incubus fanboy.
| | |
what happened here
| | |
: never
1997-2001 - incubus' prime
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
i love how this is the album that got me into Incubus.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
.kcuf sa sdrawkcab s'tahT
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Well, I've been listening to this lately and it's grown on me tremendously.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
switchblade is the only poor song here, and promises promises is pretty bland. everything else is solid - great
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
baby can I beee
the rabbit in your haaaat
| | | Album Rating: 2.0
I wrote this wasted as fuck, and then I woke up, read the review, read the comments and went to the woods to live deliberately.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I dont agree with most of this review, besides maybe the low amount of cheesiness shown on friends and lovers. I guess i can agree that it doesnt sound much like incubus. But honestly i see it as a great band trying to step out of thier comfort zone and try something that nobody expected. I really do respect them for doing that. They grew up, they matured. And as a die hard fan of Incubus, i also matured and grew with them. And if you cant do that then well your not a die hard fan of Incubus. Now im not saying i dont respect your opinion, because no opinion is stupid in my eyes, that is why it is an opinion. But i see this album as some of their best work. Especially the title track which has amazing lyrical content and vocal melodies. In a way it sounds more like a solo album follow up than in incubus record. But still great in its own right of growth and maturity.
| | | |
|
| |
