Incubus have dramatically changed their sound since their Fungus Amongus days. Morning View and "A Crow Left Of The Murder" was all I knew Incubus from. As I mentioned in an other review, Hurricane Wilma rolled along and poor :Entwistle: didn't have any electricity. Therefore, he couldn't go on MX or play is beloved RollerCoaster Tycoon 2. So he came over with his cd wallet. It was that day in which I discovered a bunch of new music. One of them was Fungus Amongus and I when I listened to it, I was astounded byhow different it sounded from all the Incubus I had heard in the past. I mean, in their early years, they were one of those heavy funk-rock bands that used the word "Mother
fucker". So I was astounded when I heard what they had become over a short pause in thir career.
Morning View is the bands second album from their big change era. The first was Make Yourself. Morning View is definitley the most user-acclaimed or listener-acclaimed album from the band. IMO, it's one of the best albums they have to offer. It's odd what they do with their sound. It is Incubus, and yet, it isn't them. On their other albums, they were more metal and funk oriented. But now, it's just alternative rock. But the turntable is still there so not all is lost. A lot of fans of the band left them after the big change. But in result, more fans were introduced. I know I was.
The Good
The bass on this album was pretty damn good if you ask me. I'm also pretty sure that this was Dirk Lance's last run with the band(?) Now for the good songs. The album starts off with "Nice To Know You". This song has one of the most energetic choruses known to man. The guitar and the bass also shine in this track. It's these heavier songs that I prefer from Incubus. Also note, this is a gem when it's played live. You gotta see it to believe it.
Anoter highly notable track is "Wish You Were Here". Don't be mistook by the Pink Floyd song of the same title. This is not a cover of it. This track starts off on a heavier side then it actually is. The verses are played nicley and the chorus makes the song, no doubt. After this one fades out I'm sad that it's only three minutes long. That's the one downside to the track, it's length.
The last highly recognized track is "Are You In?" It's one of the bands classics. The ambient intro is really cool as it lulls you into mental bliss. But then the drum beat kicks in and you wake up a bit. You hear the chorus to this song everywhere. You just don't realize how much they use the chorus for everything. Movies and TV has whored off this song for ages. So far, it hasn't stopped.
Ehh, it's ooookay.
This is the section where I label one of the songs that just missed the top spot in the review. One of the ones that comes to mind almost immediatley is "Circles". It's a good song, it just doesn't last very long in my favorites list. I like the fact that it's heavier then most Incubus, but it just doesn't make the cut. One of the reasons, the lame lyrics. They just don't really make that much sense. Nor did I like how the song ends out of nowhere. It was a pretty minor dissapointment, but the other tracks are just superior.
Another one I feel that needs to be mentioned here is "Aqueous Transmission". This track is in-fact an instrumental. One of the better ones that I've heard with no words in it. I really loved how the song sounds Oriental, err Asian. The rhythm and the light guitar picking just makes for a great song. But I didn't like how this is the track that closed the album. Nor did I like the fact that it's almost 8 minutes long.
Umm... no.
One song that I cannot stand off this cd is "Mexico". It's lame and pretty annoying to boot. I'm sorry for those of you out there that like it, I just have no liking for the track. I feel it was a balsy move for the band to make a song that just sounds like a giant intro. Same with that one Foo Fighters song, "Best Of You". It sounds like a huge intro. But nothing happens. So that's all I really had to complain about with this album.
Conclusion
Overall, this is one of the bands best albums. It's not my favorite, but still one of 'em. I would recommend this album to anyone new to the band. Or if they would like to try them out. Remember, this is totally different from S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and Fungus, so you should try before you buy. For the pirates out there, just get the whole album.
Recommeded Tracks
Nice To Know You
Wish You Were Here
Are You In?
Under My Umbrella
****If you neg me for my rating, then I will send Jay and Silent Bob to come out and beat you up to a one hit wonder song that got popular because it said "a
ss" in it. -BTBP :smoke:
