Incubus - Light Grenades

Whether you realize it or not, there is at least one kid from your high school class who flips out every time there is a new Incubus release. And, to the band's credit, they have a surprisingly strong catalogue of diverse, non-offensive alternative rock albums. But their reputation takes a hit with their latest offering, Light Grenades. The high-school fan might try to justify the album as an "artistic maturation," but the truth is that it's the band's most disjointed, watered-down and unoriginal collection of songs yet.

In fact, the album's single compelling moment is its opening track, "Quicksand." The track showcases the band playing with electric keyboards and epic song structures. "Okay, now the monster is awake/ it won't rest until there's nothing left" croons frontman Brandon Boyd over a gently undulating synth line before bursting into a heroic chord progression.

It's an excellent song and one of Incubus' most rewarding experiments, but it builds up the listener's hopes far too much. "Quicksand" transitions seamlessly into "A Kiss to Send Us Off," a generic rocker with clumsy lyrics about a goodbye kiss. Following this are the three non-compelling singles – "Dig," "Anna Molly" and "Love Hurts" (an Incubus-style R&B song, a caffeinated Police rip-off and an early Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute, respectively). At this point, all hope for the record has faded entirely.

The second half of the album offers fans little consolation. It's inferior and, even worse, it's boring. Whether it's the two-part "Earth to Bella" (a ham-fisted nod to Radiohead's "Creep") or the title track (just over two minutes of loud, aimless guitar noodling), there are no good tracks to be found here. In fact, one of the first phrases to come to mind when describing Light Grenades is "top-heavy," but such a description would require the first half of the album to have actual merit.

Even worse than the music are Boyd's lyrics. Traditionally, the Incubus frontman has written interesting insights on cultural homogenization, political apathy and troubled relationships. On Light Grenades, however, his words fall flat. For example, the chorus to "Love Hurts" (an inane song title in and of itself) reads, "Love hurts/ but sometimes it's a good hurt/ and it makes me feel alive." For further evidence, check out the bridge for "Dig," which reads, "We all have something that digs at us/ At least we dig each other." And even worse, these are the album's singles, not throwaways. To his credit, Boyd's singing on the record is excellent, but his writing leaves much to be desired.


Incubus - "Dig"; live (???)
When Incubus decided to take an extensive break from the recording studio, they promised their next album would be excellent, one of their best yet. Keeping this in mind, Light Grenades borders on offensive. But perhaps their mediocrity is to be expected. Since the heady days of S.C.I.E.N.C.E., their brilliant jazz/rock/metal/funk debut, Incubus has been stripping away its diversity in exchange for radio airplay.

The truth is, these days they are little more than Red Hot Chili Peppers lite. It's sad to see the band in such a state. Back in the days when they had a funk bassist and a hip-hop deejay, Incubus' sound was truly engaging and compelling. Now, they are little more than a stagnating alternative rock band, even if one of those high-school fans would have you believe otherwise.

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2007/jan/25/grenades-shatters-incubus-legacy-of-brilliant-funk/