October 16, 2001

Incubus : Morning View

Hippy Metal Its big,but it's not clever

4 / 10 Oh, but aren't Incubus just the full package? That tan-centric
Californian gestation. A cast-iron pin-up vocalist, Brandon Boyd, who
has the name and the looks of a vaguely recognisable 'Home & Away'
character. That proficient funk-riff magic and dramatic guitar work;
the multimillion-selling debut LP ('Make Yourself') coupled with the
knowledge that this follow-up will probably be huge with the planet-spanning metal community as well.

Trouble is,'Morning View''s insurmountable flaw is that Incubus sell themselves as an Intelligent and Sensitive rock band, without actually appearing especially intelligent or sensitive. They're hippies, basically, street-fresh skatey exterior notwithstanding. Not acidhead extremist hippies, god, no; rather, most of 'Morning View' is what Korn fans would listen to on their gap year in India: sappy, play-nicely-now drip-metal that continually recalls the triteness of Blind Melon.

Incubus better themselves when they don't get trapped in some
nefarious middle ground. The pensive '11 AM' is all the better for
maintaining a certain sonic restraint, even if Boyd's vocal flexing
irritates profoundly, while 'Blood On The Ground' has a primal-level
angular fury.

They should have written a whole album of it. The Slipknots and System Of A Downs
rock seven shades of shit and still bring clever ideas to the table; 'Morning View' doesn't do enough of
either.

Noel Gardner