| Incubus: Evolution or Deterioration? Notes: I've been pondering this matter for awhile, and I finally wrote it out on 17/8/02 I was watching an Incubus music video awhile back ago, when the first single from "Morning View" was released, and my brother made the comment, "This would be a really good band if they didn't have a good-looking lead singer." I didn't understand a word of what he was saying, but in later months I began to get what he was talking about. Would Incubus really be a better band if Brandon Boyd wasn't such a total hottie? I have pondered this question many times. I really dig Incubus and their music, enough to call them my second favorite band. Trust me, I don't choose favorite bands carelessly. My brother claims that Incubus has gone pop, and that pretty-boy Brandon Boyd has made them lose their good vibe. I honestly don't want to side with my brother, but there are certain facts about the tunes of Incubus that can't be ignored. Before I say anything, I should note that this is the order I bought the albums in: Make Yourself, Morning View, S.C.I.E.N.C.E. It wasn't until I had all three of these albums that I was able to make observations of the changes in their music over time. When you look at them in order, their is an obvious path of evolution in their music. Is this due to the fact that they've simply grown and changed as musicians, or is it because they're now more marketable and therefore must conform to the ways of a money-making machine? SCIENCE has a totally different vibe than any of the other Incubus stuff I've heard. It's harder, less-structured, and more stoner-friendly. The vocals are the most noticeably different element in the mix. There's a whole lot more screaming, rapping, and generally unstructured singing. It's really out there and funky. When you move on to Make Yourself, the first thing you'll notice is the lack of "rapping". It's non-existent on the later albums. The music still has a wild, funk groove to it, but there are less hard core songs and the whole album has a much more cleaned-up sound. This could be because they were becoming more successful, and simply had a larger budget and therefore more quality sound. Or, it could be because they were trying to neaten up their image. Then, out comes Morning View. It's a totally new sound for them. You definitely won't hear any rap or yelling, and hardly any hard stuff. It's just a mellow, feel-good album with an absence of controversal subject matter and profanity (both of which could be found on earlier albums.) Does anyone hear the sound of coorperate goons stepping in and saying, "Think marketable."? When I first heard Morning View, the only other album I'd heard was Make Yourself, and I could immediately notice the difference even from that. Later I heard SCIENCE, and the watering down of their music was painfully obvious at that point. So, is my brother right? Well, I didn't like Morning View at first. It was okay, I thought, but a serious let-down after Make Yourself. After awhile, though, it did grow on me. The talented lyricism is still there without a doubt, even if it is more radio-friendly (aka: no more dirty words). The groove is still the same, though extremely toned down. It's obvious that the music of Incubus has changed and taken on the form of a successful pop/rock crossover group, but does that make them any less of a band? I guess it all boils down to whether or not the music is still good. I'll admit I prefer the edgier, funkier feel of SCIENCE to the mellow Morning View sound, but I still love and listen to all of my Incubus albums. I suppose the answer to my question lies in musical taste, and I guess if I still dig the music, I've got nothing to bitch about. Thoughts on the matter? Write about it! Email me YOUR blarb on Incubus or another similar care and I'll add it to the site. Return to Blarb Return to Infoskank |