CD Review: Incubus

Light Grenades

By Kristen Shea

Light Grenades is the sixth album released by Incubus. It features 13 songs — some fresh, some creative, and some lacking in both respects. When you listen to the first song “Quicksand,” it sounds a little bit like some of Alice in Chains’ last songs. That mood quickly leaves and turns a bit more sensitive. This album fits somewhere in between S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and A Crow Left of the Murder. They have definitely matured as a group. They are still sticking with their original sound, while expanding on their creativity.

In a Rolling Stone interview, lead singer Brandon Boyd expressed that they wanted to release an album that showed what they have learned over the years, not to make No. 1 hits. It’s nice to see Incubus can continue to produce real, powerful music in a world dominated by sellout bands like Nickleback and Hinder.

The album features some sensitive songs such as “Dig,” and “Love Hurts.” “Dig” is my favorite song on the album — it has powerful lyrics and sets a smooth mood. Love is the theme and “Dig” is a beautiful song. I also love “Rouges.” It features some of Incubus’s old school heavy metal roots, which never get old.

The album seems scattered at points. When I listened to it for the first time, some songs ended and faded into the next without a true distinction. I found myself going back and not remembering if I had even listened to it to begin with.

Some of the songs are just plain draining. I would cut out “Earth to Bella pt.1” and “Paper Shoes,” on which Boyd fails to give a memorable vocal performance, lacking in both passion and conviction. Those two songs become annoying after hearing them more than once.

Not the best album to date, but getting there. It’s strange to see a band like Incubus get better with time, and they have done that. They’re not quite at the level of Pearl Jam or the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but they are making their stand and I don’t see them fading away anytime soon. I just hope their next album has some surprises, maybe collaborate with Morbid Angel, or At the Gates.