I’m not sure where or how Incubus popped in my head the other day. It was definitely out of nowhere and then suddenly I wound up with their song “Sick Sad Little World” playing in my head on repeat. I’ve always enjoyed this song. In fact I’d dare say it’s one of the best songs in the Incubus catalog. So, as it always tends to happen, I went down the rabbit hole of Incubus and remembered their captivating performance at Red Rocks in Colorado that happened during the A Crow Left Of The Murder tour cycle. This version of “Sick Sad Little World” is otherworldly and epic! The song is already epic by nature but with the extended version and added live goodies, it just makes the song so much better! Here’s to hoping Incubus can at least get back to this level on their upcoming new album!
Incubus- Sick Sad Little World (Live At Red Rocks / 2004):
This is a new topic and one that I think will be quite fun to delve into. These are all what if scenarios so, maybe by me writing about them, it will get out into the world and come to fruition.
So, recently Thrice put out a revisited version of their break through and classic album, The Artist In The Ambulance. On this release, the band took the songs from way back when and re-recorded them. The end result from their experiment is actually quite good and I recommend you checking out the revisited version of the album.
I truly think that having Incubus go back to S.C.I.E.N.C.E and do what Thrice did would be quite a trip. Obviously, Incubus is far from the band on that album but, seeing that they’ve all grown as people and musicians, this one would be pretty interesting to hear. One of the things that would make this experiment be fun is that it might actually reinvigorate the band into getting truly back to their roots. Let’s be honest, the last few Incubus albums have been less than stellar. I have a few more ideas on this idea to go over. Along with getting back to their roots, this could be a way to open the door for Dirk Lance (Alex Katunich) to come back to the band. No disrespect to Ben Kenney but, Dirk’s bass playing, style and writing was part of what made Incubus who they were. Another thing that would make this fun would be the chance to hear these songs live again. The last time I saw Incubus in 2015, they did play “Vitamin” so that was cool but, I’d love to hear more. In a recent interview, Brandon has said “It’s the one that I would assume most people would say is my least favorite. It’s the one I listen to the least. When I hear ‘S.C.I.E.N.C.E.‘ I laugh as much as I cringe, there are some pretty sophisticated things on there for such young kids, but I still feel my palms sweat when I listen to it.
I like the willingness to be clowns at certain moments, but also to dig ferociously for something: in hindsight, we had yet to find what we were looking for, which is why we’re still a band. Also, a lot of why I don’t like the album is my performance, I had yet to learn how to sing, I honestly didn’t know what the fuck I was doing, I just liked doing it. I’d give it a five and a half out of 10, or a 6.”
So with that quote from Brandon in mind, why not go back and revisit S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and take all you’ve learned over the years and revisit the album that got the band going!
Way back in the past, there was this network called MTV where all they did was play music videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That was when it first started. Then over time they introduced other programming while still being music centric. Nowadays MTV resembles nothing that it once was. The past of MTV though did leave us some lasting memories and great music videos and memorable performances. Some of those performances were quite out of left field at times but, during the moment they were quite intriguing. One such performance that has always stuck in my head was during the promotion of the Adam Sandler movie, Little Nicky. This happened back in the year 2000, Adam Sandler was hosting a special that highlighted his movie and the soundtrack and during this members of Deftones and Incubus (both bands appear on the soundtrack. Incubus has “Pardon Me” on it and Deftones have “Change (In The House Of Flies)” and an acoustic version of “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” on it) joined Adam on the couch for an acoustic version of Deftones’ song “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” from my personal favorite Deftones album, Around The Fur. Side Note, “Be Quiet and Drive” is my all time favorite Deftones song as well. This performance is one of those interesting ones but also memorable. Take a moment and check this out and let me know what you thought of it!
Adam Sandler, Deftones & Incubus- Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away):
Back in 2002, Incubus released a DVD called The Morning View Sessions. This was a concert they did in New York on the day of the release of their Morning View album. At this show, they performed a slew of songs, one of which has always stood out to me. “The Warmth” off their album Make Yourself (which turns 20 this year, and it’s also my favorite song off that album), is that song. This version is quite exquisite and takes the song to a whole other level.
Incubus have released “Nimble Bastard,” the first single from their upcoming album “EIGHT.” While it’s not a return to the roots of SCIENCE or even Make Yourself, it’s a very energetic song that would fit in really well with A Crow Left Of The Murder or Light Grenades. Check it out below.
I’ve been on a huge Incubus kick as of late. They are also preparing to release a new album shortly. Hopefully it’s a return to form. While in my Incubus mode, I came up with my “Ultimate Set List” for them.
As usual here are the rules:
Rule 1: What line up of the band would it be
Rule 2: Where would you want to see the show
Rule 3: maximum 25 songs
Lineup: Brandon Boyd, Mike Einzinger, Jose Pasillas, Alex Katunich (aka Dirk Lance), DJ Kilmore
Venue: Roxy Theater
Set List:
01) Redefine
02) When It Comes
03) Anna Molly
04) Circles
05) Adolescents
06) The Warmth
07) A Crow Left Of The Murder
08) Under My Umbrella
09) A Kiss To Send Us Off
10) Privilege
11) In The Company Of Wolves
12) Sick Sad Little World
13) Nowhere Fast
14) New Skin
15) Pantomime
16) Megalomaniac
17) Make Yourself
18) Dig
19) Pardon Me
Encore:
20) Nice To Know You
21) Glass
22) Vitamin
23) A Certain Shade Of Green
24) Take Me To Your Leader
Fungus Amongus= 1
SCIENCE= 5
Make Yourself= 6
Morning View= 3
A Crow Left Of The Murder= 4
Light Grenades= 3
If Not Now When= 2
2016 was a great year for music. So many great albums were released. I’ve mentioned this before, but I really think that in ten years, 2016 will be looked back on as a great year for music.
So as 2017 is right around the corner, here are my most anticipated albums for the new year.
With Our Arms To The Sun- Orenda
AFI- AFI (The Blood Album)
Black Map- In Droves
Code Orange- Forever
Marilyn Manson- Say10
Mastodon
Wear Your Wounds
Stone Sour
The Black Queen?
Alice In Chains?
Soundgarden
Corrosion Of Conformity
A Perfect Circle?
Tool?
Royal Thunder
Royal Blood
The Cure?
Brand New?
Nothing More
Wild Throne
Incubus
Cold
L.A. Guns with Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns
Will Haven
Less Art
Cult Leader
Killer Be Killed?
He Whose Ox Is Gored
Spirit In The Room
Depeche Mode
Rammstein
Here Lies The Hero
This morning I woke up with the Incubus song “A Certain Shade Of Green” in my head. So I thought I’d go on an Incubus kick. I also wondered what other songs Brandon has guested on over the years. Well the following are those songs he has appeared on.
Strait Up (Tribute to Lynn Strait of Snot)- Divided:
Unwritten Law- 418:
Tommy Lee- Blue:
Deftones, Incubus and Adam Sandler- Be Quiet and Drive:
We continue the alphabet with the letter I. This letter is another one that is pretty diffcult to think of bands/artists that deserve to be on a Top Ten list. Again these are in no particular order. And I’m always looking to add to the list so feel free to leave suggestions!
01) Incubus
02) Isis
03) INXS
04) Iron Maiden
05) Iron Butterfly
06) Immortal
07) Iron & Wine
08) Ice Cube
09) Ice- T
10) Interstelar
The year is 1997 and one of the biggest comic books in the world, Spawn is made into a movie. Sadly, though the movie was wretched, but the saving grace of the entire thing was the soundtrack that accompanied the movie. Following a similar formula that worked for the movie Judgement Night, only this soundtrack paired rock bands with electronic artists as opposed to rap groups.. The likes of Metallica, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Filter, Incubus, and Slayer appeared on the album. This was definitely an experimental record that worked with certain songs, while some others not so much. The tracks by Filter, Incubus, Stabbing Westward, and Marilyn Manson are all standout tracks. Slayer teamed up with the very entertaining Atari Teenage Riot, for a rendition of “No Remorse.” that is absolutely nuts. So go back almost 20 years a have some fun listening to this!