I’m still on an Incubus kick. And while on this kick I looked into the band a lot to see what I missed over the years of not being a fan of theirs. During my research I stumbled upon this cover they did of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.” It’s nothing special, but it is a solid rendition. So here you go!
Incubus- Black Hole Sun:
Since I just saw Incubus, I’ve been on a huge kick of listening to all their albums and it got me thinking I should do an album rank of their releases. So here you go in order of not their best to best.
Trust Fall Side A:
Morning View:
Light Grenades:
If Not Now, When:
Science:
A Crow Left Of The Murder:
Make Yourself:
There are certain bands that hold a special place for me. One of those bands is Deftones. Whenever they come to town I run to see them. Over the years I’ve seen them now 13 times. There was something rather special about this evening. Being that it was the first time in 15 years that Deftones and Incubus had shared a bill together. I remember seeing Deftones and Incubus years ago at the Universal Amphitheater, when White Pony and Make Yourself were released. What a night that was, and what a night this was.
To start the night off was a local Los Angeles band called The Eeries. These guys just weren’t good at all. They seemed like nice enough guys but their music was beyond juvenile and dated. Their 15 minute set was the longest 15 minutes of my entire week.
Death From Above 1979 was the main support for the tour and they did not disappoint at all. Their blistering high energy set was remarkable. I’ve been wanting to see that for years, and am so glad they got back together. The duo wasted no time in getting the energy of the night to where it needed to be as the sun was starting to set. Irvine Meadows might not have been the most ideal place to see them, but they rocked the hell out of the place.
Deftones were then set to take the stage and boy did they. From the opening chords of “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” all the way till “Engine No. 9,” there was no mistaking that Deftones would be a hard act to follow. From their stage presence and visuals , it’s no mistaking that they came to kill it. Chino was spot on throughout the entire set, even being playful with the audience and the other guys in the band. Watching them you can tell they were really having fun up on stage, especially Abe Cunningham and Sergio Vega. Their setlist was a great blend of hits and deep cuts from all their albums with the exception of Saturday Night Wrist. They did put “When Girls Telephone Boys” in the set and all the guys really dug in on that song. The crowd was a little separate in who was there to see who, and you can definitely tell the Deftones fans from the Incubus fans. My voice was pretty horse after their set but it was well worth it, especially since they kicked off their set with my all time favorite “Be Quiet and Drive.”
Incubus headlined the evening. They sounded great and looked totally at ease. Despite their new EP being so so, they pulled out a lot of gems in their setlist. Their set kicked off with a jam of the Hans Zimmer song S.T.A.Y. from Interstellar and transitioned perfectly into “Nice To Know You.” Other gems from the set included “Sick Sad Little World (one of my top two Incubus songs of all time), “Vitamin,” “Dig,” and “A Crow Left Of The Murder.” The bands use of visualizers and cameras made for a fun night that was sort of hypnotic. I must say that it was a pleasure to see Incubus again. Brandon Boyd still has a great voice and Jose Pasillas is one hell of a drummer. I have to say though that I miss having Drik Lance aka Alex Katunich up on stage, he really had a vibe that fit the music.
All in all it was a great show, not to mention that I was with my wife and she really enjoyed it. Deftones though stole the night. They were such a hard act to follow. Had Incubus played some older stuff from Make Yourself and SCIENCE, they might have been able to steal it, but that’s not to say they didn’t put on a great show.
Deftones Setlist:
Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
My Own Summer (Shove It)
Diamond Eyes
Rocket Skates
You’ve Seen The Butcher
Sextape
Feiticeria
Digital Bath
Knife Party
When Girls Telephone Boys
Tempest
Swerve City
Passenger
Change (In The House Of The Flies)
Headup
Engine No. 9
Incubus Setlist:
S.T.A.Y (Hans Zimmer song from Interstellar)
Nice To Know You
Anna Molly
Circles
Absolution Calling
Are You In?
Sick Sad Little World
Vitamin
Trust Fall
In The Company Of Wolves
Wish You Were Here
I Miss You
Love Hurts
Pardon Me
Megalomanic
Dig
Drive
A Crow Left Of The Murder
By: Brian Lacy
Photos by: Alisa Lacy
When a band is 7 albums into their career, there comes certain expectations for said bands new albums. Sometimes some of the albums released don’t quite hit the right mark, while others go on to leave a lasting impression and inspire others. In the case of Incubus, their career has had quite a few twists and turns. They have managed to put out two really solid albums, 1999’s Make Yourself and 2004’s A Crow Left Of The Murder, while the rest of their catalog is hit or miss, though they have some songs that are really good from those other albums. Incubus’s latest offering Trust Fall (Side A) is 4 songs and 20 minutes of hit and miss. The first song Trust Fall, could almost fit on A Crow Left Of The Murder musically. The vocal melody from Brandon Boyd is very strong and convincing. The rest of the band is really together on that track. In fact after hearing that song you think this could be a really good sign of things to come. Then “Make Out Party” happens. The verse’s have a very obnoxious vocal melody that is cringe-worthy. The chorus is very formulaic, and just doesn’t do anything special for the song. The first single and third track “Absolution Calling,” is catchy as can be for the band. It’s got a groove to the beat and bass line that follows a very catchy melody. At first listen to this song, you wonder what happened to the Incubus of old, but it does grow on you quite fast. Sadly the EP ends with “Dance Like You’re Dumb” a song that is just awful. This songs makes it seem like Mike Eizinger has spent too much time hanging out and working with electronic artists.
So of the four songs, only two of them are worthy, leaving this “Trust Fall” pretty much a Trust Fail (pun totally intended). For the most part I’ve always enjoyed Incubus. Even on this albums that were misses over the years, I’ve found songs that I can listen to. I don’t know what they were thinking with this one. This EP was also self produced, so the lack of having a producer around seems like that made all the difference. Had they gone back to work with Brendan O’Brien (Who has done all their albums since A Crow Left Of The Murder), this newest release could have ended up differently.
Scale of 1-10: 5
Trust Fall:
Make Out Party:
Absolution Calling:
Dance Like You’re Dumb:
By: Brian Lacy
In Decemeber 1998 the singer for the band Snot was killed in a car accident. The band had been riding high after releasing their debut album Get Some in 1997. the band disbanded not too long after Strait’s death. Before his death though, the band had begun work on their follow up album, but Lynn had yet to record vocals for the album. So in 2000, it was decided that the album’s vocal tracks would be completed by friends of Strait as a tribute. The end result being “Strait Up.” Released on November 7, 2000, the album featured appearances by the lead vocalists Serj Tankian of System Of A Down, Jonathan Davis of Korn, Max Cavalera of Soulfly, Brandon Boyd of Incubus, Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber, Lajon Witherspoon, Clint Lowery and Morgan Rose of Sevendust amongst a few others. The album does feature one complete song entitled “Absent” with Lynn Strait’s vocals. When the album was released it was met with high praise from critics and assorted music magazines. A little known tidbit is that song that was sung by Serj on the tribute album actually had lyrics by Lynn, and if you’ve heard the live Snot album alive you’ll be able to hear that version.
The tribute album was very fitting and a really nice send off by all those involved to their fallen friend and brother. If you’ve never heard the album you really should!
Strait Up:
By: Brian Lacy
The late 90’s and early 2000’s brought out many albums that have now become greatly underrated. One such album is Incubus’s Make Yourself. As the follow up to their very funk/metal almost Faith No More/Mr. Bungleesque album SCIENCE, Make Yourself took the band to new heights. Make Yourself added a more melodic groove approach to the songwriting. I personally remember when the album came out when I was a sophomore in high school. At first I was taken aback by their more accessible approach but I really grew to love the album with the exception of the song “Drive.” When “Pardon Me” was released as a single first, I remember going home and learned how to play it on my guitar. There are so many great songs on the album especially “The Warmth.” Even the videos that were released for the singles were captivating. The musicianship on this album is greatly underrated as well. Vocally Brandon Boyd really stepped up his game to a whole new level. Mike Einzinger seemed to have channeled a lot of influences top create a very unique guitar tone. Dirk Lance (Alex Katunich) at this time became the best bass player in mainstream music for his creativity and tones. Jose Pasillas’ drum performance still had his energy but also added a more solid in the pocket sense of playing to his repertoire. All in all Make Yourself, as a whole, is a true mainstream rock album. It has great singles, it branches off into new territory, but it also gave new life into a new journey for an extremely underrated talented band.
Make Yourself:
By: Brian Lacy
This weeks top 10 songs to enjoy
1. Abloom- After That Quiet (from Abloom Demos)
2. Chevelle- An Island (from La Gargola)
3. Failure- Daylight (from Fantastic Planet)
4. Mastodon- Ember City (from Once More Round The Sun)
5. Black Map- I’m Just The Driver (from Driver EP)
6. Placebo- Meds (from Meds)
7. Wovenwar- All Rise (from Wovenwar)
8. Godsmack- Something Different (from 1000 hp)
9. Incubus- The Warmth (from Make Yourself)
10. Down- Nothing In Return (from Down III: Over The Under)
By: Brian Lacy
AUDIOECLECTICA 