Incubus is an interesting band to me, in that I'm never sure exactly how to define their place in the mainstream rock world. They're '90s rock radio survivors, but they came to prominence late in the decade, a bit later than other mainstays like the Foo Fighters and Weezer (but earlier than '00s franchises like Nickelback and Linkin Park). They came up associated with the nu-metal scene, but skew more alternative than active rock like KoRn or The Disturbed. They're known for their pretty boy lead singer and tuneful power ballads, but they work against that image only in subtle ways, loading up their last few albums with stylistic left turns without straight up trying to alienate their mainstream fanbase with a Radiohead or even Pearl Jam-style career path. The best analogy I can figure is that they've got kind of a Red Hot Chili Peppers arc going on, goofy diverse funksters who gradually mature into an idea of sophisticated experimentation that itself feels a little bit goofy.

The latest Incubus album If Not Now, When? is similarly hard to exactly put my finger on. It's a very quiet, restrained record, without playing to their commercial strengths with any gentle hooks reminiscent of "Drive" or "Love Hurts." The lead single "Adolescents" felt somewhat offbeat and difficult to process when it debuted on the radio a few months ago, but it's actually the second most uptempo song on the record (after the great but also not exactly blistering "Switchblade"). And it actually sounds kind of towering and huge when it finally arrives in the last ten minutes of the album, which I didn't really expect.

And yet If Not Now, When? isn't really a weird or inaccessible album. If anything the songs are very stripped down and simplified with a lot of thought put into the arrangements and production. This is kind of sacrilegious because I love that album, but it kind of reminds me of Maxwell's BLACKsummers'night, in terms of being this very textured, patient record with a smooth, pretty male voice, a very warm, moody record. There's also kind of an R&B vibe in the way Brandon Boyd is the only singer in alternative rock who routinely addresses the listener as "girl." Only "Isadore" and a couple other songs live up to the greatness of "Adolescents," but overall it's a pretty enjoyable listen.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 15, 2011 at 9:59 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.