Music Review - Incubus

It's been 5 years since we've heard from that California 5-some once known for their rapid fire lyrics full of meaning and their mixture of the hard and soft sounds that once stood out in the alt/rock spectrum. I was able to get an advanced copy of their latest album, If Not Now, When? (due for release July, 2011), and I can say I was surprised. Sadly, however, not all surprises are good ones.

If you were expecting a return to albums like S.C.I.E.N.C.E or even A Crow Left of the Murder, you, like me, would be disappointed. You see, it seems the bad boys of Incubus have grown up. And while they still like the lyrics sound deep, Boyd comes off as a caricature of his former self, only conjuring images of words he's said before. But this time slower, more melodically.

The 13 tracks all more or less meander down the same path without stretching or going anywhere. It seems that as time has passed, Incubus has lost it's passion, the desire to rock it out and put together some powerfully anthemic words and music. None of the songs reaches out and grabs you. Sadly, this album is a let done.

Perhaps they are going for a jazzier more adult feel, but personally, I think they've just lost their edge.

Where to get it:

• You can pre-order the album from the Incubus website which also allows you to preview the released track "Adolescents"

RIYL: Far's latest album At Night We Live, Owen

EDIT: Thanks for special grammatical help from renegadex415x of Reddit Land