- Artists:
- Incubus »
- Label:
- Sony »
It’s been five years since their last full-length and, in that time, members of California alt-rockers Incubus have studied music composition at Harvard University, released solo material and produced offspring. With this expanding of horizons, some sort of reinvention was expected, and perhaps needed, especially after 2006’s somewhat tired Light Grenades. However, for anyone still holding on for S.C.I.E.N.C.E. part two, If Not Now, When? may well mark the point of no return: this is not Incubus as we know it.
If Not Now, When? is, at its core, a pop record. Gone are the distortion-swathed riffs, turntables and quirky, if occasionally unsuccessful, metaphors that typified the band’s previous output and in come copious amounts of keyboard and sentimentalities. While Incubus have never been a band to stand still, this is perhaps the most abrupt dismissal of their past, despite a continual change in sound from one record to the next. Indeed, the album’s titular opening track forms a statement of intent with a verse that is, rather worryingly, not dissimilar to Band Aid’s pioneering work in the Eighties. Likewise, production owes a lot to the much-maligned decade, with big drums and Police-inspired staccato guitars.
However, a grand presentation cannot hide the fact that If Not Now, When? is lacking in, well, interest. By all means, Mike Einziger’s studies at Harvard University have left an imprint on the variety of song structures and chord progressions on offer but this doesn’t mean much when many of the tracks are so easily forgettable. Branching out and trying new things should, in theory, be commended but, on occasions, it all starts to veer dangerously close to the already-dated 'power-pop' stylings of The Script or, god forbid, The Fray.
A number of complaints can be levelled directly at frontman Brandon Boyd, whose California surfer shtick has, in the past, been tolerable in amongst the band’s louder moments as it tended towards a serviceable Mike Patton impersonation. However, when crooning lines like “baby can I be the rabbit in your hat / I’d swing if you’d hand me, hand me the bat” over middle-of-the-road, up-tempo piano dirges like ‘Promises, Promises’, it all becomes slightly hard to swallow. Similarly, ‘The Original’, despite showcasing one of the album’s 'heaviest' (at least comparatively) moments, features a top 40-worthy chorus of “your mind it is original / girl you’re the original”. Hmm.
Considering the above paragraphs, some of the more impatient among you may be wondering why there’s a big blue '6' at the end of this review. In fact, that score is largely due to If Not Now, When? containing four of Incubus’ finest recordings to date, all of which are, rather unwisely, positioned at the album’s end; it’s as if the band want to reward listeners for making it through the tedium of the opening seven tracks.
‘In The Company of Wolves’ is the first in this quartet, displaying traces of Pink Floyd in amongst laid-back chordal movements, before its latter half sees a dramatic shift to smooth bass grooves with soaring guitar and string melodies. On a more familiar note, both ‘Adolescents’ and ‘Switchblade’ are reminiscent of earlier work but are benefited, rather than hindered, by new songwriting approaches, while ‘Tomorrow’s Food’ provides a ballad of some emotional weight, as Einziger’s fragile guitar picking is augmented by elegant string crescendos.
As a temporary deviation from Incubus’s core sound, If Not Now, When? is satisfactory. However, should this be a direction that the band intends to pursue further, they may want to consider including a few more of their uniquely identifiable traits, as this record runs dangerously close to personality-less for the most part. While its closing moments provide some of the best of the band’s career, four impressive tracks out of 11 does not a good album make; for anyone looking for a return to form akin to the band’s early-mid 2000 output, it looks like the album’s titular question will continue to be pondered for some time yet.
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Incubus
Lol
Incubus
Honestly had no idea they were still going.
I'm gonna go and play megalomaniac over and over like when I was 14 now.
DiS's reviews of albums like this remind me of what Pitchfork is doing lately.
That is to say, making attempts at becoming less "pretentious" by reviewing mainstream pop albums, like Rihanna's Loud, and giving them comparable scores to significantly better records.
Incubus
Lol
for anyone still holding on for S.C.I.E.N.C.E. part two....
for anyone still holding on for S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (1997) part two: why? obviously, incubus have long since departed from that sound, a hit-and-miss refinement of their sound in Fungus.
that doesn't make the band, or particularly this album "at its core ... pop." yes, they've turned down the distortion. however, the song structures are more complex and less predictably strophic (look it up, you can use it in your next review). there is a greater diversity of live instrument selection. there are shades of the 90s (i don't really hear the 80s, but whatever) and of diverse influences. for example, the first half of In the Company of Wolves evokes RHCP (background harmonies in particular), while the second half evokes Massive Attack (see: live Incubus cover of Tear Drop for the connection). All of this plus the variety within the record, for example in the reviewer's hallowed "last four tracks," makes it hard to situate in genre terms. yet, the record can hardly be hard to place, frankly a bit all over the place, and "pop" at the same time.
if anything, SCIENCE is the band's most pop record to date--most clearly situated in the Nu Metal genre.
this may not be incubus's best record. switchblade is, i think, one of the best tracks even though it sounds like a token effort to add some fire in the belly -- and incubus could do with more fire in future. however, to hope for SCIENCE deux, or to curse this record for being "pop" is wrong.
Pop
At no point was this album victimised for being a pop record and, despite the change in song structures, Brandon Boyd consistently spews forth pop melodies and pop sensibilities over almost insultingly inoffensive guitar/piano meanderings. Unfortunately, it's not a particularly good pop record as there is little in the way of dynamics for much of the album. However, those last 4 tracks, as a separate EP, would have made for a pretty solid pop release.
In terms of those waiting for S.C.I.E.N.C.E. part two, I was simply trying to highlight the divisive nature of this album and the band as a whole. Personally, my favourite Incubus record is A Crow Left of the Murder but this latest effort simply cannot compare in any shape or form.
As for the 80s influences, I thought they were quite clear: the synth in "If Not Now, When?", echoes of Andy Summers in "Friends and Lovers", chorused bass tone in "The Original" and Prince-inspired bassline in "Switchblade". Mike Einziger has even said that "Isadore" was inspired by Phil Collins. Couple that with the fact that the band are huge Police fans and the 80s sound doesn't really come as much of a surprise. Incidentally, I would regard much of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' recent output as mediocre pop-rock so I understand the comparison there, although "In the Company of Wolves" is one of the album's better tracks.
Finally, I am quite familiar with the word "strophic". A level music, grade 5 theory and a distinction at grade 7 classical guitar familiarised me with the concept but, I admit, I hadn't thought to include it in a review before. Perhaps I will in the future. Thanks!
Re. Pop
"At no point was this album victimised for being a pop record ... Brandon Boyd consistently spews forth pop melodies." do you "spew forth" other genres? does "spew forth" sound like neutral language?
i don't think there's anything wrong, necessarily, with using "pop" as pejorative, although i find it curious that you' deny that's what you're doing. my point was that this record isn't pop at all. 80s, 90s influences -- as i said above: whatever. it draws from all over the place. it's not a pop record, unless "pop" means "popular at any time among any group of people." in which case i guess everything is a pop record.
"In terms of those waiting for S.C.I.E.N.C.E. part two, I was simply trying to highlight the divisive nature of this album and the band as a whole" -- doesn't make sense either. this record is only "divisive" if you were hanging on to the improbable idea that incubus would return to sounding like they did in 1997. if it creates any kind of divide, it is between those with unrealistic expectations and those without.
Re: Pop
Perhaps "spew forth" wasn't entirely neutral, but that was more related to the lyrical misnomers Boyd is somewhat prone to making. This album does not sound like Incubus and anyone expecting any rock elements or fragments of their past will be sorely disappointed; as a band, they've changed from album to album but this one does away with the majority of the elements that made them interesting. Sure, it "draws from all over the place" but that doesn't make it a good album and, ultimately, it sounds like a mediocre, by-the-numbers pop record (mediocre being the negative term here); whether the structures have changed or not, it's lacking that rock energy which made Incubus who they were. My initial comparisons were to The Script and The Fray, while other reviews have likened it to Coldplay and U2, which accurately encompass the album's indistinct sound.
I think it is quite reasonable to have expected some dynamic contrast within the songs on this album, whether distorted or not. Every album so far has felt like a logical progression but If Not Now, When? sounds like a different, far less competent, band.
Ultimately, if you sign up to a site simply to comment on one review I can only draw the conclusion that you will defend this album to the death. I have made my points, you have made yours and thus the overruling feeling about If Not Now, When? has been made apparent: it is divisive, best indicated by the Metacritic ratings available at http://www.metacritic.com/music/if-not-now-when.
not defending anything to the death. i said in my first comment: "this may not be incubus's best record. switchblade is, i think, one of the best tracks even though it sounds like a token effort to add some fire in the belly -- and incubus could do with more fire in future." so it seems like we agree on that.
metacritic doesn't show much. besides the fact that it reflects only 10 reviews, sure, INNW is divisive inasmuch as some people like it a lot, some people don't like it at all. but that doesn't make it divisive *for not being anything like SCIENCE.* obviously it is nothing like SCIENCE; it also nothing like Mozart. anyone who bought this record expecting to hear harpsichord and french horn would only be less deluded by a matter of degree than someone who expected a record like SCIENCE.
it was nice of you to investigate when i signed up. in fact, i've thought a lot about this album, and therefore searched for thoughtful or though-provoking reviews. i signed up because i found and read your review, and thought its premise didn't fully make sense (although you made some good points). i still think it doesn't really make sense and that you haven't explained it. your final comment is a more considered commentary than the original article--to that extent i'm grateful for the discussion.
@Mind_riot89 and @vladdy
both making good points here, but i disagree that this doesn't feel like Incubus - this IS incubus, and you can feel the dynamic shifting from SCIENCE all the way to this record - look at Anti Gravity Love Song, The Warmth, Are You In?, TV Shows on Mute, Dig, and then Friends and Lovers - this is the same band. But the balance has shifted from the fast paced rock majority to the slow melancoly. Think about the balance on Light Grneades - Anna Molly and A Kiss... are pretty hard, but the rest doesn't really pick up.
Discussing whether or not the review is correct is fair, I guess, but misses the point; anyone expecting this should be well prepared for the way it came out. And, after listening to it a lot, I like the feel of it. It feels cohesive and makes sense. It is by no means the best album they've made, but generally pretty nice. I like it. Adds to the backcatalogue some depth and proof that they are moving on.
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