The American rock band, Incubus, released their latest album, 8, this past Friday. 8 contains 11 new and edgy songs that throw listeners back to the band’s melodramatic, angsty hits from the ’90s and early 2000s.
The album, appropriately named for it’s eighth place on the band’s long list of full length albums, more or less reflects the band’s attempts to revive their glory days circa 2001.
Right off the bat, the band delves into the intense, brooding feel of the album with the song, “No Fun.” The introduction of the song sports loud and epic guitars that strum continuously, deeply engaging the listener. The lead vocalist, Brandon Boyd, also adds another level of charisma to the song, with his yell-like tone.
Boyd’s voice is a key component of the album, tying all of the material together. Even though his voice reflects the rather whiny, urgent tone that a lot of early-2000s rock band singers possess, I actually find it to be a lesser of the evils of that era. It really works with the overall tone of the album.
On top of the vocals, I really appreciate the band’s effort to stick to self-played instruments. The album has minimal synthetic instruments and filler sounds, making the music more authentic.
The most notable instrument throughout the album is the guitar. The level of mastery is evident, especially during an utterly epic solo within the song, “Nimble Bastard.” The solo is exactly what a listener expects when imagining spectacular guitar action: glorious screeching and thundering and mind-numbing riffs.
When it comes to structure, all of the songs’ sections, such as the introductions, transitions, choruses and bridges, are very easy to pick out. Although most of the songs in 8 have very similar layouts, the band does a good job preventing redundancy by adding diverse elements to each piece. The concreteness of the songs actually help add to how catchy the album is as a whole.
The band also avoids repetitiveness by having a diverse array of angst within each song. Some songs are angsty in a furious, intense way. In the ominous song “Love in a Time of Surveillance,” the band incorporates deep, dark instrumentals and growling vocals.
On the flip side, the song, “State of Art,” represents more emotional, heartfelt angst. A soft keyboard melody introduces the more romantic and laid-back tone of the song. Even though the song lacks some of the more head-jerking drum beats of other tracks, the band still incorporates some of the rougher instrumental elements, such as a gravelly guitar, to keep the song relevant to the album.
The song, “When I Become a Man” counters a lot of the themes within the album. The song starts off with a rather Latino-like rhythm. Staccato strings and bongo drums resonate throughout its duration. Boyd goofily sings over the beat about a rather cringe-worthy subject. The song is about the singer as a boy and his rather peculiar interactions with a woman, which include learning how take a shower. The song lasts for less than a minute and ends with a really creepy laugh.
Just a few songs after “When I Became A Man,” the song, “Throw Out the Map,” concludes the album. This is one of the most complex tracks on the LP. It starts off with an eerie dialogue between a man and a woman. They are lost in what seems to be the woods or a remote area. In the background, listeners can pick out crunching footsteps on gravel or leaves and gloomy, horror-movie-like filler sounds.
The song then diverges into a frantic conglomeration of heavy, beating drums (which resemble a fast-paced heart beat) and Boyd’s frantic lyrics. Guitars chime in to add intensity to certain lyrics that reflect his state of panic, such as when he asks, “Where do we go from here?”
I find it interesting to look back at some of Incubus’ former albums and make note of the ongoing progression their music has made since their first album, Fungus Amongus, was produced in 1995. Despite having toned down their music over the past few decades, a lot of elements of their original work can be easily picked out in their new material. A screeching guitar, a defined structure and Boyd’s voice are all elements that have remained constant through the duration of the band’s career.
Despite their age and time spent making music, it is easy to expect a band like Incubus to be past their prime.
8 confidently bucks that notion.
If I were a listener tuning into 8 that has never heard of Incubus or their past material, I would definitely not expect them to be a group of middle-aged rockers trying to stay afloat in the ever-changing music world.
I give this album a 8 out of 10. It is dynamic and fun, but in some parts it is a little bit too obvious the band is trying to be more hip than they actually are.
Stick to your generation Incubus, growing old has plus sides too.
Contact CU Independent Art’s writer Samantha Danshes at Samantha.Danshes@colorado.edu.
