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Incubus – A Crow Left Of The Murder…

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Feb 1, 2024.

  1. Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    I can vividly remember my excitement for the fifth studio album by Incubus called A Crow Left of the Murder… since the band was on a legendary run of successful records. The started to break through in the nu-metal scene with S.C.I.E.N.C.E., established themselves as Alt Rock heavyweights on Make Yourself, and showcased their experimental side on Morning View. Even after the departure of longtime bassist Dirk Lance, in favor of Ben Kenney (The Roots), it seemed like nothing could derail the trajectory of one of my favorite bands of all time. A Crow Left of the Murder… found Incubus working with veteran producer Brendan O’Brien, whose credits include some of the biggest rock bands of all time, and their trust in his style paid off on this record that still sounds as refreshing and exciting as I remember from 20 years ago listening to it in full for the first time.

    While some critics thought that Incubus were getting ultra-experimental, for the sake of being adventurous, after the success of their earlier albums, guitarist Mike Einziger clarified in a 2004 interview that, “we’ve never felt we didn’t have that freedom. We’ve always done what we wanted. It’s kind of self-serving, but that’s how we do it. We try not to pay attention to anything but each other.” By putting that trust back into their musical product, Incubus delivered the goods on what I consider to be some of the best work to date.

    The albums blasts off with a growling guitar riff on the lead single, “Megalomaniac,” that targets power-crazed individuals and their affinity for destructive behavior. Hmm, sounds familiar…Lead vocalist Brandon Boyd is as captivating as he’s ever been on the anthemic chorus of, “Hey, megalomaniac / You’re no Jesus, yeah, you’re no fucking Elvis / Wash your hands clean of yourself, baby / And step down, step down, step down,” as he makes his and his bandmates intentions clear that they weren’t happy with the status quo of the world. For as strong as a lead single the song is, I found it a tad surprising that their label would only release one additional official single from the LP that is loaded with great material.

    The title track follows with a frenetic pace to the instruments, while Boyd goes between soft to loud in his vocal approach to accentuate each lyric based on its purpose. The first verse of, “Unlearn me / Ditch what I read behind what I heard / Look, find, free / Yet? Do you get it yet? Do you get it?” finds the vocalist pondering what needs to be done to get the world to change for the better. “Agoraphobia” showcases their new bassist (Kenney) prominently with a pulsating bass line throughout the verses before gradually building to the chorus of, “I wanna stay inside / I wanna stay inside for good / I wanna stay inside / For good, for good, for good, for good,” that still merits its weight in gold today having lived through a pandemic. What Incubus does well on songs like this is to never rush their hook. They slow-build to their memorable moments and make sure they hit all of their intended targets, much like a painter putting the finishing touches on their canvas.

    The only other single to be released from the LP, “Talk Shows on Mute,” is a stunning ballad about the effects that television can have on us all. The refrain of, “Come one, come all / To 1984,” is in reference to the legendary book by George Orwell, which makes us all think about how far we still need to go as a society to avoid repeating unfortunate historical events. Boyd delivers another memorable vocal performance on this single that still stands the test of time in more ways than one.

    ”Beware! Criminal” and especially “Six Sad Little World” find Incubus leaning into some prog-rock elements, while still remaining recognizable in their Alt-rock roots by featuring uplifting choruses. On the latter, Boyd’s admission that “The world is a drought when out of love,” is as beautiful as it is tragic, and yet it still rings true today. The abrasive, speedy rock of “Pistola” marked a harder-nosed side of the band not often shown on their last two records, while the gorgeous “Southern Girl” is filled with so many heart-wrenching lyrical moments that make you take notice. My favorite lyric comes from the second verse of, “So come outside and walk with me / We’ll try each other on to see if we fit / And with our roots, become a tree / To shade what we make under it.”

    The later stages of the LP never lose focus, with more hard-nosed guitar wails found on “Priceless,” and the investigation of the afterlife’s influence on us in “Zee Deveel” that finds Boyd experimenting with his vocal cadence in the verses. “Made For TV Movie” finds the band observing their world crumbling around them on the chorus of, “Hello, I’m trying to focus / But my eyes deceive me / Focus, I’m witnessing / History repeating,” that brings the listener back to the message of “Talk Shows on Mute” brilliantly.

    Other late standouts like the guitar groove bliss on “Smile Lines” and a somber take on the Beach Boys’ concept on “In My Room” finds its footing on “Here In My Room” as Boyd admits over a piano-laced ballad, “If the world would fall apart in a fiction worthy wind / I wouldn’t change a thing now that you’re here.” It’s a stunning admission on the fragility of the world around us, and to treasure the relationships we make along the way. “Leech” is a great summation of all the parts found on A Crow Left of the Murder… so it makes for a wise choice in the sequencing to have it be the last taste found on the record. Incubus could have gone in a myriad of directions given the success of Make Yourself and Morning View, yet they made another cohesive LP here that due to its lyrical weight, still rings very true today conceptually.

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  2. Elder Lightning

    With metal in my bones and punk in my heart Supporter

    Nice write up! This is still my favorite Incubus album even if it's been some time since I've given it a listen. Going to have to put it on today.
     
  3. carlosonthedrums

    Cooler than a polar bear's toenails Prestigious

    Brandon has always been one of my favorite vocalists and lyricists, and he was on fire during this era. He was one of the few dudes from the '90s California scene who was smart enough to properly care for his voice, and it paid off every time I saw them live or listened to their work in subsequent years. Not to mention they're all some of the kindest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting in the industry. Was a real treat reading this.
     
  4. Elder Lightning

    With metal in my bones and punk in my heart Supporter

    As much as I love Brandon's voice, one of my favorite things about this record, especially after Morning View, was that he actually shut up every now and again and let the music speak for itself. On MV it seemed like every second he was singing, humming, crooning, breathing, doing something where his voice needed to be heard, and on these songs they let the rest of the band "speak" and it really paid off for me.
     
  5. Phil507

    Resident NYC snob Supporter

    Fun fact: Brand New was offered the opening slot for their arena tour on this album, turned it down. The Vines were then set to open but their singer had a meltdown so it ended up being Sparta.
     
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  6. mattylikesfilms

    Trusted

    Woah
     
  7. mattylikesfilms

    Trusted

    This is their Magnum Opus as far as I’m concerned. My favorite record for sure.
     
  8. MarkM

    Duuuude

    Todays a good day to jam some incubus. Nice write up
     
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  9. paythetab

    Chorus.FM Album Reviewer (Adam Grundy) Supporter

    Thanks for all the kind words, everyone! I appreciate all of you for taking the time to read/comment on this.
     
    reachingfor and mattylikesfilms like this.
  10. bobby_runs

    where would i be if i was my brain Prestigious

    Was this inspired by this popping up on my weekly 3x3 earlier this month?
     
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  11. paythetab

    Chorus.FM Album Reviewer (Adam Grundy) Supporter

    Haha I wish I could credit you, but I've had this one on my schedule for a bit :-)
     
  12. Nice review! Definitely my favorite of theirs. Every time I listen to the album, I'm in awe of how organic it sounds.
     
    paythetab likes this.
  13. kyleadams

    formerly thisisalchemy Prestigious

    This album has a few key tracks on it but for some reason nothing after Morning View clicked for me. I'll give it another listen today and see how I feel now! Great writeup.

    One thing I have always appreciated about them though is how live their mixes sound. Lost art in modern mixes.
     
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  14. AlwaysEvolving21

    Trusted Supporter

    This album is so good. The guitar work is phenomenal.
     
    MarkM, mattylikesfilms and paythetab like this.
  15. Serenity Now

    deliver us from e-mail Supporter

    Talk Shows on Mute & Sick Sad Little World are classics. I have those tracks on so many playlists that they’re never too far from me.
     
    paythetab likes this.
  16. burningstariv

    Chasing that 2007 Warped Tour feeling Supporter

    One of those albums that takes you to a different time/place. Great write up! Going to throw this on today.
     
    paythetab likes this.
  17. zeketheplmbr

    Give me strength Supporter

    This inspired me to run through their discography. I totally remember enjoying this album, but haven’t returned to it in years.
     
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  18. Ryan

    Might be Spider-Man...

    Unreal album from start to finish. They're my favorite band ever, and as someone who was inspired to play bass because of Dirk Lance, I continued to play bass because of Ben Kinney. Unreal album. Im still in favor of Incubus doing a heavy record again because they were, and are, on another level from those bands that tried to do what they did when they go heavy.
     
  19. SAB22

    adulting22.bandcamp.com Prestigious

    absolutely listened to this to death when it came out. my favorite of theirs for sure and like a lot of others said- a masterpiece.
     
  20. mattylikesfilms

    Trusted



    They made this beautifully creative record in just 4 weeks. That’s absolutely wild to me.