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CD reviews

Morning View

Incubus - Morning View Audio CD

A fair review of the Incubus "Morning View" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Incubus reviews here, or go back to the Incubus tabs.

Band: Incubus
Title: Morning View
Rating:

Release Date: 2001-10-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Nice To Know You 2: Circles 3: Wish You Were Here 4: Just A Phase 5: 11am 6: Blood On The Ground 7: Mexico 8: Warning 9: Echo 10: Have You Ever 11: Are You In? 12: Under My Umbrella 13: Aqueous Transmission

A CD with an ocean view..."Morning View"
Some people prefer the more electronic and harsher sounds of "S. Ask any Incubus fan what their favorite album is and, chances are, you won't get a unanimous answer. C. I. E. N. C. E. ". Some people prefer their newer sound on "Light Grenades". However, you will most likely hear a lot of answers to the tune of "Morning View".

Arguably Incubus' best CD to date, 2001's "Morning View", (named after the location of the house they recorded in), was not as loved as it is now when it first arrived on the scene. Even though the band garnered positive reviews and declarations of them "growing up" material-wise, Incubus was still running on the fumes of "Drive" and ended up taking some unfounded and undeserved heat for "selling out". Anyone can agree that they changed their sound dramatically but a sell-out they are not. Guitarist Mike Einziger said it best with this quote: "[It] would've been really easy for us to try to replicate certain songs that did well on our last record, which we didn't do. We didn't do anything even remotely close to that. We put pressure on ourselves to make a good record because if none of us were happy with it, we'll all be miserable for the next two years while we're on tour. " (source: Wikipedia. org)

Listening to "Morning View" is like taking a deep breath of warm, saltwater air while sitting on top of the mountain depicted on the cover, which was the band's intention all along. Sometimes the tide comes in a bit rough, ("Have You Ever", "Blood on the Ground"), and at other times, the water is quite still and calming, ("Aqueous Transmission", "11 AM"). The lyrical content is put together quite nicely and the general tone of the album is a lot more mellow than most of their earlier work. This is no "Make Yourself", that's for sure.

Frontman Brandon Boyd lets his vocals shine while the rest of the band experiments with many different electic instruments, such as the sitar, djembe, didgeridoo, pipa and Japanese pan flute. DJ Kilmore lays down a quilt of helpful beats that are so subtle you barely notice they are there, and Einziger, drummer Jose Pasillas II and bassist Dirk Lance complete the framework for one of Incubus' most solid albums to date.

Below is a brief description of each track with a numerical rating. See if you agree.

Track 1: Nice to Know You--(8)--a nicely hard-hitting track to start the record, Boyd and co. hit the ground running. Boyd sings here about waking up from a numbness he's felt for so long. He feels better today than he has in so long, he can't remember the last time he felt this way.

Track 2: Circles--(6)--an okay song about karma, nothing really stands out about this track. There are definitely some good lyrics here but the musical content is average.

Track 3: Wish You Were Here--(9)--a beautiful song about equally missing someone while being happy and peaceful lounging on the beach with a kick-ass guitar riff. A tender song lyrically with a sucker punch of rock.

Track 4: Just a Phase--(7)--a calm song despite its bitter lyrics, Boyd is expressing his disgust over contemporary music.

Track 5: 11 AM--(8)--another mellow song that is written about a common topic, (wanting to reverse mistakes you made), but written with such lyrical genius that it breathes fresh life into something otherwise cliched.

Track 6: Blood on the Ground--(6)--an angry song about despising someone. Boyd would rather bite his tongue because blood in his mouth beats blood on the ground, i. e. he would rather hate the subject of the song quietly than start a commotion and say things he can't take back.

Track 7: Mexico--(8)--a purely acoustic song, Boyd is giving you one more chance to be there for him or he's high-tailing it out on the first train to Mexico.

Track 8: Warning--(9)--this radio-friendly track warns that you should probably start to appreciate life because it's over before you know it. Do what you can to make yourself happy because if you don't take the time out now to appreciate yourselfm, you'll miss your opportunity. Incubus took a wonderful approach on this song, which could have turned out "emo" and angst-ridden but instead promotes a more positive message.

Track 9: Echo--(9)--a tribute to the object of Boyd's affection, this mellow track is easy to love and sing along with. What to do when your biggest fear is the rescue of you?

Track 10: Have You Ever--(7)--probably the heaviest track on the album, Boyd is stepping lightly so as not to screw up a relationship with someone he values. He wants to be blatantly honest with her but is afraid that will end up costing him in the end.

Track 11: Are You In?--(9)--an upbeat, catchy tune about conformity.

Track 12: Under My Umbrella--(8)--a harder guitar-soaked song about non-conformity and remaining true to one's own opinions, no matter how much peer pressure is exuded. Boyd shuts his eyes to your suggestions and remains true to himself.

Track 13: Aqueous Transmission--(10)--a crowd favorite, this is the most mellow track on the album and was even described by Boyd as the track that he wanted to be so relaxing, the listener would "pee in his/her own pants" from the relief. A beautiful piece over 8 minutes long in which you can easily envision yourself floating down a river on a raft, eyes closed, peaceful waters and oriental instruments playing from somewhere beyond the reeds. The ending of the song even features frogs croaking from outside the house where they recorded the album. An excellent piece to sign off with and an easy cult favorite.
.

Almost excellent
Although it cannot sustain the album experience that was their one previous masterwork, MV offers some of the group's most polished songwriting to date. 3 1/2

Another solid release riding off the success of MY found the band attempting to consciously grow, sometimes to mixed and slightly strained results. .

i never received the product
so i did not get a Morning View cd. after i ordered the cd, i got an email saying that their stock was not updated and they did not have any more.

incubus
I am exploring their sound and continue to find reasons to continue. Incubus is new to me. This cd is intelligent, as well as inspiring. Very very talented band.

Great CD!!!!!
Incubus is the best band ever, I love these guys, they are amazingly talented musicians! Brandon's voice is strong and sweet at the same time. This CD is excellent! My favorite records are "Circles", "Just a phase" and "Aqueous Transmission". He's the best singer ever! I could listen to him every single second of my day and never get tired. Love him!.

You can see a complete list of all Incubus discography, or go back to the Incubus tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.