Incubus - Morning View

If this record is any indication of where pop music is going, then I'm happy. It takes a good deal of chutzpah to establish yourself as a hard rock band, but perhaps it takes even more guts to take that reputation to a more mellow and emotional level. Rock is, in its purest form, emotional. Few bands have been able to retain their rock sensibilities while delving further than angst on the emotional coil, and Incubus' "Morning View" teeters just at the border. If you've just recently discovered Incubus via their last album, "Make Yourself," then this album will be another lovely addition to your collection. But, for those of us who latched on around "SCIENCE" and "Enjoy Incubus," then we may have to adapt with a bit more hesitation. The rock of the early Incubus triumvirate is dead. If you're still longing for the earlier, edgier sound, then songs like "Circles", "Under My Umbrella", and "Have You Ever" are your best bets for "Morning View." Mr. Boyd still throws out intellectual "tangerine of multiplicity"-like lyrics on "Circles", where life's "existential carousel" throws us for a loop, but lyrically, the album lacks the outré ingenuity of Incubus' previous efforts. The overall gamut of the album's vibe is no longer as aggressive as before: There's lamenting of human nature (the measured "Mexico"), petulant romantic repose ("Blood on the Ground") to content yet hopeful confusion (the waltzing "11 AM", the suffering "Echo" and "Nice to Know You"). As a whole, Incubus seems more mature and comfortable, their So-Cal aging issues bleeding bleeding through beautifully on their funky "Are You In?" and the acoustic, Zeppelin-broken "Just a Phase." Singer Brandon Boyd even goes as far to ask "What's so wrong with being happy?" on the melodic "Warning", which is destined for adoration among the elders of the TRL tribe. Incubus is still unique: They've become raisin nuts among the soggy pop corn flakes and the crunchy almond clusters. The musicianship of the band has never been more impeccable: The Earthy tempos conjured by drummer Jose Pasillas and DJ Kilmore fizzle and carry the album's undeniable charm. The fanciful and gorgeous "Aqueous Transmission" makes up for the album's prior saccharine earnestness by obtaining an almost Zen closure- It's the only track on the album I've instated on "repeat". This is Incubus' most humanistic and sweet album, and it is irrefutably catchy and calming but, sadly, not very addictive. [www.enjoyincubus.com]