Morning View

Incubus’ 1998 record Make Yourself, was virtually worn beyond recognition due to a profound amount of overplay in my CD machine. Now that its follow up has arrived, I am understandably ecstatic. Y’see, Incubus are a rare find. They manage to incorporate and blend seamlessly trippy flanged guitars with heavy distortions, soft, gentle vibratos with almighty screams, thick, rampant rhythms with light bongo-ish noises and a couple of DJ scratches for good measure.

Morning View, although a little less sparkling than its predecessor, boasts several classic Incubus moments; namely the cracking opener ‘Nice To Know You’ and the sweaty ‘Mexico’ – the latter all picked acoustic guitars and bitter, heady vocals complimented by low, searing strings; the former blasting with power and distortion and melody.

‘Are You In?’ is littered with swirls of digital effects and sound bites, a particularly up beat Brandon Boyd (vocalist) and a great bluesy riff, while ‘Echo’ slides and rises and falls in waves of reverb and husky voices.

Even if a little more radio friendly than Make Yourself, Morning View still vibrates with that glowing Incubus warmth, encompassing the length and breadth of the soundscapes and oozing out over the side infectiously. Impossible to resist.