Read Time:1 Minute, 18 Second
When I first heard “Megalomaniac,” the first
single from Incubus’s long-awaited 2004 album, I was excited to hear the rest. It showed
a departure from the same old Incubus that listeners have grown to know and love over the
years. Sure, I liked the old Incubus, but it’s good to change things up a bit every once
in a while, right? And the new sound made a great first impression.
A Crow Left of the Murder is definitely a new sound for
Incubus—it’s heavier and grittier than older albums. Unfortunately, the new sound just
doesn’t work. I can’t help but look back on 1999’s Make Yourself, a stellar album
full of memorable songs with thoughtful lyrics, and shake my head. In comparison, A
Crow is highly disappointing. The parts fail to come together to make an impressive
whole. The wandering vocals sound like they were originally sung to completely different
music. The instrumentals lack interest. And none of the songs are especially memorable
(except “Megalomaniac” and maybe “Talk Shows on Mute”—the two singles). The result is
rather dull and monotone. It took me very little time to completely lose interest. To
be honest, I’ve heard indie bands get together in their basement and make much
better-sounding albums.
I’m hoping that Incubus will pull themselves
back together for their next album. In the meantime, leave A Crow Left of the
Murder on the shelf, and pick up a copy of Make Yourself—or their 2001
release, Morning
View, instead.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
Happy
0
0 %
Sad
0
0 %
Excited
0
0 %
Sleepy
0
0 %
Angry
0
0 %
Surprise
0
0 %
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
0
0
