October 26, 1999 - Incubus and Make Yourself

A week after my last release a new band joins my library when Incubus released their third album "Make Yourself" on October 26, 1999. But who is Incubus? They are a five-piece alternative rock band from Calabasas, California consisting of original members Brandon Boyd (vocals, percussion), Mike Einziger (guitars), Dirk Lance (bass) and Jose Pasillas (drums) and new member DJ Kilmore (turntables). Incubus have always had turntables as part of their alternative mix but this album was their big breakthrough, with three singles, one of which was extremely popular. Let's see what Incubus is all about!

The album begins with "Privilege" and Einziger leads the way with a decently heavy and pretty cool guitar riff. Lance plays some solid bass in the background as well and Boyd sounds pretty good singing overtop in a nice alternative rock voice. The chorus is pretty catchy as well and I'm surprised this wasn't a single because it seems to check all the boxes. In the "solo spot" instead we have a turntables break as Kilmore gives us some fast, trippy and solid stuff. They predictably jam out the finish but this was more than adequate opener and these guys seem pretty cool! Up next is "Nowhere Fast" and Einziger plays some distorted and trippy guitar that turns into a pretty solid main riff and Pasillas plays some solid drums as well. Lance uses some crazy effects on the bass that words can't describe very well, but it sounds trippy and cool and Boyd sings nicely overtop again. The chorus is simpler but still solid and this song has a unique vibe to it; it's not an awesome song, but it's definitely interesting. Track 3 is "Consequence" and Einziger plays a coop light guitar riff to lead the way and Kilmore adds some cool turntables to the background. Boyd sings a pretty good verse and there's something about the way he enunciates things that sounds pretty good. The chorus is louder and more hard rock with some solid guitars and some more nice singing by Boyd. After another round there's a short but solid instrumental break before they nicely wrap things up. The next track is "The Warmth" and it has a long and very trippy opening that eventually becomes a quiet but trippy and cool main riff. Einziger plays some light but epic guitar and Boyd sings softly to match the mood. The chorus is a little louder but still pretty chill and trippy. There's an opportunity for a solo or something, but they just jam out the same guitar riff in a bit of a wasted effort and then predictably finish it off. Worst aong so far, but it was still interesting in it's own way. Track 5 is "When It Comes" and it's got a pretty catchy main riff with some cool bass, guitar and catchy turntables. Boyd sings in his usual interesting style  and it all makes for another unique and interesting riff followed by a nice heavy chorus. They don't stray far from the verse and chorus, but they don't need to, things sound pretty good. They do step it up at the end as Einziger plays some cool guitar and Kilmore adds some nice turntables to wrap things up. Up next is the album's second single "Stellar" and Einziger plays some light guitar, Boyd sings in a pop-y but solid voice and Kilmore plays some cool turntables, until they suddenly snap into a nice heavy chorus with some cool loud guitars and a solid chorus by Boyd. Things quiet down for another verse, and after the loud chorus they miss another opportunity for something epic and just lightly jam out the same riff. It's obvious why this one was a single, but it could've been way better. Track 7 is the title track "Make Yourself" and it's got a light and breezy vibe to it with some interesting turntables. Einziger plays some solid louder guitar in the chorus and some more cool stuff in the instrumental break. It's not as much of a headbanger as some of the other songs but it was solid enough. The next track would become a radio staple and massively succesful single and it's called "Drive". It's got a much lighter and pop-y feel to it and doesn't sound like most of the album honestly, but it's driven by some really catchy acoustic guitar and Boyd sings nicely overtop to match the pop-y and catchy mood. He sounds pretty good in the super catchy chorus as well and it's very easy to see why this song got so big because it's very easy going and accessible. Einziger delivers a fairly simple guitar solo but it matches the mood nicely and they predictably jam out this made-for-radio song that is hard not to like! Track 9 is "Clean" and Boyd plays some congas in addition to the drum beat by Pasillas and DJ Kilmore adds some pretty cool turntables. Guitar and bass soon follow and now we've got a pretty cool main riff with lots of interesting stuff going on. Boyd's vocals sound good with his usual interesting spin on things and the chorus is nice and heavy and sounds pretty good as well! They don't stray from the verse and chorus,but things sound plenty interesting the whole way through and I thought this was one of the album's better songs. Up next is "Battlestar Scralatchtica" and it features two guest DJ's who join DJ Kilmore in a song that's basically a turntable battle! Boyd plays some more percussion that is a nice addition to the drum beat and Lance keeps the pace with a pretty cool bass line. Words do absolutely no justice and cannot properly describe the scratching and trippy noises we hear from all the DJ's, you just gotta listen to it, it's pretty crazy! I think it's pretty cool and it's funky and fresh! Turntables aren't usually the lead instrument, but maybe they should be more often if they sound like this! Track 11 is "I Miss You" and it's probably the happiest song on the album with a slow and light main riff and  Boyd singing in a more pop-y voice. He still sounds pretty good and this song isn't bad by any means, it's just not a headbanger. The next track was also a single that was pretty succesful (just not "Drive" succesful) and it's called "Pardon Me". DJ Kilmore adds some cool turntables while they set things up until Einziger comes in with a nice heavy guitar riff that turns out to be the chorus riff. Boyd quickly sings a unique and interesting verse and it leads nicely into the heavy chorus as Boyd sings nicely here as well. Once again they don't stray far from the verse and chorus, but both are solid in their own way so this still makes for a pretty solid song. The final track on the album is "Out From Under" and they go right into another interesting main riff with some solid bass and some more solid vocals by Boyd. Einziger plays some nice heavy guitars in the chorus and I like the first line of the verse "to resist is to piss in the wind, anyone who does will end up smelling". After the next chorus there's a quiet part with some trippy keyboards and it ends with Boyd giving us the album's first and only scream, and he fuckin' kills it with  super long one! Where has that been hiding?! What a fantastic way to wrap things up!

That is the end of "Make Yourself" and I thought it was a pretty good album overall! Incubus are a pretty unique band and they somehow blend heavy guitars, crazy and trippy turntables and Brandon Boyd's solid vocals into a pretty cool style of rock. I look forward to hearing some more from Incubus in the future!