The Loop : Incubus - Morning View

Incubus - Morning View (2001)

While it broke my heart to disqualify Make Yourself since it came out in 1999, I have no problem gushing a bit about the follow-up to that record, Morning View.

Incubus is one of those rare rock cases where they exist on two ends of the spectrum. They developed fairly organically, hitting the road and, according to my brother, passing out mixtapes before releasing two very experimental albums, Fungus Amongus and S.C.I.E.N.C.E.. Fast forward to 2009 and they are selling through large arenas and amphitheaters, with the audience ranging from hippies to bros, old fans and new fans who are still discovering them. Over the years I've been impressed to find so many of my hipster friends have no qualms about admitting that they grew up on these records and earmark them in the same way I did.

Make Yourself drew me in in middle school, primarily through hearing "Stellar" on the alternative radio station. My brother and I venutred through their older records and I felt similar tones in the writing and the music. However, Morning View took a different turn. Some might take the easy way out and say the band formed a more mainstream sound after mainstream success, but when I listen to this record, I just feel like they simply felt peaceful. A big selling point of the record was that the band recorded it on the beach and to this day I still see the west coast when I listen.

The band's experimental tones in S.C.I.E.N.C.E. sometimes came off as harsh and spastic, and in Morning View, they turned that instrumentation into an ambient collection of sounds (aren't you proud of me that this is the first time i've used ambient this whole series?) While the music seems more tame, it actually becomes incredibly deliberate in how it plays out in the song, encompassing the listener without them really even realizing it.

There are of course a few songs that rock out, "Wish You Were Here", "Warning" and "Nice to Know You" became radio hits, while the rest of the quieter album tracks such as "Echo", "11 AM" and "Aqueous Trasmission" become cult favorites, something that seems almost ironic for a band who has become such a household name.

Incubus is a lucky band in that while young fans in high school are still discovering records like this, their old fans have remained loyal and unapologetic about a band that has earned such respect in constantly reinventing themselves.

I had totally forgotten about this show, but I definitely remember going out of my way to watch it when it premiered on MTV. Remember when MTV had music? This was really awesome (and in it's entirety! thanks youtube!)