Light Grenades

Performer: Incubus
Producer: Brendan O'Brien
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Incubus: Brandon Boyd (vocals); Mike Einziger (guitar, piano); Chris Kilmore (piano, organ, Mellotron, sampler, turntables); Ben Kenney (electric bass); Jose Antonio Pasillas II (drums). A long-awaited break from an aggressive touring cycle afforded Incubus the freedom to hone a set of material that fully realized the band's ever-developing musical vision. Light years from the novelty turntable scratching and rap-rock angst that marked their earlier works, LIGHT GRENADES is an arty and diverse affair. The bass-heavy prog leanings of 2004's A CROW LEFT OF THE MURDER are replaced by a much more meat-and-potatoes rock approach that has become quintessential Incubus. The album opens with "Quicksand" and sets a crouching-to-pounce tone, only to launch into the bombastic riffing of "A Kiss To Send Us Off." Leadoff single "Anna Molly" drives with tension and urgency, while the group channels Prince on "Diamonds And Coal." LIGHT GRENADES offers up a fair number of ballads, standouts being "Love Hurts" and "Dig." In the interests of dramatic extremes, the fiercely punky title track works climactically, while the two parts of "Earth To Bella" act as a midpoint and denouement for a solid effort.

Rolling Stone (p.124) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The title track bursts from the gates at breakneck speed, turning Incubus into a less-psychotic version of Butthole Surfers..." Entertainment Weekly (p.82) - "Equally adept at rave-ups and ballads, Incubus even makes their unexpected forays into space-rock work." -- Grade: B+ Q (p.145) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his is an admirably muscular and direct effort from a band 15 years into their career but showing no signs of fatigue."

This quintet from Calabasas, CA, who started playing together in 1991, hit the road hard in support of Korn, Limp Bizkit, 311, and many others, before hitting it big. The Incubus sound is a mixture of melodic alternative rock, heavy, synth-colored rock, and some modern rhythmic touches courtesty of the band's turntablist DJ Kilmore. Between their hard rock riffs, accessible, pop-flavored melodies, and highly developed sense of dynamics, the band eventually found its way to massive acclaim after its long, hard journey through the rock underground.

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