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Morning View

by Incubus

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Though Morning View follows hot on the heels of Incubus's breakthrough single, "Drive," it doesn't feel rushed. After all, their previous album, Make Yourself, was released nearly two years ago. Like fellow Los Angeles metal pioneers System of a Down, Incubus find themselves lumped in with the nu-metal fraternity merely because they're young(ish), angry, and very loud. That's more than a little unfair, because their sound owes more to the clever and creative funk-metal of Faith No More and the Red Hot Chili Peppers than the faux-rap posturing of Limp Bizkit. In fact, songs like "Nice to Know You," "Circles," and the excellent "Blood on the Ground" display real maturity. But that's not all that sets Incubus apart: on "I Wish You Were Here," "Just a Phase," "11 a.m.," and "Mexico," they show an uncharacteristic willingness to tread softly, using acoustic guitars and touches of strings to make less noise, but more impact. Some could call it selling out, but it sounds more like growing up. Morning View is a leap forward for a band that continues to get better with each release. --Robert Burrow