Incubus - If Not Now, When?

Calabsas, California's finest Incubus are back after a long absence with their first studio release in 5 years, If Not Now, When? The follow up to 2006's Light Grenades finds the reggae rockers continuing to branch off in a different sound that is markedly different than their earlier sound and tries to present the band in a much more mature and focused frame of mind than when they first started out.

The disc kicks off with the album's title track, a somber and melancholy track that gives a glimpse into the vocal prowess of frontman Brandon Boyd, whose voice melds in well with the discs toned down allure that is slow to start off, but quickly picks up momentum as the song goes along. "Promises, Promises" is a much more musically focused track with a lot more emphasis on instruments, but the somber attitude spills over from the prior track, hindering the musical progress and obstructing the cohesiveness of the album as a whole. "Thieves" tries to pick up the pace and prevent the album from sputtering out of control with an intricate drum pattern and a much more defined melodic output that holds up the album and delivers a passable track that suits them very well. "Isadore" is an acoustic based ballad that features a neat percussion rhythm heard in the background that allows Brandon's vocals to flow out at ease without feeling the need to try anything too reckless or unnecessary.

The second half of the disc picks up some steam with "Defiance", a melodic, soothing track that shows off the band's true colors with vivid instrumentation and light acoustic guitar arrangements that makes this song very intricate and one of the few standouts we've heard so far on this disc. "Switchblade" is a frantic, messy track that tries to do too much and the band ends up stubbing their toes in the process with Brandon's vocals lost in the utter mess of drums and a track that should have been left on the cutting room floor instead. The only track worth highlighting and my lone favorite song on the album is the disc's first single, "Adolescents" a somber yet intricate track that shows the true potential of what this album could be had the band adhered to the simple formula that is present on this song, but is nowhere to be found at all on this disc. "Tomorrow's Food" closes out the album much like the same way it came in, somber and out of character with not even a hint of anything worthy of mentioning here. Incubus' star shined very brightly in the late 90's and the early 2000's with Light Grenades and Morning View, two of the best albums in their catalogue, but they seemed to have lost their way greatly since then and signs of their musical discontent begun to manifest themselves on their last release Light Grenades and now that somber attitude seems to have taken full effect on this disc. I know for a fact that Incubus are so much better than this and can do whole lot better on their next release.

Looking back, a depressing and unremarkable disc from Incubus, who try to do way too much and lack an upbeat frame of mind and exhibit signs of a band stuck in a mid-life crisis. We hope the real Incubus shows up in classic form next time around.

                                                                                                                                     Album Score: 2.5/5

Track Listing:

1. If Not Now, When?
2. Promises, Promises
3. Friends and Lovers
4. Thieves
5. Isadore
6. The Original
7. Defiance
8. In the Company of Wolves
9. Switchblade
10. Adolescents
11. Tomorrow's Food