Make Yourself

Awesome amalgamation of distasteful frat boy music

Enjoyable garbage.

Dare I reveal that for a ten-year period starting around 1997, Incubus were one of my three favorite bands? That would destroy all my credibility, I think. Even with my little music group that's going through this project, I probably shouldn't share that I've seen these guys live a half dozen times and lost my freaking mind every time. Even though this was like 20+ years ago, that's still a bridge too far, right? Would it help to know that in the 90s I was just an MTV-consuming alt-rock kid who read a bunch of mainstream music magazines (Spin, Rolling Stone, CMJ, but mostly just for the CD), and when I was in Chicago every month or so, I would tape hours of Q101 to find something new? And in the landscape of Billboard charts and TRL, I was being handed a lot of garbage (including the band Garbage, though they weren't garbage... you get it), and Incubus had such a fun mix of R&B, soul, funk & hip hop that they stood out amongst their mainstream "nü-metal" brethren. Would it move the needle to know that they made an hour-long funk odyssey (Halo soundtrack) and covered Big Punisher and Prince, and the lead singer actually sang, and his lyrics were thoughtful, if not exactly complex, and they had a DJ in the band who was a gateway into a lot of scratching-based dance music I came to love, and their bass player was in The Roots, and that they knew how to write a song for the mosh pit and a long, lonely car ride and a mixtape to give an imaginary girlfriend? And girls liked them, which meant something to a lonely late-teen/early-20s kid. Could I save face by noting that by the time I did have access to less mainstream music in the 2000s, these guys had already burrowed a path into my psyche so that I fell over myself trying to justify that they were of a lineage that totally reconciled listening alongside Neutral Milk Hotel, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Subtle? None of this will actually excuse a big number rating for an admittedly middling album. I should just keep all of that to myself. The reviews here are mostly dismissive, not vitriolic, and so I can get away with a three and no one will bat an eye. I could exaggerate my opinion and say something like, "There's stuff here I sounded more thoughtful than what their peers were doing," and "this sounds like pretty mainstream rock but a closer listen reveals R&B, hip-hop, funk and soul influences that caught me by surprise." It probably deserves three stars anyway. It's basically the same song over and over, and it won't be til their next album that they really find a sound that encompasses the fullness of what they had in mind. I bet that album isn't even on this list, so no one would be the wiser that I love "Morning View," "A Crow Left of the Murder," and "Light Grenades," even though they neutered the wild creativity of "S.C.I.E.N.C.E." My love of Incubus could fade into the annals of this project's also-rans, neither good enough nor bad enough to matter. I definitely shouldn't give it five stars because it has such profound sense memory and legitimately got me through hard times, and because I still know every word by heart and belt them out at the top of my lungs while picking up kids from basketball practice in my minivan. If I gave it five stars, it would basically be as a lark, a signal that somewhere in here is an album worth your time, which, honestly, do I even believe that in 2026? I sure did in 2006, but I never reach for any of their music, and just enjoy it when it comes up on shuffle. Of course, when it does come up on shuffle, it's clearly out of place, surrounded by proper songs by proper, respectable artists. I think I should just write something like, "Can you believe there was a moment when I thought these guys walked on water? Youth, huh." Especially because I don't think that anymore. Right? I no longer have some part of my heart that's still so grateful for this dumb little popular band that unfairly got thrown into the nu-metal nightmare, then graduated to pop-oriented crossover music that shaved off their hardest edges but replaced them with craft, songwriting, and genuinely beautiful songs. I think three stars is the way to go. Anyway, how dare I give Curtis Mayfield 4 stars and these white boys appropriating black music 5? But then I fire up "Privilege" one last time and think...

Not really my style of music, but actually enjoyed it. (3/5) "Sounds like the music Jesse Pinkman listens to" is an accurate review

This was a 4.8. It was nearly a 5 but not as good as hybrid theory but really really enjoyed it. The last song for me was the highlight but also loved drive as expected and I miss you

Unfortunately I did enjoy this!

Cody’s this Cody’s that. Cody’s me bro, let me be me

???

Nope. Some of what came up in the nineties really does not scream to be revisited.

goat

A lot of energy, but it doesn't connect enough for me. Probably like a lot of people I prefer the acoustic Pardon me.

Lowest possible

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Make Yourself as it sits outside of my comfort zone genre-wise. The band have a formidably solid sound, with interesting production choices throughout. Tone-wise the entire LP runs off of heightened tension and a crazy level of drama but it never tips into histrionics.

Incubus gets a v low 3 from me, i quite like some tracks and some of the sound but also middling on a lot of it

Banger. Great to listen to.

Competent. “Drive” is especially good. But, lordy, there are some 90s-bands clichés here!

One of those albums where you know how the whole thing is going to sound from the first few bars. I don't like that singing style and overall I found it a bit dull.

Mangler revidering

I'm awarding this album the lowest of 3's. If you're gonna make a 48 minute album, you have to at least try to make it somewhat varied. The early aughts alt-rock boilerplate sound is fun and cool for the first 2-3 songs, then you realize that's what the entire album is. There is a frightening level of homogeneity through this album. It never quite got to the level of grating on the ears, but it got damn close towards the end. At least Drive was fun. 5/10 Favorites: - Drive

Nothing very interesting on this LP. The riffs and driving grooves are fun in the first couple songs but become old by song five. I’ll give credit for the catchiness of Drive, the groovy jam session that was Battlestar Scralatchtica as a welcome diversion from the first half of the album. The rest of the album suffers from bland and rather thoughtless lyrics in several points. I understand the point of alt-rock and I never shit in someone for venturing off the beaten path, but you have to showcase some songwriting ability to make even an average album. This falls short of even that benchmark. Favorite: - Drive - Battlestar Scralachtica Rating: 4/10

It’s your classic one star kind of album.

I’ve heard some of their singles before, thought they were alright but nothing mind blowing, but this was my first time listening to an album in full. It started off pretty good with Privilege and I carried on enjoying it up until Stellar which is when I started to get a bit bored of it. Some of the tracks were just a bit too samey for me. I fucking hated Battlestar Scralatchtica. Top Track - Privilege

I absolutely love this album. I’ve listened to it more times than I could ever count. I remember the first time I heard “Pardon Me,” I was immediately hooked, I tracked down the album, and never looked back. My first concert was 311/Incubus, and I loved every minute of it. This album got played front to back, without skipping a single track, countless times throughout high school. I spent so much time with this one that revisiting it feels like catching up with an old friend. Maybe it’s nostalgia, or maybe I just genuinely love every track. Either way, it’s an easy 5/5

Just not for me

Favorite Track: Pardon Me

Drive will always be a classic. Album was a bit meh for my taste

sounds like a rock opera from 1995 that would be lauded for being ahead of its time

It's ok. Couple radio hits, rest was OK.

Mercurial album.

The sound reminds me a little of Third Eye Blind, but thematically I get Nine Inch Nails vibes where both bands seem to be drawing creatively from some inner darkness. However, Incubus takes a uniquely optimistic approach to that darkness. I was also surprised by how unique some of their beats were. My favorite track was "The Warmth".

Holy shit this is awful.

Þetta er fínasta nu-rock plata. Svolítið mikið funkrappelement í söngnum sem mér finnst eldast illa, en það eru nokkur ágætis vælulög þarna sem má dilla sér við. Ekki slæmt ekki frábært.

Drive really is a phenomenal song. There is some good stuff on this record. I hope Morning View is on the list too, though, because I think it’s superior.

Ein anständiges Rock-Album mit unterschiedlichen Tracks. Interessant zu hören. 4/5

Not the best album in the world, not the worst. I don’t really know how I feel about Incubus. I hate the name though. 3.0/5.0 Best Song: Make Yoyrself

Not for me, incredibly mid butt rock kind of vibe for me, i don't need this

ok

music feels incredibly dramatic, but it is a vibe

Mado che voce di metda, sarebbe molto meglio senza Alcuni momenti musicali (strumentali) molto belli, intros e bridges. Però mi sembra che si perda sempre con le strofe e i ritornelli… Dopo Drive mi migliora. Non so se sono solo più sveglio Il basso è zero male. Purtroppo la sua voce proprio non me piace

Decent album but I prefer 311 in this genre

A name I remember from my nu-metal phase, but don't think I ever listened. Starts real bad. Gets better though, mainly because of the drumming I think. Really don't like the singer/lyrics. By the the Drive comes, I am no longer enjoying and actively bored. 2.5 rounded up Heard before? No Owned: No, 111/445 (24%) Will I get: No

Of a time, doesn't really hold up.

pretty solid album. have not listened to incubus since they put out “a crow left of the murder…” and put me off. but for a bit there they had a pretty solid stretch from “s.c.i.e.n.c.e.” thru “morning view”. far more melodic, more interesting lyrics than some of their contemporaries. the “dj” portions of this do date it tho. surprised to know this is a pre-9/11 release.

+*An ok album

It's aight. 2 or 3 songs that I really enjoyed, but the rest were a little bit Nirvana-lite with some pop-punk adjacent vocals. Vocals are a little clean for me, but overall I enjoyed this record.

This album (or at least the hits on it) defined cool for pre-teen me pre-Y2K. It actually made me a bit sad listening to it, because of the forced meditation on the passing of time, I’m old now, things have changed so much and not at all, yadda yadda. The timing was interesting, because I’d had the guitar part for Stellar (thank you Guitar Hero) playing in my head for a few days, and I was already thinking I’d revisit Make Yourself. Then, the Album Generator made me.

This sounded like typical late 90s/early 00s rock. I felt like I got sent back in time listening to this. Overall, I felt neutral about this album. Solid listening. A couple tracks stood out in, but most were just background music.

So many great songs on this album. There are a few songs that few like filler, but overall an amazing album. Their hot songs on here are so catchy and enjoyable to sing along too. Guitars are great, vocals are amazing, drums are great.

This is my favorite Incubus album. Just a very unique album from a very unique band.

Light nu metal kind of stuff, very much of its time

Saw the name Incubus and thought YAY! A bit of metal!!! Boy was I wrong. Some good guitar and drums but vocals sound like theyve come from some very generic band, Blink 182 or something. I was disappointed. I was obviously expecting something along the same lines as Succubus XXV

Yessss. This sounds like I'm 16 and getting ready to hit the town. Definitely to be heard in the Newcastle teeny-bopper clubs. Alcohol aplenty and creepy paedos lurking with no thought beyond dancing like a weirdo. Takes me back, even if not a solid favourite. Enjoyed this.

Fun rock album, elevated by Drive being a banger

I have so much love for this album thanks to aggressive play from nearly every alt rock radio station ever, but that can only take it up to a 4 for me.

Very solid late 90s alt rock

I can’t rate an album with Drive on it lower than a 4

Not a big fan of nu- metal. It was ok and not too offensive

I mean, Drive is an OK song that would definitely make the cut in a "Somewhat average hits from the 90's" playlist. Would my life be incomplete if I had never listened to this album? Uh...yeah.

Surprisingly melodic and compelling

Somewhere between Limp Bikzkit and Korn - maybe slightly more accessible? The vocalist is immediately recognizable from the ubiquitous Pardon Me which was radio-played to death long ago. This album and band are part of a very specific sound that was especially popular late 1990s-early 2000s. It feels dated and the type of music still loved by a baby brother who "came of age" in the era. Good for him. Not for me. 2/5

More shit

"Rest assured. They'll screw you until your ass is blue and grey" Well, that's one way to begin my Sunday morning. Nu-metal is not my genre, to be brutally honest, but I gave this album a chance. It was as I expected. Lyrics that were embarrassingly bad (and homophobic in places), music that pretended to be harder than it actually was, and a whiny vocal. Music that probably felt very deep to teenage boys in 1999.

This is a classic Incubus album and such a time capsule of 90’s alt rock. I had major nostalgia listening to this one. Brandon Boyd’s signature voice is so good and the tracks on this record feel so cohesive and intentional. This is one of those albums where you can sit and listen straight through every time without wanting to skip any songs. The topics covered in the lyrics span a lot of complex topics, but the words themselves are fairly simple and straightforward, making their music and vocals really stand out.

7.0/10. A classic piece of alt-rock, with some metal, grunge, and even a touch of funk, it was enjoyable throughout. The vocalist is a bit whiny, but that's like most 90s/early 00s bands. Foundational piece, it's an easy listen throughout that doesn't linger at all, but doesn't feel too short or rushed either.

Ok

Overall: 8/10 I got into Incubus in high school and I've been a pretty big fan ever since. For some reason, despite this being their most popular album, it was the one I always skipped over beyond the singles. I was pretty dumb for doing that because the whole album is pretty great. I still prefer stuff like S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and Morning View (both 10/10 albums for me), but there's so much here to love. Some of the songs here are just hypnotizing and I love them. Fav Song: Stellar

Not for me, but the scratching was interesting.

entre el grunge y el nu metal por ahí podemos encontrar a incubus y este album que es un claro ejemplo de la musica post-nirvana guitarras fuertes y letras tristes y con elementos pequeños prestados del hip hop este es el album que los llevo al mainstream y que hace que para principios del 2000 se vuelva una banda grande. A mi no me parece un mal album pero tampoco es algo fuera de lo normal eso si drive es una gran canción

Incubus is one of those bands that shocks you with how good they are as musicians and you go damn are they just like the most underrated band ever from this era and then you realize it’s just jazzier nu metal and their hits rule while the bsides are okay.

Hell yeah

I've been wanting to listen to Incubus for a little while now, more specifically their S.C.I.E.N.C.E. album. I never got around to it, and this is now my first introduction to the band! 01. Privilege A fine intro. Doesn't blow me away, but I enjoyed it. I really like the lyrics. 02. Nowhere Fast I really love the instrumentation on this, but I really dislike the vocals! Especially on the chorus. I really wanna like this too... 03. Consequence My favorite so far, but it's still just kind of fine. I gave it a heart, and has the best vocal performance so far. 04. The Warmth You know I just don't think I care for the vocalist of Incubus. Despite this, I really liked this one. Not mind blowing, but is still good. 05. When It Comes This song made me realize why I don't care for the vocalist. It sounds like a rip-off Brad Nowell. Anyways, song is pretty good! Great instrumentation, and the vocals are better on this than any other track so far! Lyrics are boring, though. 06. Stellar There's a reason this is one of the most famous, huh? This is great! 07. Make Yourself This is actually awesome! Weird for this to be the title track, but I'm not complaining. 08. Drive I had an "Oh, it's THIS song!". This is great, no complaints. Best off the album. 09. Clean This is a rare instance of having to get used to the vocalists voice. I know don't nearly mind it as much. Or perhaps these are just better songs. Either way, this shit slaps. 10. Battlestar Scralatchica Cool nu-metal instrumental. Very bassy. Fuck wit' it. 11. I Miss You Very sentimental track. I feel like he means the words, which is the best you can do as an artist! 12. Pardon Me Another "Oh, it's THAT song!". Although I don't care for it as much as Drive, I still REALLY like this! 13. Out From Under A real wet fart of an ending. Least favorite from the album by a mile. I get the lyrics, but just a weird sounding song. Now, I go off of these on a one-listen basis. I usually listen to albums on three listens, but for this challenge, I only do one (because I have a job). On multiple listens, I can see myself enjoying this MUCH more, especially the beginning. But for now, it starts and ends with the weakest songs. The run from When It Comes to Pardon Me is INCREDIBLE, but the rest I could take or leave. On peer review, (and a relisten with my friends) I do enjoy this a LOT more. I still think a lot of the lyrics are corny, but they could be worse. A two star went to four.

drive by incubus is following me. and it happens to be the only good song on this album

Boring rock

Dece. A couple good tracks, but also some things that simply make you cringe. Drive and Nowhere Fast are the standouts. 4/10

I was at the perfect age and moment to love this album when it came out. Brandon Boyd has such an amazing voice and wide range.

Not bad. It’s very late 90s RHCP-esque rock. Like the soundtrack of an early 2000s teen movie. Kind of samey, but I guess Drive stood out because I knew it prior.

Should everyone have to hear peak Nu Metal music before they die? No. No they should not.

actually doesn’t start bad - first two songs are good but then the 3rd and fourth song are just.. not good. the dudes delivery is also kinda whiny in a bad way. some of the scratching and sampling is just bad too with questionable sample choices. The good songs are really good like Stellar - that song is super nostalgic for me. Pardon Me too the lows are sooo damn low though

I have no memory of buying or intentionally listening to this album, yet I knew every song. Like, I could sing along to it and knew most of the words. I must have wiped that part of my mental hard drive to protect myself from embarrassment. Wow this is bad.

Look I've tried to been more positive lately on here because I think at certain times this project has started to drag but I'm sorry this is bad. Full the the sophomoric, wannabe, eye rolling rock/rap that is the Nu-Metal era while also not fulling leaning into like some of their contemporaries. I might not enjoy the likes of Limp Bizket or Papa Roach but I at least understand the appeal. Here though? These guys somewhat don't even try to jump into it which is honestly worse. 2/10, like I said I'm trying to be more positive as I hit the last year of this project but I really can't here.

Incubus were huge over here back in the day. However, as big as they were, I still only know one song from this album, "Drive". That's a great song, don't get me wrong, but the rest of the album is just your standard late-90's straight-boy fare. Nothing wrong with, in fact this is definitely one of the better records of its kind. Key tracks: Drive

Could almost put the entire album into my 1001 playlist, Privilege, Stellar, Drive, I Miss You, and Pardon Me, are all songs I'd jam out to on the regular. Drive is my favorite off this album, (although I'm a sucker for the fully acoustic version of the song). This album is near perfect, if "Wish you were Here" were on it, it'd probably make my top 10. Screw it, I'm tossing all those songs I mentioned onto the list, I gotta make up ground from all the bad albums I didn't add anything from.

This is a good album and I don't think it deserves the hate it gets in the reviews. This was a distinct standout album amongst its contemporaries. A less aggressive and more thoughtful slice of the Nu Metal era. I gave it several listens and I think it still stands up today. Drive and Person Me are great tracks and the rest of this album was a nice listen.

JL : 3, Make Yourself (Honorable mention to Battlestar Scralatchtica)

Normally, any band that gets labeled "nu-metal" - even just in the early part of their career - isn't something I'm going to enjoy, but Incubus is the exception that proves the rule. Great melodies and harmonies, creative songs and production, and a wide variety of music that proves that they're always trying to push their boundaries. Incubus isn't a band that I tend to mention as one of my favorites, but every time I listen to them, I think "this is a really good band, isn't it?" Yes, it is.

Meh, medio heavy metal pero no tan heavy, mas pasable pero no me llamo mucho la atención 4/10

Totally fine piece of late 90s rock. If you weren’t there, you wouldn’t know how much Incubus were being pushed as the next big thing, which didn’t ultimately pan out.

Drive is an amazing song, and when it finally came on it was a breath of fresh air on an album full of lyrics telling me or something else how they should be, coming off really young naive viewpoint full of preachiness. Did not get down with nearly any lyric in the album, the turntable stuff was totally unnecessary but was obviously influenced or influential in the nu metal era. Anyway, besides drive, I’d never listen to this again.

Meu conhecimento de Incubus era apenas Drive (uma das minhas músicas favoritas diga-se de passagem), então nunca imaginei que o resto do som deles era mais pesado, puxando pra um nu-metal. Gostei muito desse album, curto muito um bom post-grunge então esta banda pode virar uma das minhas favoritas no futuro também.

This is my first time hearing about the band Incubus. For this to be the first album I ever heard, this is pretty good. Definitely adding them to my playlist.

Taking this album on its proper context, when it came out, and what the band's contemporaries were doing at the time, this is almost art. But that's not the point of this exercise, and instead it's an admirable, unique example of rap and rock fusion when that still had some legs to stand on. The hooks are damn catchy, and there's a sense of melody they bring to the table that makes them bigger than 90% of the bands they played alongside who just bludgeoned you with sound. Still, it's not earth shaking and it's incredibly of its time. But being one of the best of your time is nothing to sneeze at.

Really enjoyed this album if I was marking would give a 7.5 out of 10

Legitimately one of my favorite albums of all time. Excited to see it on the list!

it was good

boring start boring middle, but picked up at the end

Perfectly middle of the road hard 90s rock, but you can also see why its pop-y enough to be a smash. My sister had the CD and I dont remember listening to it a lot myself but felt like I knew every song in some corner of my mind.

I really like some of this

Not sure what to make of this. I had heard a few Incubus tracks before of course, but I had never listened to an album from start to finish. I was impressed by the opening track. The second track is also pretty good. Despite some positives. There is a lot of whiny, post-emo guff here too. The band thought they could take Sunny Day Real Estate and early Jimmy Eat World, tweak it a bit and put it out as “Make Yourself”. It’s good, not great. I expected a lot better.

Couldn't much be doing with this. It was at odds with my desired Sunday morning vibe.

Given the genre, I liked this more than I expected, probably due to Scott Litt’s production. Sometimes the words fail me when they sound less like lyrics and more like sentences from a journal. A bit reminiscent of the band Live, but I like Live much better.