Make Yourself

I can think of a lot of albums more deserving of being on this list than Make Yourself. It's not that it's bad, necessarily. It's just not good. This album was tops for the whole nu-metal scene which I'm just not a fan of. Be metal. Don't be metal. Either is fine. This shake-and-fake, half-assed, sing-song nonsense is honestly kind of annoying to me. Every song sounds the same, the vocals are whiney and emo punctuated by repeated "daddy won't hug me" refrains. Not my jam.

So - an incubus is a spirit that rapes women and I mean, yeah, that's pretty much the vibe I get from this music. This is AGGRESSIVELY 1999 soul patch rock and 100% not something you need to hear before you die. I don't know if I could dislike this more. Wait - the album cover. Okay yeah, I dislike it more now, so there's still room to grow. Oh! "I feel emphatic about not being static." Yes, there's much further to go. Down, straight down. Oh no - Battlestar Scralatchtica. FUCK. YOU.

An absolute nothing album. Embarrassing that it’s made this list and calls the selection criteria into question. The album itself is a mess, and a boring, tame, weak mess at that. Crap like this is why kids stopped listening to “metal”

Repetitive prog rock/nu metal has never been my idea of a good time, and combine that genre with this particular era of late 90s schlock rock, and you get Make Yourself. My only memory of Incubus was as the lame edgy band my middle school classmates would attach their personalities to for a few years. The lyrics are a hilarious attempt at nihilism and the production is so wrapped up in all the worst 90s tendencies, it hurts my head. Rating: 1.5/5

Imagine a baker who has made a living specialising in selling nothing but steamed horseshit. One day, looking at the gourmet establishments around him and realising he might need to diversify to stay afloat, he diverges slightly from his speciality and launches a new line of cream cakes… horseshit flavour. While the baker may consider this an improvement, the change would be barely perceptible for anybody who didn’t consider horseshit delicious to begin with. For those uninitiated, the lasting impression of these cream cakes would remain one of… horseshit. So it is with Incubus’s second album, which sees them moving away from their beginnings as a through-and-though metal band. “Selling out” in the eyes of their most devoted fans, they created something more “melodic”, with alt-rock, grunge, funk and even hip-hop overtones. On paper, that might sound promising. But to this reviewer who can find nothing to like in nu-metal’s overblown, heavy-handed, hi-gain, self-flagellating nonsense, there’s almost nothing to latch onto anyway. Over-affected, whining vocals undermining any sense of melody. Blaring, grinding guitar riffs lacking in subtlety or passion. Gimmicky record scratching (presumably that’s the “hip hop” talking). And worst of all, truly awful lyrics. Vague sentiments of self-pity and taking control of life spill out over the whole thing like toxic waste. Here’s an example from the closer, “Out from Under”: “To resist is to piss in the wind; anyone who does will end up smelling Knowing this, why do I defy? Because my inner voice is yelling There is a fist pressing against; anyone who thinks something compelling” I can’t discern any such compelling thoughts involved in the making of this album. And so I proudly resist, piss into the wind and waddle off in the strong stench of my own self-satisfaction. And horseshit.

Incubus is kinda like tasty junk food for me. I know its not really that good, but is still enjoy consuming it lol

Sounds like what Jesse Pinkman would listen to. But it’s varied enough to stay interesting at some points

I can only assume threats of physical violence against list authors is the explanation for this album's inclusion.

Not even in the top 1001 albums by artists with the initial I in 1999. Terrible!

Je vous invite à vous référer à la critique de mon compagnon d'écoute elmerguez concernant cet album. Celui-ci a en effet su trouver les mots justes, bien que très mal orthographiés.

Incubus is and will probably be for a longtime, one of my favorite bands. Not the first record I discovered by them, but definitely one with the songs I ended up liking the most. The songs have great hooks and musical builds. Brandon is a great songwriter and can sing very good. But Incubus has always been about the musical strength for me. They make sure every member gets to shine, but never overdo it. Amazing record! Favorite lyrics: - The humanity I know, watch the warmth blow away. - I will hold you close if you're afraid of heights. - You do something to me that I can't explain. So would I be out of line if I said I miss you? Key tracks: Privilege, Nowhere Fast, Consequence, The Warmth, When It Comes, Stellar, Make Yourself, Drive, Clean, I Miss You, Pardon Me 8,5 out of 10

Incubus was a reprieve from the stupid heavy/NuMetal bands of the late 90s and early 00s. They were heavy at times, but they also had a sense of melody. I listened to Fungus Amongus (I think that was the name), S.C.I.E.N.C.E, and this one. After this, the singer got pretty infatuated with himself shirtless. A friend remarked at the time "I'd like to staple a shirt to that guys fucking body." Indeed. But before Incubus were teenage girl and dorm room poster boys, they were a funky and heavy rock band that toured with 311. And this record was a sweet spot. But we're talking about a moment of relatively little musical consequence in the grand scheme of things. So, 2/5 is the best I can muster here. I was happy to find that revisiting this record, I still like "The Warmth" as much as I did in 1999.

Never heard of them before. Almost every song sounds the same. ... And that's genius because I like everything on this album! The singer craftily merges his voice with the music so I have no idea what the songs are about - pure perfection. Even the part where the album is broken and spasms back and forth is melodic and deeply satisfying. Five stars from me, will definitely come back to this.

Felt like I was dipped in the Holy Waters of the 90s.

I first heard Pardon Me on the radio in high school and was immediately interested in hearing more of this band. I soon bought this and their earlier albums at the local CD shop (when those were a thing). I had a ton of stuff going on in my life at the time and music just amplified it all. This was one of the albums I listened to a lot through it all so listening to it now just sucks me back into those days. That's why it's five stars for me. Aside from personal reasons, I think it's a solid album and one of their best.

Ah yes that time in history with soul patches, ear lobe plugs, rock bands with DJs, that Justin Delong guy from the Mac vs. PC commercials, pretentiousness of rocking out in 7/8 time, and those generic MTV music videos which are either super deep or were just made up on the spot.

This is really 1999. And somehow I just dig it. This isn't quite nu metal, not quite funk, not quite rock. Incubus' breakthrough album sits somewhere in between it all. Mike Einziger's riffs are interesting, José Pasillas' is on fire - but it's Brandon Boyd's vocal that impresses me the most. Not when he semi-raps on "Pardon Me" but his understanding of melody just hits me. There are some incredible songs on this that turns the nostalgia all the way up for me. Of course there's also stuff like "Battlestar Scalatchtica" whis is horrible and dumb - and I don't care that much for the turntables in general. I never noticed that this was almost 50 minutes long. And that's something.

I was sleepwalking through this album thinking this is the lamest nu metal shit ever (and I somewhat like my metal) until drive came on and something in my brain supernova’s. It’s one of those songs I’ve heard everywhere throughout my entire living memory where it’s good enough to remember but not good enough to seek out and listen to intentionally so my first reaction to hearing it was shock more than anything. Like I’m not supposed to hear this anywhere but a mall.

Pardon me while I admit that I could never stand that "water over wine"y dudes voice! But have to admit that some of the songs are ok.

I saw these dudes on this tour at Ozzfest and remember thinking their performance would’ve been better scheduled at dusk rather than at 3 in the afternoon. There’s a spacey ambience to this record that’s better suited for the evening than the sweltering heat of a July afternoon. There’s some unique guitar work on this record, with a host of delay and other effects employed to achieve a spacey atmosphere. So it’s kind of an interesting record in that regard. Otherwise, it feels really dated and a bit like a lowest common denominator-type record. I’m not really sure it belongs on this list, and three songs in, it’s already starting to feel like a chore to get through.

I’m not gonna lie: it took some doing to make myself get through this one.

As a person who was in high school and owned this album when it came out, this sounds like someone put “make me some songs that sound like 1999” in an ai song generator. It’s dated. It’s not particularly great for the nu-metal genre. It’s not even Incubus’ best album.

Nope!

I didn't listen to this shit when it came out, and I'm not listening to this shit now. Metal sucks.

Perfect soundtrack for playing Runescape. This was my favorite CD when I was 10

incubus sempre bão

This is peak 90's grungy rock fuckin yea.

Solid af

Sorry. BRB. Just went to grade school/ high school. I’m in my tan van. Listening to this on a tape to CD player.

¡Muy bueno!

Un clàssic! Funk rock, nu-funk-metal. Gutarres top!

One of my all time favourite albums. Loved it when I was a teenager and still do now.

3rd day in & one of my favourite albums

The vocals, the instruments, and the perfectly balanced sound at this polished point of alt rock island vibes. I don't care what they say, Incubus never sold out.

One of my personal favorite record ever. This brings me back to the era of my life when music finally made sense and my love affair with music began. For all, those formative years of middle and high school mean so much when it comes to cementing what it means to be "good music" and I'm thankful for records like these to paint the the listing picture of my youth.

Always loved this album

Finalmente escutei o álbum de drive. Excelente sequência de nu-metal com melodia.

Great Album

Great album, they really defined there sound a bit more and went into a more pop softer sound on a few songs which worked really well. A lot of things to to like. One of my favorite albums of that era and the The Warmth is still one of my fav songs.

One of my all Time favorites

Buen disco, aunque creo que hay otras de incubus que me gustan más. Pero 5

Lang said "I can see why late 90s, coming-of-age, angsty teens, who rejected the culture of the cools, would be in to this." His review was basically describing me. Incubus was my bridge between my 90s alternative roots and the emo of the early 2000s. I first got into Incubus with their preceding album, S.C.I.E.N.C.E, an often schizophrenic combination of heavy metal guitars, bass-driven funk, electronic/scratching, and Brandon Boyd's intense but also melodic voice was so interesting to me. Make Yourself is definitely more refined but still incorporates all those different styles. I take issue with the idea that at some point the angst should lift, I will never grow out of my enjoyment of screaming/singing along with Brandon Boyd.

I enjoyed Incubus when they first broke through with "Pardon Me" in 1999. As they followed that single with "Drive" and "Stellar," it was a refreshing light in a dark time. Yes, it was a dark time. The heydey of grunge was fading and Total Request Live was reshaping the music industry, resulting in a late 90s/early 00s hard rock landscape that was filled with Limp Bizkits and Kid Rocks. You think Incubus was angsty?? Incubus was mellow and tame for the times. For additional reference as to why Incubus stood far above their contemporaries, putting interesting spins on early 90s hard rock rather than learning all the wrong lessons like Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Creed did, look no further than the events of Woodstock '99 or the 2001 PBS Frontline documentary "Merchants of Cool." But does Incubus hold up today? For me, absolutely. While I prefer their calmer, more musically adept songs like those "Make Yourself" singles, their loud, crunchy, angrier stuff is great too. Brandon Boyd has a terrific range and is one of my favorite rock singers of the past 30 years, whether screaming or singing. Their post-fame follow-up to "Make Yourself," "Morning View," is even better, more mature, less screamy, less overdone crunchy guitars. They really refined their unique take on DJ-accented hard rock (and in a way that for me works far better than their rap-rock contemporaries). While "Morning View" is an easy 5, and "Make Yourself" takes longer to find its footing and then majorly stumbles with the misplaced "Battlestar Scratchalactica," we'll give this one a 5 too, on account of 3 great singles, a string of really good albums of which only this one made the 1001, improving the group's review average, and for being the anti-Limp Bizkit.

Incubus is my jam, so I'm biased. Stellar and Pardon Me are excellent. Drive is the major breakout hit. It has a polished radio sound, that is actually not what I think of when listening to incubus. I Miss You captures the band much better.

Great as always. The warmth / make yourself / drive pardon me . Brings back teenage years

Nostalgia-based 5 start, not sure if it deserves this but it's at least a 4.

Incredible. Just incredible. Every song, every aspect. Just loved it. Favorite track: Make Yourself

First Incubus album I owned, and probably still their best, even though I’m partial to S.C.I.E.N.C.E.

Incredible!

This is one of those records that comes out when you are the right age to hear it. It may not actually be a 5 star record. But listening to this on my CD walkman walking to and from my McJob at 20 puts this in a very special place for me.

What's not to love. One of my all time favorite albums. I'd give it 10 stars if I could!

Goeie plaat! Stevig, maar niet overdreven. De zanglijnen zijn glaszuiver, wat ik apprecieer bij hardrock

2004 al palo, una generación marcada por el sonido de un plato girando de un DJ

Not bad at all, a bit lighter than Science album. 10. Battlestar Scratchlactica!!!! Love the scratching! This is awesome

Definitely 5 stars for me. Probably 4.5 if I am being objective. An album I will always really love.

Incubus was one of my favorite bands growing up, I think this album sits comfortably somewhere in the top 3 of their discography.

I've been listening to Incubus since I was 4, right around when this album came out. I know all of their songs, I've seen them in concert twice, and another time virtually over the pandemic. So consider this review biased. Make Yourself is a great record. It marked a memorable transition between '90s alt and grunge, and '00s rock, and was made even more interesting by Brandon Boyd's vocals and DJ Kilmore's turntables (which, although I don't know how it would sound today, I kinda wish they still used it with their current music). That said - those straight-up alternative rock tracks are already strong songs, but where this album shines are the songs that make use of spacey, sci-fi effects like The Warmth and Consequence. They sound a little more experimental without being too out there. All in all, this is a record and a band that I grew up with. Though this isn't necessarily the album that I would put on this list (that distinction could've gone to Morning View or A Crow Left of the Murder), it's still a 5.

I own this album on CD. Really like it and was happy to have a reason to listen to it again. The ethereal sound is fantastic and the album has a few really great songs.

Classic.

Absolute classic for myself!

I think I knew where this review was headed. To the moon! It had a huge influence on me in junior high and high school. Man, that opening riff to Privilege. The scratching on this track is beautiful, and so is the message. "The day you that were born you were born free, that is your privilege." Brandon Boyd's voice soars across Make Yourself! The song Confidence stuck out to me big time on this spin. The Warmth, to a 15 year old Curtis Tonks, was just so unique and still puts me in an underwater funk trance. "Experience the warmth before you grow cold." Stellar is a beautiful interstellar love song! "Meet me in outer space, we could spend the night, watching the earth come up." Yeah, baby. Planetary love. Drive was just bigger than I could have imagined. I heard it, often, on FM100 while working at Papa Murphy's. Genre defining. Battlestar Scralatchtica is funky as they come, I Miss You is beautiful and Pardon Me, the most recognizable track from Make Yourself, is still only the fourth or fifth best song. Great album!

Great band. Great album.

I love the great use of effects on the guitar parts, the bass lines are stellar, and I still love Boyd’s singing. Great album!

One of the greatest albums of modern music

this was a blast sad happy memories

In 2002 I moved to a subtropical city in the middle of winter. I made friends with a dude who was OBSESSED with Incubus. We listened to a lot of music, drank a lot of beer and just enjoyed life in a warm climate. At the time I knew Incubus' radio hits, but after about 6 months I'd heard their entire catalogue many, many times. I fell completely in love with Fungus Amongus and SCIENCE. I was into the more metal / Mr Bungle style and not so much the straight up rock (for the time) Morning View vibe. Make Yourself was the transition album. I didn't mind it, but didn't rave about it. I ended up seeing Incubus in 2007 or so when they played a festival near my house. I had no idea it was even on, I just went for a walk one day and stumbled across it. They weren't very interesting live, tbh; the band just stood there and Brandon didn't speak at all between songs. They played, they got off the stage. But this morning, listening to Make Yourself for the first time in close to 20 years... hell yeah. It's a really odd mix of bro vibes and pretty intricate rock, but it works and it reminds me of a more carefree time. Full marks, even if it is just nostalgia. 5/5.

Really like this album...on repeat!

amazing

Teenage classic

This album brings back a ton of good memories!

Was going to give it 4 starts but I just keep coming back Very guitary, very me

This album really sounds like the year it came out lol. I never really got into incubus but the songs are really cool, they’re catchy/poppy while still being kind of proggy and interesting. The heavy parts and dynamics are great, really cool guitar parts on a lot of the songs. Idk 4.5?

Incubus This really takes me back to middle school/ high school - I really liked a lot of these songs but I don’t think I ever had the full album. They were a very original and cool sounding band, I wish I got deeper into it when I was younger. The dj is such a cool part of their sound. Idk maybe the whole thing is bad and not cool and the proggy parts are actually pretentious. And some of the melodys can feel a bit awkward for me sometimes. Definitely sounds like they were trying to do something different. It used to feel like sometimes it feels good to me but sometimes it feels like something I should like. Maybe it works, maybe not, but I think it actually does. I really enjoyed listening to this the whole way through. 5

4/5

Love it!!

5/5

👌🏻🤘🏻

I’ve loved this album for a long time and it’s still high rotation for me - I listened to it just last week. It’s funky and heavy, catchy and melodic. Every time I put it on I immediately find myself aggressively air drumming and singing along to every word. I checked the global ratings before posting mine and it hurts my soul to see it reviews so poorly. It seems that you really had to be in the target audience at the time it was released to appreciate it. Highlights: Privilege, The Warmth, Clean, Pardon Me. Drive probably does deserve to be listed as a highlight but it’s so overplayed even I got sick of it.

i really enjoyed this album! i had heard a few songs beforehand and always thought of incubus as kind of a weird, trippy rock band but they're a lot more nu-metal than i realized. this album gave me big alien ant farm vibes (which is a good thing to me). definitely putting some of these into regular rotation! favorites: privilege, nowhere fast, the warmth, stellar, drive, pardon me

Great album, Incubus still quite raw but more refined than S.C.I.E.N.C.E. Decent lyrics and Rocky riffs

Fantastic Album, great Band. I had heard it before, glad I could hear it again.

Transports me directly to the past. One of my favorite albums.

If only I could see a statistic of how many times I’ve listened to this record. This is one of the most impactful albums in my life as it shaped a lot about how I view and perform musically. I was an enormous Incubus fan in high school and just started learning how to scratch records. DJ Kilmore was a major influence and inspiration. This record is beautiful, rough, moving and motivating. It connects me with emotions that I forget about every time I listen to it. Brandon Boyd’s voice is mesmerizing and his range is captivating. The band as a whole are extremely talented and I’m happy to see this record on here. 5/5 record for me.

Outstanding example of the crossover from rap to rock.

A late 90's melting pot of an alt-metal record, bringing in elements of funk, hip hop, metal, and punk, for a deliciously funky and rocking experience. Incubus swings pretty wildly around with genre, tempo, and tone, but they manage to pull it all off. Their highest moments are more traditionally alternative or metal, with picked effect-saturated electric guitar, limber and fresh drumming, and deep and nasty bass, but their more experimental choices, including trance-like synths and record scratches, land really well and sit great in the mix. I think this album is a great summation of 90's alternative, incorporating all of the best elements into an album that still sounds innovative and new. Stand out tracks include "Nowhere Fast", "The Warmth", "Drive", "Battlestar Scralatchtica", "I Miss You", and "Pardon Me".

Never guessed that I would be an Incubus fan. I knew they had some bangers but this album was great start to finish. No notes.

Stellare and Drive are incredible, and every other song is almost as nice. Great album.

my favorite Incubus album next to S.C.I.E.N.C.E. I love the lyrics on this album. Battlestar Scralatchtica is kind of filler but the rest is solid.

Great alternative rock album with several hit singles.

This album is still so good. Can’t believe it was a 1999 release. I know every song. Can’t not be a 5 for me.

They gave me a free day today. I already know every song. Gotta go 5.

I've heard this many times before, and it doesn't really get old. In fact, I get to notice little details. That being said, I was a little surprised this was on the list! Not that it's undeserving necessarily. Early Incubus is still great.

I've owned this album forever and only listened to bits and pieces of it. I came in with a mild bias, thanks to the jerks at Clear Channel, who only played singles from this record. It was nice to hear the likes of "Stellar", "Drive", and "Pardon Me" on my terms, but I can't say I really missed them. Weird sentence, but I can definitely get a heavier Chili Peppers vibe from this record. Lots of funk influences, mixed with some metal, and some "rapping", though I'll say Brandon Boyd has a better singing voice than Anthony Keidis (maybe). Favorite tracks: "Privilege", "Nowhere Fast", "Battlestar Scratchlactica"

Really brings me back, great album

Pivotal moment in alt rock into the 00’s. Drive is a classic

Natürlich kenne ich Incubus, namentlich durch Megalomaniac, aber ich weiß, dass ich noch einiges mehr wieder erkennen würde. Ich hab sie jedoch noch nie gezielt gehört und so kenne ich ihr erstes erfolgreiches Album gar nicht. Dabei klingt jedes Lied sehr vertraut. Würde mich nicht wundern, wenn man der Band vorwirft, nicht genug Abwechslung in ihre Songs zu bringen. Das Album erinnert mich sehr an Hoobastank, aber es liegen mir noch andere auf der Zunge. Obwohl ich ein Fan von Hoobastank bin, haut mich „Make Yourself“ nicht um. Vielleicht liegen mir deren Alben nur aus Nostalgie am Herzen. Es ist jedoch eine einfache Entscheidung mich in Zukunft näher mit Incubus auseinander zu setzen. „Drive“ kannte ich doch!

I was kinda surprised that this album was on the list, since Incubus doesn't get talked about much anymore and the late 90s/early 00s genre of rock that they belonged to isn't well regarded 20 years on. However, this is a really solid album. Incubus has a really interesting sound, and the lead singer's voice is incredible 4/5

DJ is superfluous, but apart from that it's a great album.

Tolerable, downright enjoyable at times. Captures the sound of the time. Pardon me and Drive are good songs, the rest are okay

Inferior to S.C.I.E.N.C.E. and Morning View, but still holds up.