Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Good, but not memorable
Incredibly 90s! It has some solid tracks, but honestly I'd rather listen to Deftones or Hum to scratch the itch for heavy alt 90s music. 6/10
very nice little album sounds like a cross between early RHCP and AIC to me
Time to strap myself back into the wildly low crotched jeans and flip that baseball cap into reverse. Incubus were never my favourites of the genre, and there's nothing obvious here to change my mind. "Drive" is still excellent, the rest still average nu-metal filler. Enjoyed the nostalgia, but absolutely no reason for it to be here.
Not my usual thing but I leaned into the vibe today.
Decent moments but overall a terrible album.
Not a fan of NuMetal. Not something I would choose to listen to myself. I cant really think of specific bad things, but also I can't think of anything good. My favorite song is the first track I guess just because I had more tolerance for them then. Favorite Track - Privilege Least Favorite Track - Stellar ⭐️⭐️
This is a pretty good album. Did this band take a downward slide, IMO, after it as far as music quality? Yea for sure. They coulda been something far more interesting, alas.
The album cover looks like the opening credits to every super hero movie of the early 2000s.
Deeply uninspiring.
Somehow sounded quite generic but also varied
Music for dorks who think managing a gas station is a “career.”
This was a good album. It isn't my absolute favorite and I am not sure if this is "metal" but I enjoyed it. There are some classic songs here. Sometimes the "rap" and "hip hop" sections confuse me a little like the album doesn't know what it is trying to be. Liked Songs: "Privilege" , "Consequence" , "When It Comes" , "Make Yourself" , "Drive" , "Clean" , "I Miss You"
I was born just a little too late to really have a chance with Incubus, but I definitely see how this would've hooked teens at the turn of the millennia. I'm not going to pretend that I know anything about the genre, but what I will say is that I had a good time listening to what Incubus put together for. Nostalgia is undoubtedly a factor, despite having only heard one or two songs from the band in the past. Brandon Boyd's vocals are just right, and it never really leans fully into metal, which is something that I appreciate at least. There's also a surprising amount of interesting instrumentation and more record scratching than I'd expect from this genre. Is it life changing stuff? No, not at this part of my life. But think it does capture a period of time fairly well, and is accessible enough even today to keep me fully engaged with it for the entire 48 minutes, which is more than a handful of albums I've had have done recently. Really starting to wish half stars were a thing so I could differentiate my rankings a bit more, but for now I'll make due. 3.5/5 Highlight: Drive Lowlight: Battlestar Scralatchtica Highlight #2: Nowhere Fast
decent
It’s a mix of things that could go really badly but is somehow poppy enough to work. Someone else said 90s soul patch rock which is 100% spot on, but it has just enough California in it to have more charm than just that image portrays. All of the singles were alt rock radio staples for me growing up
I've always been a big Incubus fan - this is probably my third favorite album of theirs. It's got a couple of great singles in Drive and Pardon Me and the rest of the songs are great too - there's no filler here for me. Pardon Me is also a really great opener. Just a very solid album.
2,5
Wouldn't think they would make the top 1000 but I enjoy them, always have.
Make myself sound like creed?
It's just so bad.
Je pensais connaitre le groupe, mais en fait il s'agissait du premier groupe Incubus qui faisait du Death Metal vers la fin des 80s, puis a fait une pause pendant 10 ans. Quand ils ont voulu reprendre, Incubus (2) était bien plus connu, les anciens ont changé de nom pour 'Opprobrium'. Bref, j'ai été surpris par cet album, m'attendant vraiment à autre chose ! 'Make Yourself' est du nu-metal assez classique, avec des morceaux qui groovent bien, mais avec aussi quelques travers propres au style (les scratches qui n'apportent absolument rien ... Battlestar Scralatchtica (-1) a été un vrai calvaire pour moi). Il ne rejoindra donc pas ma collection, mais je le réécouterais avec plaisir ... en zappant Battlestar ... =>3/5
Incubus? I’m Outcubus
Decent, but nothing special. Gimmicky melodic tunes surrounding the monster hit. They sound a bit like Sick Puppies, minus the edge and snarl. This is something my 14 year-old self might enjoy.
A mostly average nu-metal album with an extra of shit lyrics. The only songs that feels differents from the others (and the best song on this album) is Drive wich is a very mid and generic acoustic song. Oh and ig there is the worst instrumental of all time on here. No seriously. "To resist is to piss in the wind" wtf are you on.
Good album
Good vibes 👌 any song that was in Surf's Up is a good one to me. Though, maybe a little less record scratching would be nice...
2.5 stars
Solidly middlin'. Feels kind of Canadian.
2.5 rounded down to 2. Drive still a good song. Didn't know Pardon Me was Incubus.
Wait, what is that? A turntable-scratching evil twin of the Red Hot Chili Peppers going Tool-cover-band-lite, which somehow manages to sound even more pretentious than the sum of its parts? Woah, this is some serious alt-rock/post-grunge/nu-metal schlock of the worst kind. Urgh. I guess you had to be there…??
Wow. Way to grab your attention instantly with the gritty, fast-paced, riff-heavy Privilege. This is a combination of about five different genres, but it overlaps most heavily with post-grunge/metal bands like Tool and AiC. (Nu-metal? Isn't that just a made-up words for young, self-indulgent garage-rockers who think their music is significantly more inventive than it is?) Now, don't get me wrong: this genre-conglomerate isn't terrible by itself. But it is mildly terrible when Incubus does it. That low, ultra-distorted guitar sound, particularly when relentlessly coupled with an identically-written bassline, gets old pretty quickly – and the strongest tracks end up being the mellower ones like Consequence (the first half), The Warmth, Drive, and I Miss You. And often, those tracks forget to be mellow within a couple minutes. It probably doesn't help that I'm sick and bedridden while listening to this record. If I can't stomach anything spicy or acidic, it follows that Incubus would do very little for me. The opening 30 seconds of Stellar is honestly fantastic. That ultra-chill bassline and lead guitar tone, the multiple interacting melodies... it's no wonder this was chosen as a single. The title track is all over the place. I think the time signature is changing rapidly during the stupidly-written chorus ("Fuck me in my own way / (repeat ad infinitum)") but I'm not focused enough to work it out. Whatever the case is, it feels like Incubus is trying too hard to be cool. Later on the album, I don't even know where to start with the song Battlestar Scralatchtica. Dwight Schrute doesn't know where to start either. Unfortunately, in terms of raw instrumentation, it's one of the strongest in the album, and I'm having trouble faulting it for anything other than its incredibly stupid title. (But then later: The DJ-esque vocals. Yeah, those are crap. Whew.) I don't see any of the appeal of Pardon Me. That synth-organ in the back is pretty irritating and persistent, while the vocal-guitar combo reads like a knock-off Linkin Park (who boast significantly stronger melodies overall). 2/5 Key tracks: Stellar, Drive, I Miss You
Not heard this one for a long time!
Pat and Chad, I’m sorry to tell you Frank will never love you. As you may have guessed I’m with Frank here. Some kind of childhood mind meld group think. I have a very strong reaction to the vocal style. It reminds me of sublime for some reason, comes across as pretty “put on”? I don’t know. Chicks dig incubus is the real lesson here.
My high school girlfriend had a poster of this album on the wall of her bedroom and I'd often look at it after we'd had sex with this vague feeling of guilt because I knew I could never truly love someone who liked incubus.
Killer album with an incredibly important place in my heart. Ive heard this and Morning View more times than I can count (the later being the better IMO) I’ll never forget when my older brother and I brought our guitars up to a lake cabin my parents rented near okoboji, Iowa. We did the classic campfire tunes move and were on a heater bringing in some passerbys. Our brains just about broke when an attractive someone asked if she could sing over her request (Drive) and we both had to stomach the her disappointment when we knew the song, but couldn’t perform. I think you all know what song we both learned that night 🤣
Jaw dropped a little when this popped up this morning. Certainly a nostalgia album. I keep a chronological playlist of albums I was really into at some point in my life, and this is definitely on there. That said, I think it holds up. Privilege opener is excellent. Drive is an all-timer. I thought that was the coolest music video when it came out. Make Yourself (the song) makes me wonder whether Incubus might be a better or at least more interesting band than the Foo Fighters. I think it’s a worthwhile debate. I think I wrote parts of this in another review, but when I was a freshman in high school, the cool juniors were really into Incubus. So much so that one of them bought turntables to try to learn how to scratch, like Incubus. I was impressionable, so got a little into Incubus but never to the worship level of those guys. But I do credit them for broadening my music interests away from my mostly jamband tastes at the time. Got me into bands like At The Drive In, Mars Volta, Cursive, Trail of Dead, Explosions in the Sky. A funny phase, but I still go back to all of those bands on occasion.
I liked this album.
I wasn’t sure if I liked this one or morning view better. This is certainly a defining album for them. Very good!
did the copy green day or the other way around ? Not bad thogh
My rating 3.0. Loud guitars and bass along with catchy lyrics and drums. Not bad.
powerfull
What a strange one. A lot of this album is full of interesting and engaging ideas in regards to changes, melodies, rhythmic patterns and lyrics sometimes, too. Somehow, at least for me, none of that seeps into most of the choruses on the album. What's supposed to be the most hooky, memorable part of the track somehow just ends up pretty generic and sauceless. Verses, pre-choruses, bridges, breakdowns, vamps sometimes. Literally all of the other parts of each song were often really really cool, making me wanna move or get my stank face on or whatever. Just keeping me genuinely interested. But with a few exceptions, most of the choruses sound just like what I may hear as a snippet on a "Now That's What I Call Music" commercial. I dunno if that's a nitpick or what, but starting off a track really strong just to drop into the same old basic big ass wall of sound, whiny shouting, and no rhythmic intrigue for the chorus kinda bummed me out. When the chorus of most of these hits, I'm sitting here waiting for the good part to come back, going "no no go back to that other shit, that had a little funk on it". So, hard 3? Great ideas and execution in a lot of it, but cmon man. Can't fuck up the chorus, I gotta sing that later.
Still love the vocals and the music and how they mesh. Drums! Haven't heard this in a long time. Great to revisit
I actually already own this album, I like it quite a lot, the alt rock sounds are great to me.
I don't know why nu metal is hated.
Man this is a nostalgia hit. I thought Drive was an absolute worldie and managed every word on this relisten. Its a brilliant song with a beautiful melody and real heart. I had this album back in the day based on this track and was disappointed to find it was rock, nu metal and RHCP funk. I think it has aged fine, but its still not my bag.
Ich mag die sehr gern. Tolles Album und - meine ich - deren einziges hier in der Liste. Finde "Morning View" noch etwas besser.
4.5
3.5
If this isn't butt rock, it's very butt rock adjacent. Mainly is the post grunge style that keeps it in the butt rock territory for me. If there's anything that keeps it from butt rock it's the mother lovin' funky bass lines. His vocals aren't as huckstery as most butt rock groups, but he definitely has some tendencies. But if I'm going to be honest, if I'm going to pick a butt rock album of 1999, it'd be *My Own Prison*. I do love "Drive" one that still holds up for me today. I liked "Pardon Me" and "Stellar" a bit more back then, but definitely feels dated today. I guess if I were more nostalgic of Y2K music this might hit me better today. But all in all, I guess it was worth a revisit. (6.75) ★★★
Not essential. Not bad, but a bit boring. 3 stars
At the risk of being the contrarian here, I've never been high on this band or this era of alternative rock. I feel like this is sort of the nail in the coffin of '90s alternative rock -- something that started off being weird and wonderful and ended up being sort of corporate and bland. I think bands like Incubus are why bands like the Strokes and White Stripes were such a welcome change around this time. Not the worst thing I've ever heard, but would not listen to this again. I'm not sure what the best song is here. "Stellar" maybe? I don't know. 2.5 stars.
Stinkubus. Seems to feel like the most boring elements of Korn, Linkin Park and Nickelback but a little stinkier. Favourite tracks - none.
Its 1999, I had my buddy's older brother buy me this CD because it had the explicit lyrics warning on it. I'm in the back seat of my parents car blasting this into my headphones from my Sony Discman while my parents are none the wiser. Life is good. Nostalgia aside, this is such a good album and one of the most nuanced from the Nu Metal era.
3.5 I admit I have a soft spot for shitty nu metal
I thought the guitars were fun and the drums but the vocals left me absolutely cold.
Love this record, already know it. 5 stars
No puede ser que siempre ignoré escuchar esta banda. Que alegría descubrir joyas como estas, algún tema directo a playlist
Not for me
Starts off with a banger with Privilege! So much great guitar and drums here, but not too too heavy! Nowhere fast continued this trend with some great angry undertones. Consequence was exactly my thing. A slower verse with a big loud chorus. Yes please!! Also some great lyrics. Love it. Going in to The Warmth, it had some very interesting musical ideas. I thought it was a very good, reflective track. When it comes worked so well with its bombastic but also melodic chorus. Stellar was not my favourite, but the title track afterwards totally made up for it. An amazing track with punch, music, and was just great all around. Drive was a nice flowing track and Clean had a really nice beat to it, even as it ebbed and flowed. Battlestar Scralatchtica was not a good track to listen to, but it gave me a good laugh with the name and the contents of the track, so it gets a pass. I miss you was very sweet and I enjoyed it very much. Pardon me and Out from Under closed the album very nicely. Overall, loved this, 5 ⭐️ 61/1089
Unique, it's been a while since the DJ was treated as a real musical member of a rock band. Lyrics are suprisingly deep for metal songs, then some absolute classics.
Scritchy scratchy, not really talenty
Not as good as i recall. A bit bloated and meanders
Incubus had started life as an experimental funk rock/metal band much in the same vein as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Mr Bungle, but 'Make Yourself' was moment they graduated from youthful misfits full of beans to mature, confident songwriters with plenty of deep and meaningful things to say. Even though Incubus were lumped in with the popular nü metal, their sound was anythng but, and 'Make Yourself' proves this once and for all. 'Make Yourself' has a very mainstream rock sound with plenty of small flourishes (turntable scratching, funky bass lines, metallic guitars) that hearken back to their earlier sound. Melody and rhythm is what drives the album forward. Vocalist Brandon Boyd delivers the songs with a relaxed, self-assured voice, and he'd only continue to improve as Incubus progressed through the 2000s. Guitarists Mike Einziger and bassist Dirk Lance weave in and out of each other with finesse, drummer Jose Pasillas presents plenty of groove to hold the sound together and turntablist DJ Kilmore adds plenty of fun glitchy effects to keep the Incubus song hip and contemporary. What's really striking about the record is the maturity in Boyd's lyrics. He'd lost and rediscovered love in the process of 'Make Yourself's' creation, and this cycle is best summised from the self-destructive 'Pardon Me' and the heartfelt 'Stellar' and 'I Miss You'. He'd gone through hell and found the light again, and his journey is certainly relateable to many. The album also spawned the big hit 'Drive', which blends both loss and love together. It's about taking control of your life and choosing the 'now and future' over the 'past', a message that is as uplifting as it is introspective. The title track also follows a similar trajectory, only further highlighting that 'Make Yourself' is a great album for those looking for some life-affirming, self-motivational messages. Incubus matured quickly and effectively as a band with 'Make Yourself', and would only grow further with their next release, 'Morning View'. But on the back of the success of 'Drive' more and more people would be introduced to this band's infectious sound. Having seen them live, I can't recommend checking out Incubus enough. They forged their own way forward in a scene that they never felt a part of and did what they felt comfortable with, which is very commendable in an industry where market pressures and controlled images are replete. Best songs: Privilege, Stellar, Make Yourself, Drive, Clean, I Miss You, Pardon Me
Had a great time listening to this tbh, but we all know I like crap like this!!
honestly had never listened to them but this was very kick of the ass
The alt pop rock stuff from this time has aged much better than the nu metal has
Might be the nostalgia for me here. Likes: Nowhere fast, Stellar, Drive
Falls into the trap a lot of 90s radio rock fell into. Lots of cymbals. Cool it on the cymbals boys. If not for Drive this would have been completely skippable - but Drive is an all timer (and coincidentally soft on drums….) so it gets a 2
Pros: - Great fusion of multiple genres (primarily Metal) - (kind of) Positive lyricism Cons: - falls off near the end Rating (out of 10): 8.5/10
3.4 2x used to love this but got a little too overplayed. still saved a couple for my spotify like.
I like Boyd's voice. He is an interesting painter too. Quite the creative. The band forged a signature sound and did well with it for several albums. I don't play Incubus but I am usually glad when I hear something by them. It's a solid album.
Had a lot more fun than I was expecting
Ok - but nothing special, inoffensive, listenable, but nothing to really grab you
faith no mid
mascara running, lip biting, knee buckling, yearning 🎸🤘
Excellent. A gem of an album.
2.5
I am very surprised at how not terrible this is. Like it’s still not great, but it’s way more tolerable than I ever would’ve thought
Back in the 90s, Incubus was one of those bands that many of my friends loved, while for me... well, it all sounded very half-baked. “Make Yourself” still has grunge vibes (which was definitely no longer cool in 1999), but it's technically on a much higher level than Nirvana and their ilk could ever achieve. I really like the sound of Incubus, but it would be even better with a more versatile singer who doesn't belt out the same notes non-stop. In addition, “Make Yourself” contains at most a handful of really good songs, so that large parts of it sound pretty arbitrary. Perhaps this record only unfolds its full effect with the right drugs. Sober in the morning, it's still a good album, but one that forgot to decide at some point what it wants to be.
I called it butt rock as a joke before even listening, but it turns out it is butt rock indeed. It is my kind of butt rock, so I enjoy it.
The first song made me think, no way, not another band like that. Over time, however, I started to appreciate it more and more.
I just think other bands do this sound better but I thoroughly enjoy
Wow, that's awful.
0/10, not metal..
If one of my friends had had the CD to rip, I'd have been listening to this for years
Bon album. Honnêtetement je l'ai trouvé assez répétitif dans son style, avec énormément de sons très proches entre eux et peu de sonorités qui surprennent. Néanmoins, je trouve que l'album est un très bon mélange entre l'énergie des Red hots Chili Peppers dans la voix et la manière de construire les albums, avec l'ambiance Nu Metal dans les mélodies et les changements de tonalités dans un même son. En bref album vraiment sympa, bonne surprise
Hate the vocal style.
With a name like Incubus they were never going to be flower-pop so I was thrilled to get this. However, it was generic 1990s American Rock.
Man, I haven't heard this in so long. It's kind of weird to come back to it to be honest. I first came across Pardon Me on MTV's 'The Return of the Rock' CD, which I picked up on a dodgy marketplace in Malta when I was a teenager. That was a good CD! But it was Incubus that resonated with me the most, and I promptly picked this up on my return to the UK - before coming a bit of a fan and getting all of their stuff. I think if I were listening to this fresh today, I'd still definitely enjoy it quite a bit. I'd enjoy some of the musical production, the bass, the mixing... but I think I'd be lower on some of the 'bigger' moments. When the guitars kick-in and he starts belting it out a bit... it tends to feel a bit more generic and one-note at times. It's strange because I'm sure it would have been the complete opposite as a teenager. Still, I did enjoy this a lot. It's an accomplished album, and there's some great stand-out tracks on it.
Record scratches, Windows Media Player background album cover, and whiny vocals that show it's ok for "boyz II feel" (as long as the riffs jump the fuck up). The year is 1999, and I am like 3; HOWEVER, Incubus and their ilk would continue to be shape the first few years of the upcoming millennium and considering "Drive" appeared in NHL Hitz 2003 (CTE simulator 2K3 was taken by the NFL), this feels deeply nostalgic. Now, is it a warm nostalgia? One that whisks you away to a time where life seemed simpler as your brain omits any of the challenges of the time? Partially. It's also the kind of nostalgia where you see yourself with a questionable haircut that is now incredibly outdated. It has pangs of joy, but the cringe factor is off the charts. This record is unlistenable in 2026. The childish metaphors in the lyrics read like an emo girl's MSN status, the record scratches kill me slowly each time and the vocals are this whiny alt-rock standard that you'd now hear at a Gen-X second wedding. Think Hinder or Tinder, or whatever those bands are. Staind!!! Memba them? Ugh. Much like frosted tips, this evokes the phrase "you had to be there," because listening to this with today's ears is very reminiscent of looking back upon those iced follicles, fully lamenting the folly of youth. Like playing a classic video game from childhood, and being incredibly embarrassed that you once viewed the graphics as hyper realistic, Incubus has aged like lip filler. NHL Hitz 2003 still rips though. 1-1.5 HIGHLIGHTS: Where does the time go?? Wait, no, life is incredibly long, and the fallacy that it's "short," irks me to no end. Sure, it's short in terms of all time ever, but it's the longest thing you'll ever experience, ya bonehead.
So angsty but I don't care. I enjoyed most of the music.
Wow these hits really take me to a very specific, very fun time in high school. Incubus helped get me into the actual, good grunge and some other metal type music. I have fond memories of their radio hits. Listening to this entire album didn't do it for me like I thought but can't help but enjoy the blast from the past.
Fun to get an album I'm already very familiar with every once in a while. Harder to be as objective though. I really enjoy a lot of this album. Drive was one of the first songs I tried to learn on guitar. The album's departure from typical rock music is alluring and curious while remaining familiar. It's very cool that way. I don't think it's among the upper echelon of albums, but I do enjoy it. Some of the songs leave me wanting. Song by song, it rides this fine line between good and just okay. But it's mixed very well, carefully crafted, well performed, and interesting either way. It's a good album. 3.9/5
As something that is neither an hour long nor extremely embarrassing to be caught listening to, I think this is easily the best nu-metal album I've ever heard. Of course, I still don't actually like nu-metal?
3.5 stars
2.5. The singles still work, but a lot of the rest is just filler or aged poorly. They seem like nice guys and I’m happy for their success, but this is very 1999.
Almost delightfully mid
weird generic nu metal crossed with pop rock ballads must have been in high demand for this list. Drive, I Miss You, and Pardon Me seem like the standouts for this album which is strange when they sound nothing at all like the other tracks (Battlestar Scralatchtica is so silly on its own), it was a pretty big slog to get through by the end of it.
Didn’t realize the “Drive” band was nu-metal. Fans of that song must have been so disappointed when they bought this album. It was fine but I have no idea how it made the list. 1001 albums is just a lot I guess
Generic nu metal - nasal, whiny vocals, crispy guitars and a sense that just because they have a DJ quietly scratching in the background, it makes them edgy and modern. Might have been distinctive at the time, but listening to this 26 years on, there were a lot of bands around the time who did this better. And I don't like any of them either, so this had no chance...
Interesting don’t listen to this kind of music often but I enjoy it
I enjoyed listening to this album more than I was originally expecting. The record scratching sound effects sound as dated as a Betamax tape, but there are some great songs on this record. The ugly cover means minus points for this one.
The album is praised by some for its blend of musical styles, too bad the LA boys pivot from Nu Metal to Alternative Pop didn’t include some less trite and formulaic elements that weren’t simply made to garner mass appeal.
Alright
When people ask me what kind of music I like I tend to say "all sorts" I think it's probably a rubbish answer, because people like to pick sides and saying I like a bit of everything makes it sound like I'm just not into music rather than being really into music. I think the exception to that might be nu-metal, I think there's the odd song i could listen to and enjoy in a kind of guilty pleasure kind of way. But a whole album is just too much, and this album certainly hasn't changed my mind. So now I'm going to answer what type of music do you like with "not nu-metal" maybe that's better.
Prince must have been so disappointed when he actually went to a party in 1999 and people put this bullshit on.
Tried to keep an open mind. Unbearable
I grew up listening to rock radio in this era, so I heard this band a lot, and the 3 singles from this album a lot. After listening to the full album, I can say that I still enjoy the hits. It definitely sounds 'of its time' with the scratching and production. Overall, I liked it, but kind of as a guilty pleasure.
I've always thought that the best thing about Incubus is how easy they are to forget. Thanks a bundle for the reminder, Bob. Now I've gotta start the forgetting all over again.
There's something about the sound of this band that I don't care for. Never have, and I'm surprised they're on this list.
Out of any group to see on the 1001 albums to hear before you die list I don't think I ever would have expected to see Incubus, but hey I take it as a welcome surprise and am curious to see what they bring to the table. I honestly thought this would be some very slightly above average Alt Rock/Nu Metal but surprisingly Make Yourself is an extremely lush and noisy project that really had me jamming all throughout the entire 48 minute runtime without a dull moment in sight. Incubus sure doesn't have some of the shaprest lyrics I have ever heard, but they way they present themselves as a band and how they play off each other's strengths when it comes to each individual instrument/note I can't help but be impressed. Everyone is on the same page about the vision of this album, and that vision is a very fun time from front to back. Even with some of the more popular tracks like Drive, Stellar, and Pardon Me, this album still feels very connected and consistent which makes me wonder why it isn't brought up more in discussions about best Nu-Metal projects because it really doesn't have any weak spots. Really impressed by this album and I now totally stand by it being included on this list even if it isn't one of the "greatest" projects here, it stands out in a genre of mediocracy as one with style and substance worth deep discussion.
good vibes on this, some great songs on this, reminded me of chilli peppers, i enjoyed it
Wasn’t looking forward to this but it was actually pretty good
I knew a couple of the hits and they were good. The rest was fine. One of those albums I don’t have anything construction or interesting to say because it was just kind of there.
Incubus is a band I would expect to hear in a “C-tier” venue in front of hundreds, not thousands (*See Toad’s Place). I recognized Drive, Pardon Me, and Stellar in advance of listening to the album (hat tip to all those nights playing Guitar Hero) and really enjoy all of those songs. The rest of the album is good background music on a Saturday night of socializing with friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Side note: If having a couple of hits constitutes making this list of 1001, then I’m really looking forward to reviewing Milli Vanilli soon.
I liked this band better when they were called 311. Album could have been called “Jump Rope” because I couldn’t stop skipping.
Dissappointing. The three singles on this album are really good, the rest not so much. This is great example of good players being terrible songwriters. The songs are just bad, easy listening version of nu metal.
This album is not a breeze. Cause it blows hard. (Kidding, its alright. Just not very interesting.) 5/10
There are a couple of good songs and the rest sounds like pretty much every other nu-metal song released around that time. It's good, not great.
Good
I'll search for detailed information about Incubus's album "Make Yourself" to provide you with a comprehensive in-depth review. # In-Depth Review: *Make Yourself* by Incubus (1999) Released on October 26, 1999, *Make Yourself* represents a pivotal moment in Incubus's career—a deliberate evolution from the zany funk-metal of their earlier work toward a more mature, emotionally resonant sound. This album didn't just break the band into the mainstream; it established them as thoughtful artists capable of balancing aggression with vulnerability in a way that distinguished them from their nu-metal contemporaries. --- ## Musical Composition & Production ### The Sound Palette The album occupies a unique sonic space that blends alternative rock, funk, hip-hop elements, and what would become the band's signature "space rock" aesthetic. Guitarist Mike Einziger pushed the band toward more sophisticated songwriting, moving away from the cartoonish energy of *S.C.I.E.N.C.E.* (1997) toward something more atmospheric and emotionally grounded . The production, handled by Scott Litt (known for his work with R.E.M.), achieves a polished yet dynamic sound. The album expertly employs the "quiet verse/heavy chorus" dynamic that became a template for modern rock, but executes it with enough variation to avoid monotony. Tracks like "Pardon Me" and "When It Comes" demonstrate this approach perfectly—languid, atmospheric verses exploding into anthemic, full-throated choruses . ### Instrumental Highlights - **Guitar Work**: Einziger's playing evolved from riff-heavy funk to more textural, ambient approaches. His use of effects like flangers and Leslie speakers creates otherworldly atmospheres, particularly on "The Warmth" and "Drive" . - **Rhythm Section**: Bassist Dirk Lance and drummer José Pasillas form a formidable foundation. Lance's bass tone is described as "full-bodied and the audio equivalent of a warm hug," while Pasillas incorporates drum-and-bass influenced rhythms that add sophistication to tracks like "Pardon Me" . - **DJ Integration**: Chris Kilmore's turntable work adds character without overwhelming the songs. On "Battlestar Scralatchtica," he collaborates with DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist to create a showcase for scratching that, while divisive among fans, demonstrates technical skill . --- ## Lyrical Themes & Emotional Core The lyrics on *Make Yourself* represent Brandon Boyd's "open poetic therapy session" following personal trauma. During the writing process, Boyd discovered his girlfriend of eight years had been unfaithful while he was touring, and he was also processing the deaths of a family member and a friend . This emotional crucible produced some of the most vulnerable and relatable lyrics in late-90s rock. ### Central Themes: **1. Self-Actualization and Freedom** The album's title track serves as its mission statement: "If you let them make you / They'll make you papier-mâché / At a distance you're strong, until the wind comes / Then you crumble and blow away." The chorus's defiant declaration—"And if I fuck me / I'll fuck me in my own way"—captures the album's ethos of self-definition . **2. Heartbreak and Healing** "Pardon Me" channels Boyd's anger and world-weariness, inspired by an article about spontaneous human combustion. The famous opening line—"A decade ago, I never thought I would be / At 23 on the verge of spontaneous combustion"—captures quarter-life crisis anxiety with startling specificity . Conversely, "Stellar" documents the redemptive power of new love. Written about his new girlfriend Jo (who appears in the video), the song uses cosmic imagery to describe transcendental connection: "Meet me in outer space / We could spend the night, watch the Earth come up" . **3. Resistance to Cynicism** "The Warmth" stands as the album's emotional centerpiece, urging listeners to resist becoming "cynical and jaded." The refrain "Experience the warmth before you grow old" serves as a reminder to remain open to beauty despite life's disappointments . **4. Communication and Authenticity** "Clean" explores frustration with emotional obfuscation, pleading for directness: "You'd feel better if you'd vent, put your frustrations into four letter words / And let them out on mine / The most weathered ears in town" . --- ## Cultural Impact & Influence *Make Yourself* arrived at a crucial moment in rock music. As Brandon Boyd noted, the late 90s were dominated by "mindless" heavy music—"heavy for heavy's sake" . Incubus offered an alternative: loud guitars serving emotional substance rather than aggression alone. The album's success—propelled by singles "Pardon Me," "Stellar," and especially the acoustic-driven "Drive"—proved that nu-metal adjacent bands could achieve mainstream success without sacrificing intelligence or vulnerability. "Drive" became a cultural touchstone, its music video (featuring a topless Boyd) breaking the band to a wider audience while hinting at their future melodic direction . The album influenced a generation of alternative rock bands by demonstrating that: - Emotional vulnerability could coexist with heavy instrumentation - DJ elements could enhance rather than define a rock band's sound - Personal lyrics about mental health and self-discovery had a place in mainstream rock As one retrospective noted, Incubus "created their own" subgenre rather than falling into existing categories . --- ## Pros & Cons ### **Pros** | Aspect | Details | |--------|---------| | **Emotional Authenticity** | Boyd's lyrics feel genuinely drawn from personal experience rather than manufactured angst, creating deep listener connection | | **Vocal Performance** | Boyd's range is remarkable—capable of tender intimacy ("I Miss You"), soaring melodies ("Stellar"), and raw aggression ("Out from Under") | | **Dynamic Range** | The album seamlessly shifts between heavy funk-rock ("Privilege," "Consequence") and delicate acoustic moments ("Drive") without losing cohesion | | **Musical Chemistry** | The interplay between Einziger and Lance creates a unique rhythmic foundation that separates Incubus from their peers | | **Timeless Singles** | "Drive," "Stellar," and "Pardon Me" remain radio staples decades later, testament to their songwriting craft | | **Thematic Cohesion** | Despite musical variety, the album maintains a consistent focus on self-determination and emotional growth | ### **Cons** | Aspect | Details | |--------|---------| | **Inconsistent Deep Cuts** | Tracks like "Nowhere Fast" and "Out from Under" don't match the memorability of the singles, suffering from similar dynamic structures | | **"Battlestar Scralatchtica"** | This instrumental jam, while technically impressive, disrupts the album's flow between "Clean" and "I Miss You." Many critics consider it skippable or cringeworthy | | **Production Polish** | Some listeners find the late-90s production overly polished, arguing it "washed out" energy present in their earlier work | | **Lyrical Inconsistency** | While often profound, Boyd occasionally delivers clunkers like "consequence you'll find is stranger than a gang of drunken mimes" or the infamously awkward "to resist is to piss in the wind" | | **DJ Elements Dated** | The turntable scratching, innovative for its time, can sound gimmicky to modern ears unfamiliar with the nu-metal era | | **Nostalgia Dependency** | The album's impact is significantly enhanced by nostalgia for late-90s/early-2000s culture; new listeners may not grasp its revolutionary context | --- ## Verdict *Make Yourself* succeeds as both a time capsule of late-90s alternative rock and a document of genuine artistic growth. It represents the crucial middle chapter in Incubus's evolution—bridging the funk-metal chaos of *S.C.I.E.N.C.E.* with the refined atmospherics of *Morning View* (2001). The album's greatest achievement is its balancing act: it maintains enough aggression to satisfy mosh-pit enthusiasts while introducing the melodic sophistication and emotional vulnerability that would define the band's best work. Brandon Boyd's decision to treat songwriting as "poetic therapy" resulted in lyrics that resonated with a generation struggling with similar questions of identity, heartbreak, and self-determination. While not without flaws—the occasional weak track, some dated production choices, and inconsistent lyrical quality—*Make Yourself* remains a defining document of its era. It proved that rock music could be commercially viable without sacrificing intelligence or emotional authenticity, influencing countless bands that followed. **Rating: 8.5/10** — Essential listening for understanding the evolution of alternative rock at the turn of the millennium, and a testament to the power of personal transformation channeled through art.
Musically, I loved this. Great production, loud, crunchy guitars, some more experimental sounds in there too. Some really nice catchy choruses too. The vocals are not really my thing and it’s a shame because it lowers my overall enjoyment a bit. Still, a very solid, high 4.
Boring parade of anodyne and generic nu-metal wankfests swinging for unearned drama.
Standard boring late 90s grunge hard rock. What am I missing?
Really space-like and hovering sound that I could immerse myself in more than I could enjoy. Also the vocals were not the most pleasing which didn’t help. Obviously recognizing Drive, the rest of the songs all had some cool stuff going on but nothing was especially my favorite. While this was cool I would not listen again.
Not bad. It feels like all the genres of the 90s in one package: drums giving grunge, his voice sounds kinda punky sometimes, and the guitar is like alt rock/metal. Drive was the only song I knew still the only song I remember.
I like the genre but the artist is eh
Never expected to run into this album on the list, but it holds a special place in my heart. I got this CD unexpectedly for Easter one year when I was about 9 years old and fell quickly in love with it. To this day, it is one of a few familiar fallbacks for road trips -- always puts a smile on my face and transports me back to simpler times. I think some of the production sounds kind of crappy (a bit clipped and tinny), but the songs are solid and the vocals are some of the better in genre. Love Privilege as an opener -- propulsive and satisfying. Nowhere Fast takes a dip into mildly psychedelic (shimmery) territory -- always found this to be a very satisfying song. Consequences is a little rough around the edges, but has a similarly satisfying play about it. The Warmth is actually probably my favorite song on here. Sure the whale noises are kind of goofy, but I've always loved the contrast between the bass and the synth line. Stellar > Make Yourself > Drive make for a solid center album experience. Hard not to want to sing along with Drive. Battlestar Scralatchtica feels a bit like they were throwing a bone to their DJ. I'm not hating it, but it sits edgewise with a funk rhythm backing some mixing and scratching. And it is a bit oddly sequenced before their Blink 182 adjacent I Miss You. Solid 4 in my book.
Another nostalgia induced listen. I think Kellen had this album so I would play it on the little red radio/cd player I had in my room pretty often. I like that the bonafide hits on this album are spread out instead of being entirely front loaded like we often see. I also forgot how good Stellar was. Clean is a personal favorite of mine back then and I think it remains my favorite off this album today. The simple drums and scratching in the intro is pretty unique. The rest of the song is fine, but the intro is so unique. Battlestar Scralatchtica was an odd, but welcome change of pace.
Classic late 90s rock sound. I don't think I have ever fully listened to this album but I know so many songs from it. Just screams teenage James music with the heavy distorted guitar and loud drums.
Love Incubus but I'm kinda surprised this is on here over Morning View. Either way they tend to blend heavy and psychedelic melodies while still being accessible so I'll always have love for them. This album does have two of my favorite songs, The Warmth and Pardon Me, and you can't deny that Stellar to Clean just slaps to holy hell. Drive specifically. It's their top song on AM and for good reason. This is an easy 4. Had just a couple of duds to miss the 5. But damn I'm going to listen to Morning View.
Monotonous. I thought Incubus were more energetic than this.
Very 2000s. Didn’t realize how much incubus i listened to back then.
Banger
how did this make the list. Like it’s not bad but come on.
Okay so this is a fun discovery, I actually enjoy this kind of music. 15 year old me would never guess. The very first song and the way of singing made me think that maybe, just maybe, artic monkeys got some inspiration from this album. I don’t know but something made me think of them when the first song was playing.
I'm giving this 3 stars instead of 2 because I have a friend who really likes incubus whose spirit would be crushed if I gave this a negative score.
Better than punk
OK, but more metal than I like.
Struggled to get through that
I didn't hate this album which surprised me. When the group got away from the heavy head-banging music with the strong guitar riffs and the ponderous drums, there were songs that I liked: example: "I Miss You". I appreciated that the songs weren't terribly long also.
Love it. Nostalgia definitely a contributor. Bring back, the band with the DJ genre.
ik was echt aan proberen te zoeken naar iets goeda wat ik hierover kon zeggen maar no
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be thereeeee (das het enigste goed stukje uit dit album, de rest is gwn een beetje lame sorry)
I question myself how I managed to go my entire life without knowing who Incubus are. Yesterday, I thought I knew every popular nu-metal band. "Make Yourself" has the hallmarks of a nu-metal album, except for the rapping. "Drive", despite being the most famous song on "Make Yourself", is average to me. I would've remembered this album fondly if I had heard of Incubus years ago. 4 stars for "Make Yourself".
Typical late 90s wanna be edgy, kinda good, kinda bad, rock. Feels like I need a soul patch or to be bald with a long beard to enjoy this.
Honestly, I remember this album being a lot better as a kid. A lot of songs don’t seem fully fleshed out but then you listen to something like drive, which just sounds totally different than the rest of the album and it’s just an incredible song.
Seems overhated. As far as 90s grunge rock goes, vocals are pretty good, and musicality is excellent. To be fair, lyrics are indeed laughably bad at points. Drums are a highlight for me here both in performance and tone. Overall I quite enjoyed listening to this and don’t think it deserves the hate.
Holy shit this is the one that has Drive on it.
2.5 - ok, mostly carried by drive
I actually liked this a lot don’t get the hate, the record scratching I found it pretty camp.
I never listened to Incubus, but I remember that, when I was a kid and their videos were in rotation on MTV, I found them pretty boring. After listening to this record, I want to tell the "teenager" me this: "You were extremely right!" Only saveable track is Drive, bonus point.
Not what I expected to be listening to this Thursday morning. I remember seeing the music video for “Drive” a lot when I was younger, but that track feels like an outlier for the album. A extra star for the guitar on “Nowhere Fast” and “Consequence.” Minus a star for lyrics that I found to be corny or cringey. And we’re left at one star.
Incubus deliverers intriguing sounds (When it Comes/Make Yourself) and cringy lyrics (Make Yourself). They seemed to have succeeded with two radio hits. I understand why Drive became so popular, but don’t understand why this band did. 2.5 rounded down. Post Script: Sometimes this project feels like Groundhog Day.
Decent album, but the lyrics are absurdly bad
Lmfao, I guess I love Incubus. Like Linkin Park if Linkin Park weren't complete nerd losers. Super fucking sick. Can get a little cheesy at times ("The Warmth," "Stellar," "I Miss You") but otherwise it stays hot. Whoda thunk! Edit: Alriiiiiight, maybe it's just generally cheesier than I remember. Kind of "alternative lite." Oh well. Still fun.
HOLY DRUMMER ‼️ this is an amazing album holy shit
Ohhhhhh kay
I know contemporary Incubus tends to be more of a punchline than something people enjoy listening to but I did enjoy this look back at their earlier stuff. It’s not an album I’ll ever listen to again but it was solidly fine. Round up to 2.5 stars.
The dudliest dude rock of the early 2000s. Some of the gnarliest lyrics penned upside down while chugging a keg. Also, there’s a random hit in this that snaps you back to being 15 in a Kohl’s in a very real way.
#832. This is very nearly a 5 star album. There are some really great songs here, but there are a few that really drag it down. I've never listened to this whole album before, and I realize I'm better off just listening to the songs I already like instead of listening to the whole album. 4/5: pretty great
Incredible vocals, honestly some real hits not just Drive. Good album
Alternative-Rock, 1999 -> 2
Drive
Great record. I listened to this a lot back in the day. But I don’t know if it’s actually good? I’m biased
I'm actually kind of positively surprised by this. I don't think it's incredible or anything but it's fine for what it is. It's an okay pop-alt-rock record. It's just alright. Like a solid 6/10. It's nothing mind-blowing and there's quite a few things I could point out with a critical lens, like the lyrics, which are from a technical perspective very rudimentary (though I appreciate the themes and message behind them for the most part). There's also some things which are worthy of merit (e.g. the guitar parts on some of the songs were interesting) and overall it's still enjoyable enough and an easy listen. Maybe my opinion's kind of coloured by nostalgia, as I was born the same year this came out and this kind of music was very much the sound of the early 2000's. I don't know, and I'm not sure if it really matters. I'm not sure if it belongs on this list though. It seems like this is technically classified as nu-metal (though it really doesn't feel like so to me, at least), and while I don't feel like this is an egregious pick, you could do better in that genre. I know for example 'Toxicity' by System Of A Down isn't on the main list, which is a massive shame. But you could also do much, much, MUCH worse, so it's whatever. 3/5
3.5
Overall Rating - 3.65/5 (7.31/10). This is very good hard rock. I didn't know what to expect, but this (and a couple of other albums I've gotten on this journey) are starting to shift my opinion of genera I turned up my nose at in my younger years.
Much less bad than Limbus Kit
Incubus.... I didn't think it worked in 1999, and I'm not convinced it does now. Not sure how this ended up on the list. I certainly would not include it. More interesting albums than this from the period of 1998-1999 that to my knowledge are not on this list: Nine Inch Nails THE FRAGILE, Rage Against the Machine THE BATTLE FOR LOS ANGELES, Vast VISUAL AUDIO SENSORY THEATER, and Massive Attack MEZZANINE.
Solid album. It’s weird how different “Drive” is from the rest of it.
This is perfect music for when life just sucks at the moment. The lyrics are angsty with a few glimmers of hope and optimism, and thus they really resonated with me. There were only one or two songs that wasn’t really feeling, but this was an overall great album. Idk maybe that’s lame, but I really enjoyed this album and will definitely listen again.
Better than Coldplay
As far as nu metal goes, this probably as good as it gets. However, that is not exactly a high bar.
Drive is about the only song that’s worth listening to once. I think there’s a lot more albums even in the nu metal genre worth being on this list over Incubus because I can’t imagine there’s a whole lot more
erste song scho bass chords im prechorus und de dj scratcht zum die zweit strophe ilüüte. bands hend ide 90er afoch en scratch guy gha amel??? ich find de gitarresound wenns los goht (so afang vo nowhere fast) scho sehr cool und isch wie bi limp bizkit afoch e wand. und aber huui isch das züg compressed as fuuuuck. find aso ihri strophe sind erstuunlich variabel, schlagzüg beats mega kompliziert. au meeega 90er. aber s hittet gad nöd schlecht? bin recht überrascht. nöd denkt dasi amne typische 90er rock album es vieri gib aber das passiert glaub.
hahaha ich kenn nur das einte album mit dem CHOPF privilige macht na spass. für mich klassische 90er rock nowhere fast het e cooli strophe consequence chunntmer bekannt vor? find hüfig de kontrast vonere ener ruhige strophe mit eme luute refrain funktioniert huere guet drive isch e gueti churzi pause hahahah battlestar isch dumm und macht SPASS isch jz nöd megaa vill hange blibe aber han e gueti ziit gha
Niu-metal, average has some banger classics though
Kolejny metal, który niezbyt kojarzy mi się z metalem. Taki popmetal z lekko placebowskim wokalem. Nie wiem, słuchało mi się przyjemnie, ale mam wrażenie, że to jest wybór metalopodobny, jakieś to za lekkie dla mnie. Nie żebym lubiła metal, ale jak ciężkie granie jest na diecie to średnio mi to leży. 6.5/10 równane w dół.
The most bland version of an edgy band possible.
This was a pleasant surprise. It took me several weeks to force myself, groaning in protest, to finally listen. I was the definition of low expectations which can, usually, only favor a record. I thought it would be relentless screaming death metal. Instead, it is that much-parodied, late-‘90s fad of funk/rap/metal/rock fusion. But you know what? Today, I fuck with it. The lead singer has a great voice. He’s melodic. The band gets funky, they groove, and they can headbang too when needed. I even enjoyed the scratching, the warmth of specific ‘90s nostalgia working for me. And the romantic in me was pleased to hear a couple of straight out romance songs. The lyrics show a writer who is not afraid to say that he has fallen in love. It’s not going into the rotation, I can’t quite give it a 4. But it’s on the borderline. High 3
Lowkey hate the vocals. Not that I usually enjoy them anyway. This album is just a rare example where I think straight up removing the vocals would’ve made the record better. And there’s a lot to like here. I mean, there’s one thing to like—the riffs—there’s just a lot of that one thing. I’m biased. Heavy alternative rock is one of the most consistently entertaining music styles for me. And this album was still fun. I just don’t like how great some of these riffs are while the vocals are straight from a Panic at the Disco single. 7/10
There is a lot of good work in this album. Nice melody's and the DJ adds so much but it falls short of being what it could.
Goeie alternative rock met enkele bangers
No private session used for Spotify. I have this CD somewhere and Drive was played constantly. After listening it to again after a couple of decades or so, I understand why I don't know where the CD is. Is has a couple of great songs and some filler.
Liked this more than I thought I would.
Genuinely pleasantly surprised by this album. I obviously knew the two huge hit songs on this album which were massive hits when I was in elementary school. But sincerely those are the two best tracks on the album. That doesn’t mean the album it self was mediocre, I was actually surprised by how much variety it had and how much they were doing with their sound. Like they had the time to make heavier less popular stuff like “out from under” but then they still had time for the pop hits like “drive” and “pardon me”. I do think the guys voice can get grating cause it’s so dramatic but did genuinely enjoy his voice on most of the tracks. It’s nice to find that the albums that contains huge hits still have hidden gems on them from time to time. Fun listen for sure.
One of my favorite bands of the time, and this one is a classic.
I'm baffled as to how this made the list. I'm not a fan of nu-metal anyway, but surely there are much better and more influential examples of the genre. Utterly uninteresting to me.
Not a style I enjoy
like alanis morisette but not as good
I’ve heard this once before and remembered it was very different overall than the single, “Drive,” which was one of my favorite popular songs from a year I didn’t like very much radio music. The album starts off pretty engaging but starts to sag in the middle until Drive, which still sounds good a quarter century later. The only terrible part of the album was the last two songs. Pardon Me has an irritating delivery, and Out From Under an incredibly stupid lyric they felt the need to repeat. I probably won’t go too long without playing Drive, but I might never play the rest again.
Epitome of late 90s/early 00s man rock, not my favorite alas
7.5/10
Ni idea del grupo. Está guay. Me recordó mucho a System of a Down o algo del palo, aunque estos tienen un DJ. Una vez más me hizo pensar en lo curiosísimo del panorama de finales de los 90 principios de los 2000, con el nu-metal o lo que sea que sea esto dominando, y el surgimiendo de los Strokes en un escenario como este. Wild. ¿Se podría rastrear todo a la influencia de Nirvana o algo? El teen angst comercializado a cholón de los 2000 es un fenómeno raro. Menos mal que algunos tiraron por otros géneros (y otras masculinidades).
Incubus makes kind of dumb music but sometimes it hits and that's truly incredible
How is this on the list? I was very aware of Incubus when this album was released. It sucked then, and it continues to suck now.
Easy 5, what a monumental album. Contains the best of what rock has to offer, particularly around the turn of the millennium. Heavy riffs, interesting progressions, provocative and thought-provoking lyrics, killer rhythm, filthy basslines, and a DJ to make it unique. Yes, you have to hear this before you die. Try and enjoy it, you only get to hear it for the first time once.
Held up decently well.
Nice revisit. Love the hits on here, but the rest just doesn’t resonate with me.
This was a cusp one for me. I remember liking it a lot more when it was released, most likely due to the strength of the singles, especially Drive. Hearing it again today, it’s not bad. It’s just kinda one dimensional. They do a good job of separating themselves from other fellow bands at the time, but in the end the lyrics are surprisingly kinda elementary and the scratching starts to be gimmicky. Still, this album definitely stands out as one that ushered in the 2000s. I think I grew a bad goatee just listening to it.
Man I listened to this one a lot back in the day. I had stumbled upon Science from these guys a couple years earlier but was way into this one and Morning View. Some pretty big songs on here for late 90s rock (Pardon Me, Stellar, and obviously Drive). Not sure how others feel about these guys now but still among my faves.
This benefits from being right in my 18 year old wheel house. Still a very solid rock album. The scratching is hit or miss for me and Battlestar Scralatchtica was unnecessary. Certainly drive, pardon me and stellar are the hits. I’d forgotten about I Miss You and really like that song. 3.75
Nostalgia-bomb from the high school years. Lots of recognizable hits and thought this could be a sleeper 5*. But the album didn't end up rising to that level. Gulf between quality of hits and rest of the album is just too big. Fun to revisit. 3.75/5
Incubus... i feel like i should know who they are but i can't recall a single track they've ever done from memory. either this is a fresh listen for me or my memory is going to shit Privilege - 3/5 Nowhere Fast - 4/5 Consequence - 3/5 The Warmth - 1/5 When It Comes - 1/5 Stellar - 3/5 Make Yourself - 4/5 Drive - 4/5 Clean - 3/5 Battlestar Scralatchtica - 1/5 I Miss You - 3/5 Pardon Me - 5/5 Out From Under - 3/5 Average score: 2.9/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ oooooh, i remember them now! i vaguely remember hearing Drive and Pardon me on the radio and/or from movies a lot growing up but i never really was an active listener sadly, this album was otherwise just so-so. maybe my opinion would be different if i were exposed to this as a teen or something but it just doesn't do much for me now
I saw Incubus supporting Korn while Brandon still had dreads, and then years later headining on this album tour. 'Drive' helped propel them to stardom, but I always thought they walked the funk/metal tightrope pretty well. Interesting guitar tones, nice melodies. Decent vocals, when they didn't descend into hippie surfer nonsense. With that said, is it really in the top 1000 albums ever? Their later stuff was nowhere near as interesting, but I think there are better examples of things going on around then. Still, at least it isn't RHCP.
Atrocious, except for Battlestar Scralatchtica, which I thought was great
I thought for sure I would like this more, but it showed why I never really got into Incubus.
I liked this album. It was pretty standard rock but with some heavier and metal elements that made it cooler to me. I thought the vocals and instrumentals played equal roles in creating the overall sound and essence. I also appreciate that each track was unique and not very repetitive. I was not expecting a track like Battlestar Scralatchtica, but I think it’s a great addition to showcase the musicianship of the group and demonstrate their abilities across genres.
Not my favorite music. Appreciate their lyrics…or, at least, their messages. I’ll give them a 3 just for their lyrics.
If I were 25 years younger, I would probably give this at three. But I’m too old for it now! 😂
Thought I'd like this more. 'Drive' is such a good song that it makes the rest of it look even worse because nothing comes close to it. Ah well.
I was never a fan of Incubus. Never listened to them. This just changed my mind. Great band with a lot of punch!
Mild nu-metal with some hip-hop scratching, some dub/reggae bass/beats and normal non-shouty vocals. A little more palatable than most nu-metal, but still mostly forgettable. The track "Drive", one of the singles released from this record, was fairly popular on the radio and is marginally memorable, "Pardon Me" has some System of a Down and Faith No More homage, and "Battlestar Scralatchtica" is a novelty funk-lounge ditty with turntables, but nothing else particularly stands out.
7/10 - не слушал
This is the sort of shit the kid that drank Monster 24/7 named Kyle would listen to while raging on Modern Warfare 2. And this isn't metal. This is shit.
They learned all the wrong lessons from Deftones and 311.
Yall would have to pry this band from my cold dead hands
"Make Yourself" is the third studio album by American rock band Incubus. Alternative metal, nu metal, alternative rock and funk rock are the Wiki-listed genres. The album was produced by Scott Litt of R.EM. fame. Bandmembers included Brandon Boyd (vocals, percussion), Mike Einziger (guitar), DJ Kilmore (turntables), Dirk Lance (bass) and Jose Pasillas (drums). Commercially, the album reached #47 on the US Billboard 200 and #83 on the UK Albums Chart. It received generally positive reviews. A heavy guitar and bass riff open the album in "Privilege." A hard rock beat with very tinny drums. Scratching added and we're definitely in the nu metal category. Oh, boy. Boyd vocals more in the hair metal era as he sings about the weight of freedom and natural born rights. The guitar goes away from the metal sound being high-pitched, echoing and reverbing in "The Warmth." A funky, off-kilter bass and drums. This is more like it. About having hope against the world's cynicism. The second single "Stellar" starts with synth outer space noises, a slow melodic guitar and a ticking percussion. Boyd opens whispering and then we get the soft-loud-soft dynamic. A nice hard rock sound in the loud part. Nice bass fills too. A song inspired by Boyd's new girlfriend Jo. The band's breakthrough single into the pop world was "Drive." More of a ballad with an acoustic guitar lead. Scratching fills and a phased guitar solo. Layered Boyd vocals as he reckons with fear and uncertainty. The first-released single was "Pardon Me." Scratching, percussion and a reverbing guitar. More soft-loud-soft. More of a hard rock than nu metal guitar in the loud parts. Thank You! Boyd rapping-singing combo as he needs to expel his pressures and transform by bursting into flames. I've always liked this song. This is an album that combines styles, some that work and one that doesn't. Let's start out with the negative; nu metal and nu metal guitar sounds are just plain annoying. When the band goes there, I hate it. Almost everything else here works. Boyd was challenged to be more personal and he is with deep lyrics sung emotionally. The band does a good job with the soft-loud-soft dynamic. The guitar is great when higher-pitched, echoing and reverbing. The rhythm section is solid and at times great. The limited scratching works fine. The three singles released are all excellent songs. Overall, this is an album worth listening to while trying to avoid or gritting your teeth through the nu metal-sounding parts.
weirdly nostalgic for me for some reason drive is definitely the best track
I could have died without listening to this...
A perfectly adequate post-grunge, nu-metal album. Not as good as other better-known records in the genre but definitely fine.
Older brother core
Although occasionally very strangely syncopated with the vocals and music, this was a very pleasurable listening experience, and this has definitely ought to be one of the greatest late-90s albums.
Apesar de lançado no fim de 1999 esse álbum tem toda a energia do início dos anos 2000. Eu não ouvia esse tipo de som na época, mas dá uma nostalgia da adolescência. Álbum divertido. Letshuoer D13.
I’m just a bit of a hater when it comes to this kind of thing
This is an album. It has notes. There are songs. The songs follow a tempo. The tempo varies sometimes and sometimes the notes also change.
Zuhause, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Die drei Punkte gibts nur, weil Weihnachten ist. Lahmes Album!
I’m in the early days of this and am trying to make an effort to understand the appeal of music I just don’t get. And I can see how this kind of raw distortion would appeal to young men. But I am neither young nor a man and it just makes me feel like I am being yelled at. The band does tone it down during the song “Drive” and that is what I added to my Generator playlist.
I enjoyed this album listen! This was a solid alt rock album with a few bangers sprinkled in. I haven’t listened to much Incubus but this made me want to check out more of their music. Overall, I enjoyed this album and would listen to it again.
This rating was partially inflated by nostalgia, but regardless, I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I just wish it had a little more versatility in its sound. Favorite Track: "Drive".
The best song on this was Drive, and I don’t even like that song. It was just the most melodic. Not a fan of the nu-metal grungy whatever. There’s a large amount of 90s alt rock that I just don’t love. Incubus doesn’t hit the spot for me
I didn’t expect to like this but was presently surprised that I did.
Not a fan of these folks, but a couple of good songs. I'm going to deduct a star for the lame scratching stuff.
Brandon Boyd spends most of the record sounding like he’s searching for a melody in real time, only occasionally landing one ("Drive") before politely moving on.
Given the huge amount of press and popularity for their earlier "S.CI.E.N.C.E" album, this seems like a curious choice to represent Incubus in this collection. I'm not complaining, since I just discovered that I own this album along with "S.CI.E.N.C.E", but I'll admit that the latter album made much more of an impression on me than "Make Yourself" did and does. It was probably a wise move to be a bit more accessible with this album, sort of the way that the Red Hot Chili Peppers also moved towards a more anodyne mainstream sound that was clearly a lot more commercially successful; I can also see the comparisons to early Faith No More. (Funny to read that some of their albums a decade after this album's release were basically adult soft rock/contemporary....) But there are a few solid tracks on this album beyond their three bit hits (the very RHCP-esque "Stellar", the addictive "Drive" and the biggest one of all, "Pardon me"); I found "The warmth" curiously engaging and affecting, especially the strangely hopeful line "not everyone here is that f**ked up and cold"; words to live by then as now. And plenty of credit to the band for carving out their own sound in the midst of a pretty low point for hard-rock/metal/noise bands, and for continuing to evolve and play far into the 21st century, where this collection seemingly dares not tread.
Nope. So little rhythm here... like no rhythm. There are instruments and there are vocals and it's hard to find what's compelling about any of it. Go Make Yourself, Incubus.
Wow so 90's. Don't like his voice. And a good example of why anything that came from Sublime sucks.
Solid album. Some recognizable songs. I enjoyed this one. 3.5 on the 4 side.
Big meh
This was a surprisingly good album. Nice grungy sounds on some songs.
This passed me by in 1999, maybe I was busy with Millenium Bug preparations. Anyway, here we are 26 years later and I've seen references made that this is the beginnings of nu metal....is it though? They do is to make a decent alt rock noise, which to my ear gives this a strong 3-star rating. However, after prolonged listening time the vocals develop a whiny sameness that detracts from the music. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (6/10)
I had a phase when I was 15 and a smiths girl where I was really into drive. made a whole playlist with the same vibe. never listened to the other stuff. it is good, nice voice and stuff. but not world shattering.
Oof - Just, not good. It's well recorded, and they clearly can play. But, with the exception of Drive, I heard no songs among the tracks; just a succession of engineered sonic-cliches-du-jour stacked on top of one another. And the lyrics are awk-ward. I feel like I'm listening to a 15-year old suburbanite wrestling with the conflict between his dreams of becoming a youth pastor and his frustrations at learning that the world isn't treating him like his mother always has.
ok
5/10 - kind of typical American rock from the 90s, can't say I'm enamoured
Dear god this is tedious
Some ups and downs on this album, but I can comfortably give it a 4. Drive is incredible.
another Indie Radio darling
To think, this was cool back in the 90s.
Really good
not bad, nice rock
Nah
nice enough
The sound of a spiritually confused skateboarder having an epiphany at sunset. Rating: 4.2/5 Short Review: Funky, crunchy, earnest, slightly cosmic — this is peak late-90s alt-rock, back when bands thought scratching turntables next to a poetic lead singer was the height of evolution. It’s emotional but not whiny, heavy but not bro-y, spiritual but not cringe (well… not that cringe). The album feels like a coming-of-age montage for someone who lives at REI. Favorite Track: Stellar — because of course you like the song that sounds like floating through space with a crush.
That's not my taste in music - But ok
I actually cannot psychologically even attempt to listen to this as this was my horrible 40 year old boyfriend’s favorite band, and I would cry and cry in my long-distance dorm room listening to “Wish You Were Here”. Wow, life gets better and that’s cool.
Fitting name and imagery for a band that embedded it's little nu-metal prickers into my brain for all time through the power of FM radio even though I never liked these songs not even one little bit. I think a major contributor to my miserable adolescence was just the ubiquitously terrible alt-rock music that was popular in the late 90s/early aughts. The kids today are so blessed with their streaming platforms and cornucopia of good music!
Decent
Good and interesting. 4*
I don’t understand why I needed to listen to listen. It sounded like late 90’s hard rock which is not a genre I particularly like. I knew Drive and Pardon Me.
Easily something me and my friends could have listened to around that time.
Fun stuff individually but as an album not as much
Enjoyed more than I was expecting, interesting mix of sounds
I guess the dj was their standout sound?
Never heard incubus before. Will listen again
This is another one of those “just ok” albums. It might fit on a list of 10,001 albums but probably should not be on a list of 1,001 albums. It sounds ok with a pleasant mix of alt rock styles but they’re clearly taking their sound from many great bands that came before within 10 years from when this was released and it doesn’t sound like they’ve taken that sound and elevated it much. The vocals are good, the musicianship is good, and there’s some interesting things going on with the arrangements and the mix but I still can’t help but think that this sounds a bit second rate. There’s some potential here though and with further listens and perhaps a deeper examination of the lyrics it might click with me but for now this goes in the ok pile and I’m unfortunately left with that feeling of hoping for a better album tomorrow.
Wasn’t a big fan of the vocals but there were some okay moments on the album
I don’t remember when the concert was but remember seeing the Killers opening at RedRocks before the Roofie kicked in. I also don’t remember getting home that night. For the record, it was not voluntarily. The funny part is I when I relisten to this album I get flashes of that night, particularly the song Make Yourself. Incubus was right there in the pocket with bands like 311, Hed PE, and Sugar Ray, but they had something unique. It was more focused, more serious, and lyrically it didn’t rhyme, which was different. This album has a personal effect because I was caught in a big friend change up/divorce at the time and this album was the only thing that was commonly agreed on. It’s funny how some albums remind you of certain times in life. This one was definitely quarter life crisis. However, the music was great. The songs Drive and Make Yourself made the annual soundtrack and still resonate today. Someday I should go see them. This time I’ll bring my own drink….
Random thoughts: * Incubus contains multitudes. There is so much going on this album: metal, alternative, ska, scratching. * the hit song sounds very little like the rest of the album. I think I would have really liked this if I had bought/owned the album when this came out. But the hit song didn’t pull me in. I wonder how much of a disservice that song actually did for them. * I need to revisit this album. It requires multiple listens. I think I could end up liking this one better.
Similar to the Chilis, they successfully changed their sound from rap-rock-turntable-whatever to palatable “alternative radio”. Some of the songs are solid, but gosh, did I just listen to the same song 12 times over?
Gear: 64 Audio Duo Artwork: 🛸🧬🌐 Production: 🔊⬇️🙉 Music: 🤘👶🤘 Ratinng: 👽👽👽(👽)/5
If Limp Biscuit wanted to be Nickleback, or vice versa
Är det Takida?
Varför finns den här musik? För vem finns den här musiken? Försöker det vara hårt? Försöker det vara känslosamt? Inget uppfylls. Allt känns påklistrat. Bara en sak är sämre än musiken; skivomslaget.
Fy fan! Till och med värre än New wave!
Redan efter första riffet vill jag stänga av.
I don't have strong feelings, but apparently 'Drive' was on my liked songs playlist.
Another album I've always wanted to hear in its entirety. Pretty fun. Gets repetitive after a while. 7/10
I ran out of time and was only able to listen to about half of the album, but I liked it better than expected. Nothing that I would need to hear again, though. It’s another 3 star album for me.
Not a fan
I'm sorry — this is metal? And, y'know, I didn't even wanna ask that question. Ultimately, it's not that important; I'm not enough of a "metal purist" to where that sort of thing matters to me. I mean, genre labels can be bullshit anyway, and I've read that Incubus weren't even trying to make metal, let alone aim for any other specific genre. But: this being labelled as metal. And nu metal at that. I can hear why it would be labeled as such. There are some heavy guitars throughout this thing. Real kinda "chug chug" distortion kind stuff. Plus, in terms of this being nu metal, the vocals and lyrics sure fit. Goodness, some of the stuff that gets said during "When It Comes"? That's some nu metal angst for sure alright. Also: turntables! I didn't expect to hear 'em, so I sure got my shit slapped when they popped up on the first song. I'm not just not sure it's all **enough**, is my problem. Sure, the guitars are heavy, but are we gonna act like that's all metal is? Heavy guitars? I'm no metal head, but I feel I've heard enough to know there's more to the genre. This album just feels like it doesn't go as hard into metal as it could have — if it'd **wanted** to be metal, anyway. Actually, y'know what this album **really** is, to me? Like, if it ain't metal it has to be **something**, and I can tell you just what: this is rock radio shit. This is the kind of stuff where, if you'd clicked on rock radio in the early 2000's, this is what you'd hear. This is material hard enough to "rock" while also being light enough so as to not scare too many people off. Like, yeah, you've got the guitars, but they're not as loud as they'd be on a typical metal song — and most of these songs are lighter alt. rock anyway. I mean, goodness, the band said they were inspired by ambient music as they were making this thing, and I can hear it. And is it a bad thing? Y'know, being an album of rock radio fodder? I'll tell you that at the very least I'm not about to start crowing about how Incubus "sold out." You wanna talk about concepts that matter to me as much as a hill of beans ... but seriously, for being stuff you'd hear on rock radio, it's not bad. Not at all. I'm sure this album killed it. But, I'unno. For my tastes, I'd rather listen to straight-up rock or straight-up metal. This middle-ground thing it's doing ain't the worst, but it ain't doin' too much either. I'd even take Limp Bizkit over this; at least they're metal through and through. You hear that bassline on "Nookie", by the way? Crazy shit. I'm not sure why I **needed** to listen to this. What did I honestly gain from this that I didn't have before? That this is the kinda shit that plays on rock radio? I already know what Theory Of A Deadman sounds like. But seriously. There were probably worse ways to spend 48 minutes — but there were much better ways, too. Jus' how it is.
Has the vibe of your typical 90's alt-rock group, but it doesn't feel as cheesy/dated as some groups like Limp Bizkit. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
I’m at a 4.5 that I will bump up to a 5 with totally naked bias. I’m learning something about myself when it comes to nu-metal, or nu-metal adjacent stuff; as long as the production work is met with even marginally decent lyrics, I’ll probably enjoy it. For better or worse, these soundscapes & instrumental styles are the sounds of movie trailers, game trailers & the overall pop culture of my super early youth. Even as late as 2005, a good 6 years after this album came out, I’m pretty sure this style was hanging in there, even if it was by a thread. Granted, I don’t think I’ve heard any of the songs on this album (outside of the obviously huge “Drive”) until now, but there was something oddly nostalgic to all of this. I’ll be the first person to tell you that enjoying this album comes down to how much you enjoy this style as a guilty pleasure, and I, for better or worse, enjoy this style as a *deep* guilty pleasure. I do think it’s a little more warranted here though, as this album takes a lot of clear inspiration (at least to my ears) from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, just blending their style with more of a nu-metal lean. It’s probably why “Drive” became such a monster hit, since it does feel like it could easily fit onto “Californication” with a few tweaks. This album is mostly defined by heavy, heavy guitar work though, in a way that’s sort of overwhelming, yet still pretty melodic. Throw some record scratches on top of that, some cheesy lyrics, along with some punchy percussion, and you end up with the general base for each track. I think they do a great job of keeping it fresh every time in spite of that; a track like “Nowhere Fast” with a sort of drum & bass tone in the percussion is different from the heavy rock of “Privilege” & far, far different from something like “Battlestar Scralatchtica” or “Drive”. There’s good variety here, even if it can feel occasionally same-y to the ears. Brandon Boyd’s got a pretty darn good voice by the way; occasionally, he sounds like Weird Al (perhaps most blatantly on “The Warmth”) & other times, he feels sort of Nickelback-y, but generally, I think he gives a good gravitas to each track, especially when he needs to yell something out. There’s some shaky vocal structures on some tracks, but he’s in a good key that makes it easy to sing along whenever a solid chorus comes up. I know “Drive” isn’t the only song here, but it’s the shining example of this. I think the other big one is probably “Pardon Me”, which in addition to a decently catchy chorus, surprised me with the rap flow, feeling like a sort of proto-Linkin Park. I’m not comparing Brandon to Chester here or anything, but it just clicked well in a familiar way. I did call them cheesy lyrics, but they are at least lyrics that attempt to say something; generally, I think the thread of the album is accepting personal growth & maturity in the aftermath of hard times, trying to reclaim your life afterwards. It’s at least what “Drive” is about, and most of the tracks leading up to it (& after it) touch on those general themes of trying to find a path forward. There’s not really a link between each track like that, but as far as actually trying to put an album together, I’d say they flow decently well – maybe “Battlestar Scralatchtica” interrupts the pace of the album a little too abruptly, but other than that, I guess my only real confusion comes in “Out from Under” ending the album. It’s not a bad one at all, but the “fuck the authority” track coming in after an album that’s largely been about personal growth, especially during 1999 (a year where I can genuinely think of no historical reason to go “fuck the authority” mode) feels out of place as the closing track. Put it anywhere else, and then end on “Pardon Me”, and I think the album would end in a really fulfilling way. I do think I’m giving this a lot of “guilty pleasure” bias, but I still think the floor here is a 3, at worst. People giving this a 1 or 2 like it’s a disgusting presence on the list are overreacting – at worst, I think this is a decently produced piece of nu-metal influenced rock, and at its best, I think it’s got some genuine hits & great variety that speaks to the cultural zeitgeist of this style of music in 1999 / 2000, however awkwardly it’s aged over the years. Is it an album you HAVE to listen to before you die? I dunno, probably not, but I’m glad I listened to it in full all the same. Apparently, it’s their album after this with genuinely great acclaim, so maybe I’ll listen to that in my own time. As far this album goes, I’m a total sucker for it, and while I acknowledge that it’s probably closer to a 4 for my tastes, I feel inclined to bump it up to a 5 just because I found myself enjoying it that much. Sorry, I guess.
Overhated, sounds more like pop punk than nu metal personally
Still sounds good, holds up more than I expected.
Such an unusual blend of 15% enjoyable and otherwise completely insufferable. lol Drive Saved a song: N RYM: N
2.5
This takes me back to high school, pretending to love Incubus since they were my crush’s favorite band. Not worth it, definitely not an album you need to hear before you die. Drive is the only song I truly enjoy from this one.
I do like the music, but I can't listen to much of it because the lyrics are bad and they all sound the same. It gets a 3 instead of 2 because I do think it was innovative for it's time.
Great tracks. Have cd 💿
It was OK. A little too cheesy for me. Won’t listen again.
I don't really like this sort of MOR metal, rock, grunge?, whatever this is. The vocals are MOR, the lyrics are MOR, the playing just seem MOR. I couldn't pick these guys out of a late 20th/early 21st band lineup. Maybe in the day this was exciting, edge. But now it just seems like a dime a dozen grungy thing. Very MOR 3 stars.
Ah, Incubus. I owned a copy of Morning View, back when I was in high school. I think I wound up giving it some Mormon kid I worked with, because I just didn't listen to it anymore (I just know that kid had to keep it hidden from his parents). But then in college, I kinda came back around on them when "Dig" came out and when "Stellar" was on one of the Guitar Hero games. They're not a band that I really listen to, but I appreciate their hits. I actually took my wife to see them in concert a couple of years ago, and Brandon Boyd sounded great. Enough with the backstory though, time to make myself! Eh, Make Yourself was fine. It felt like this album was more based on vibes that any sort of melodies or hooks, and while I liked the vibes that this album had, it was pretty boring for some stretches. Incubus has a unique sound, and Brandon Boyd was definitely one of the best singers of this era of rock music, but there's just not a lot of substance to this album. It's like eating a whole bag of Pirate Booty; you know you ate all of it, because the empty bag is there, and the crumbs are all over your shirt, but once you chuck the bag and dust yourself off, there's nothing left of your experience. However, this album's singles are really great, and they show how much talent Incubus has for making great songs. "Stellar" is the first song on the album that manages to do more than just coast on vibes. The guitar and the ambient elements mesh really well here, and the ebb and flow between the gentle verses and heavier choruses works really well. The guitar work on "Stellar" is some of the best on the album. "Drive" is easily one of Incubus's best songs. The simple but catchy guitar playing shows that these guys can write great songs, and Brandon Boyd's vocals are hauntingly beautiful on this song. Like "Stellar," "Drive"manages to meld the ethereal vibes of the album with some good musicianship. "Pardon Me" is probably my favorite song on the album. The turntables and scratching really add a lot to the sound here, instead of just filling the space with more sound. Brandon Boyd's fast paced semi-rapping is good, but his vocals on the more intense chorus are absolutely fantastic. "Pardon Me" is just a really fun song. In addition to those three songs, "Make Yourself" and "I Miss You" are pretty good too, but the rest of the album feels like filler. However, this album did make me appreciate just how unique Incubus was, and how refreshing their songs were on alternative rock radio back in the early aughts. I can't see myself ever firing up this whole album again, but Incubus's hits will always be welcome in my ears.
Nostalgic
Make Yourself is my 80th Book Album this year and the fact that I had never seen its cover art in my life made me question whether or not I had actually heard Incubus’ music before (even though I was pretty sure I had). Seriously, this artwork is one of the most Y2K-looking things I’ve ever seen and it doesn’t fit the vibe of the music at all – it feels like it should be the cover for a vocal trance compilation from 1998. With that out of the way, this was honestly a pretty tough one for me to get through. Brandon Boyd’s vocal style got grating very quickly and his lyrics/melodies came across as pretty amateur – it felt like I was listening to Scott Stapp sing freestyle over early Linkin Park instrumentals. The only track that felt like it had legs on the songwriting front was "Drive," which was understandably the album’s biggest hit. The band backing Boyd actually came across as quite solid to me – not amazing, but perfectly functional and occasionally proficient. One of my favorite tracks on Make Yourself was "Battlestar Scralatchtica" (terrible name for a song), where the band and DJ basically just jam/scratch for 3+ minutes. Songs like "Nowhere Fast" also have some really interesting things going on in the instrumental department, which I definitely appreciated. That said, even good instrumentals can’t make annoying vocals and sucky songwriting significantly more tolerable. I was actually considering giving this album one star until "Drive" came on and things sort of started to pick up after that... just not enough to bump it higher than two stars. It’s not a top 1000 LP of all time, that’s for sure. Highlights: Nowhere Fast, Drive, Battlestar Scralatchtica, Pardon Me, Out from Under
Rap metal - there's a first time for everything but we have moved on. And so this feels tepid now.
Sneaky 3. I was ready to give a 2 but as an album it works better than the individual songs. Doubtful I'll listen again though which is normally a prerequisite for a 3.