Guilty Pleasure: Incubus - Morning View
The transition from middle school to high school is an awkward one for most everyone, right? I went to a small middle school, so going from that to the biggest high school in the city was a big shock for me. I became a completely different person once I got to high school, but in a good way. I became comfortable being… me.
In middle school, I didn’t really know where I belonged. I could fit in with the nerds, the jocks, the “popular kids”, but I didn’t really have an identity. I played basketball, listened to radio rap (think Nelly and Petey Pablo), and I wore clothes that no one as white as myself should attempt to wear. I was trying to be something I wasn’t.
All of that changed the summer after my eighth grade year, and I can’t help but think that my music of choice was a catalyst for that change. I had heard Incubus on the radio and liked the songs I had heard. For some reason, they resonated with me more than any other rock songs at the time. In any case, I remember exactly where and when I bought Incubus‘ Morning View. I had just finished my second year at the University of Kentucky’s basketball camp. My parents came and picked me up, but before we went on the four hour drive back to Nashville, they let me go into the college bookstore and pick out a CD to listen to in the car to keep me entertained. Well, I spotted Morning View and decided to give it a try (instead of whatever the latest Trick Daddy CD was). I popped the disc in my CD player, and from that point on I knew my perception of music would never be the same.
Morning View was a revelation for me. Never before had I felt so connected with any piece of music. I was so enthralled with every twist and turn the album gave me, shifting from the loud aggression of “Blood on the Ground” to the soft disappointment of “Mexico” in the span of one song. I was right there with it, feeling every emotion that singer Brandon Boyd was expressing as if it were my own. I longed for a certain someone to be there with me during “Wish You Were Here”. I wanted to rebel against the system during “Under My Umbrella”. I knew that what came around would go around again during “Circles”. I wanted to meet the one during “Echo”. Listening to this album for the first time was a roller coaster of emotions for me, especially since I was a fragile 13 years old at the time. And even if the lyrics don’t hold up quite as well years later, it’s amazing how nostalgia can make that fact basically irrelevant.
The song styles and structures that Incubus used on this album, while not revolutionary, were certainly new and exciting to 8th-grade me, as I had basically only been exposed to typical three minute verse-chorus-verse type songs. My upbringings were not conducive to hearing music that took any type of risks (Christian hit radio was about all I was allowed to listen to until this point). A lot of the disc did have these same radio friendly structures, but when I got to the last song on the album, “Aqueous Transmission”, needless to say, my mind was just a little bit blown. I had never heard anything like it. It was the most exotic song I’d ever heard. I wasn’t used to bands using any other instruments than your standard guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. The oriental sounds were so soothing, but at the same time they excited me. Incubus uses traditional Chinese instruments very well here, creating a wonderfully relaxing closer. At over seven minutes long, this was also one of the longest songs I’d ever encountered, which just added to my enchantment. Similarly, “Are You In?” was a new experience for me. It’s such a loose and fun song, and it really makes you feel like you’re at a big party that Incubus is throwing.
Listening to Morning View was the first time I really appreciated the format of whole albums. Before that, I basically only listened to individual songs, but after going through all the ups and downs and the loud and soft points of this album, I never looked back. I always looked to replicate this feeling that came with all of these different songs being sewn together in one context to make one big experience.
I was as obsessed with Incubus as anyone can be with any band for a couple years. I collected all of their albums, got to see them live during the height of my obsession, and listened to them every single day for a long while. Eventually, they went one direction while I went another (they completely lost me with Light Grenades), but even as I branched out and discovered the likes of Radiohead, Interpol, and Sigur Rós in the year after I first discovered Incubus, I never forgot Morning View. I will forever have a connection with that album. Even as I listen to it right now, it just does something to me. It transports me to a different time when things were more simple. And after all these years, I must say that the music itself is still damn good. And coming from a music snob like me, that is no small feat.
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How is Morning View a “guilty” pleasure? It’s really great to see that someone else loves this beautiful album, but there is no need to be patronising about it, or the awesome band that made it.
Incubus really is a great band. They may be a bit of an acquired taste, and their back catalogue contains a few misses as well as hits, and the hipsters will never like them (which is a good thing in my book!) But, as others have pointed out, their musicianship is amazing. They are genuinely talented, and it shows in their work.
More than that, they have made each of their albums an honest reflection of the music they wanted to make at the time, without worrying about their “image” or popularity. You can hear them maturing, but everything they have made is fun to listen to, because it sounds like they are having fun themselves. Their approach to making music could be compared to that of Neil Young - could there be any greater compliment than that?
Also, why do some people have to be so disparaging about anything to do with high school, or anything that teenagers like? Some of us enjoyed being that age. The way some people talk about teenagers is appalling; you can’t blame 15-year-olds for feeling like they’re not treated fairly when you hear some of the attitudes towards them. More often than not, teenagers are just listening to things that give them pleasure - a skill many adults should try to re-acquire.
Morning View in particular ranks as one of my all-time favourite albums, on a list that includes everything from Led Zeppelin to Leonard Cohen. I enjoy listening to all kinds of music, but Incubus will always be one of my very proud pleasures.
Great to see someone else grew up on Incubus. Morning View probably influenced the way I hear music more than about anything. I listened to it while learning the guitar and I still return to those songs a lot. And while I don’t totally connect with Incubus anymore, and I don’t listen to them with any frequency, Morning View is the one I go back to. And Mike’s guitar tone on that album is just incredible.
Easy guy, Incubus blows. Go toss on some Michael Buble and take a hike.
I really enjoyed this article and think Mr. O’Shoney did a great job of writing something that can really speak to all of us. For those of you who are being jerks, it doesn’t matter if you like the specific band in this article or not, I’m sure we all have one musician that we can insert as Incubus in this article and understand where the passion is coming from. I think that’s why these are called opinion pieces because not every narrow-minded pompous ‘Greg nasty’ in the world will agree. I personally like some lame music and know it, I can speak about why I like my bands and expect to get shit but I don’t see at all why Incubus cannot at least be acknowledged as being talented. If their music affected Carson in a transitional and awkward period in his life then I think that alone confirms that the band is doing their job and should be commended for it. Every angst-y teen in the world has issues that one band may speak to but other music may not. I think Carson was lucky to have Incubus as his guilty pleasure, it could really be worse. Plus, I look back on what people I know liked in different stages in their lives. I listened to music when I was younger that I am horrified by now. Sometimes it’s not about the music but about how it influences us. If a song comes on the radio at the perfect moment in our lives when we need it then we’ll become enthralled with it more than others who may not be going through the same problems. Many will probably agree that the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Nirvana, Rolling Stones or WHOEVER are much more talented than other mainstream bands of today but when I have a crush I’m probably going to choose to listen to Taylor Swift or when I want to go out and party I’m going to listen to the annoying repetitive lyrics of Akon and T-pain or when I just want to be happy I’m going to put on Metrostation or Michael Buble. And I definitely think Incubus is much higher on the talent list than a lot of the bands I just listed. Some people just have different timing when lyrics came into their lives and spoke to them. Even though I greatly respect Incubus, Carson does admit that there are more admirable musicians in history above Incubus, that’s why he calls them his guilty pleasure. So pay attention and stop judging people who don’t conform to your specific idea of which bands deserve our love. That’s not what music is all about.
I started off as a S.C.I.E.N.C.E fan about 4 years ago and quickly fell in love with Morning View and every album since then (although Light Grenades not AS much as others- i still like a lot of the songs on it, though). Incubus is my favorite band, and probably always will be. I don’t listen every day like i used to but when I come back to them I am repeatedly blown away by their music. They’re just so damn MUSICAL! They’re all incredible musicians and i love listening for every little nuance and falling in love with the songs over and over again. And I love how each album sort of has its own genre. No matter the mood, there is an incubus song to fit it.
And not only are they all incredibly talented, I’ve noticed that when listening to their songs I can never think of anything I’d change or add to make the song “better”. The songs feel complete, feel whole and perfect.
Anyway, definitely not a guilty pleasure. Just pure, good, quality music.
I can completely relate. Junior high memories flow for me when I hear this album. Love “Are you In?” Good times, Good article.
Note: The Unquestionable Truth, Pt. 1 wasn’t half bad for a slight return to Three Dollar Bill, Y’all! punk days, but it seemed so weighed down by (later left incomplete) concepts that promised too much to deliver with no promotion at all.
Everyone claims that was to see how many “true fans” would buy it, but I personally call it lame — the band could have done some shows and handed EPs out, instead of measuring record sales as a last ditch.
Incubus rocked, took a down-slope with A Crow Left…, slightly improved upon that with more Cali-rock infusions on Light Grenades (”Dig” is a great song), and being a Floyd fan I still think comparing both “Wish You Were Here” tracks is like apples and oranges (each good in their own right).
Morning View is only a guilty pleasure — in my eyes — because of the albums after it, the singles from it, and the advent of lame one-hit rehashes like Hoobastank, Greenwheel, et cetera.
Cheers for the selection of Morning View as your personal guilty pleasure, though I think I received more flack overall post-high school for liking everything by Limp Bizkit prior to Results May Vary, which basically amounted to a Durst solo with crappy lyrics and some major ProTools abuse.
This is not a guilty pleasure. Incubus is one of the best and underrated bands that can’t make a bad album.
LOL shit band.
Carson deserves all the shit in the world for writing this piss poor article.
I love you, O’BROney.
i only knows tath incubus change my life,every album of incubus is amazing,the music don’t need be hard and heavy always,the variety of incubus is great,it’s art,apreciate the music and art of this band,peace.
Great article. If I could only use one word to describe Incubus it would be “musicianship”. Every single member of this group is an excellent musician. None of them simply “get by” they all stand out in there respective playing. Brando Boyd is one of the most if not THE most underrated frontman in rock. Mike Einziger play the hell out of the guitar, he plays the keys, and he writes orchestras for goodness sake. Ben Kenney delivers thumping, grinding, nasty basslines. And on his spare time, he puts out solo albums where he plays EVERY INSTRUMENT. Jose is just a sick drummer, hands down. And Kilmore is such a versatile DJ, and he doesn’t just scratch. He also plays keys (moog voyager, scriblatron, and various other instruments that many haven’t heard of). Anyway, I may be biased, but I absolutely LOVE every single album this band has released. I can understand that people dont like some of their music, but you have to appreciate the musicianship and skill that goes into every song.
Nice writing. I don’t agree with all of it. But I acknowledge the passion you had for sharing. I’m one of those major fans I love Incubus. I began listening to them in 2000. I’m currently 35 so I don’t care who says what about the music I value. It is sincere when I say their music, from “Fungus Amongus to Morning View..and Now Monuments ans Melodies all evokes beautiful imagery and honestly I feel a music high listening to them. I understand falling out of interest with a band you were once passionate with. I was a metalhead as a teenager and I didn’t fit in with the metal crowd. I didn’t dress like they did, it didn’t matter other kids made fun of my taste in music. They always expected me to be into rap. but at that time in my life I needed to vent I needed metal, and what that type of music could give me. With Incubus I feel as if they will remain my #1 music band for years to come. They have all of the elements I need in a band. It could be my age, it shouldn’t matter. but Incubus music has been getting better like a fine wine. Still fantastic article. Cheers!
This is definitely not a guilty pleasure. This might be my favorite album ever. Anyone who doesn’t think Incubus is relevant clearly has not heard much of their music asside from what is played on the radio. They are one of the most relevant artists in the industry today and they are still going strong despite extreme changes, growth and variety in their music over the years.
I like that you picked this one because even though it is a good album, Incubus is sort of lacking in street cred and that leaves room for picking at them or those who listen. It is a little bit on the fence of being/nor being a guilty pleasure, but sometimes people get shit for enjoying the most normal and acceptable of things (like my choice of Sublime.)
This was the last of their albums I liked all the way through.
well don’t feel bad for liking this album. morning view is one of my favorite albums ever. the year it came out i couldn’t stop listening. 11 am does nothing but make me smile, aqueous transmission makes you almost feel like your in a dream and circles is just a great rock song. i do remember my friends that are insane pink floyd fans hated wish you were here just because it was named wish you were here.
i see why this is a guilty pleasure, because after this record the guys in Incubus started to put out mediocre music, so most people think incubus and think terrible new music
I know it’s on the fence of being a guilty pleasure or not, but I’ve been made fun of enough for liking Incubus to include it as one.
This album should not be considered a guilty pleasure. It’s an excellent album front to back, from a band that is incredible at what they do. I guess I view a gulity pleasure more as something much more pop that I feel I’d be made fun of for liking.