Incubus - Make Yourself

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Free Music Notes for Make Yourself

Free Music Review: Most Incredible
Hit: 5 Stars

Privilege (again, the spelling might be mixed up.... I'm so lazy) is a booming intro to the CD in total, and gives a wonderful first impression to the Incubus clueless. I'd say track 1 is a middleman between all of the tracks on the CD, and shows what their average sound is like, not to mention that it's wonderful.

Nowhere Fast starts off gentle, but bursts into raging chords and heavy metal tones. That has got to be my favorite song on the whole CD. The intro maintains a heavy, loud, rock-'til-ya-drop beat without overdoing it, to create the perfect heavy sound. The lyrics of the song are genius, and show confusion about the mysteries of life. On to Consequence, the song has many similarities to Nowhere Fast, but is totally original, as are all the CD's songs. The lyrics to this one are also well thought out and emotional. The chorus is a real mind-blower.

Now, many people claim The Warmth to be their favorite, but I find it just a tad slow to my liking, and the (can I swear in here? I don't know so I won't,) swearing in each repeat of the chorus kind of puts me off. Although the lyrics are once again, genius, and Brandon's voice is completely soothing in this song, the constant drippity sound in the background really annoys the heck out of me. This is my least favorite song on the CD, but it's still better than anything else from other bands. It's still an incredible addition to the CD.

When It Comes is also one of those middle-toned tracks that give you Incubus' total overall feel for music. I find nothing exceptional about this song compared to the rest of the compilation, but its chorus is infectious. I found myself humming it a few times (and I'm not a hummer). I think one improvement to this song would be to say "When it comes" more often in the lyrics and less of the "again". Nothing I can do about it, ah well. Stellar is really one of the landmarks of all the songs. This track shows you how well the boys of Incubus can incorporate a love song into rock, and they did a wonderful job of it too. The intro is soft, but soon turns into a heavy mix of funk and rock, and back again many times. The song's variety gives it the "experienced" feel. Never once does the lead singer outright SCREAM, but there are plenty of rises and drops in his voice, that give it a feeling of a wave.

The way the word Stellar is said between choruses is almost digital, and sends shivers up my spine. At about 1:35 through, the song expresses so much feeling, and so outrageously, quite surprisingly. I find this song to be the most interesting on the CD, although still not my favorite.

Make Yourself is a big throwoff and the complete opposite of the previous song, Stellar. The intro is calm, but strange, and appealing in its own strange way. The lyrics are smart and the way Brandon sings 'em can only be described as defiant. I get the feeling that the song is about taking your life in your own hands so that there's no one but yourself to blame if it all blows up in your face. The only problem I find with this song is the evident sound of Brandon's gasping for air between lines, and the way it seems to be outbrought even more than it should be. Also, I think the screaming at the end is the wrong way to close it off. I understand maybe they wanted it to bang, but the music is more than sufficient to provide that (or maybe that's just me, because I hate screaming voices in the music I listen to). I can make an excuse for Make Yourself, because all its other aspects are absolutely perfect and I wouldn't change a thing ever. It's a beautifully rebelious track and the CD wouldn't be complete without it.

Drive is possibly the slowest song on the CD, but possibly the best lyrics. I've seen many people screw the lyrics up on websites and I can't imagine why.. the words are clear as a bell and ring clearly the message that Incubus is getting across. I like the fact that this song has been introduced to radio stations across North America, but I do think they chose the wrong song, it's not nearly as well done as its CD-mates. It's still an explosive track, loaded with feeling and the tempo locks it as the steadiest song of the bunch.

Clean, to me, is one of the songs you don't often think about when thinking of this album. I think this song could use a little more work, it seems rushed. It's very spacey and the chorus rocks against the calm verses. I still listen to it often, and it is by no means a bad song. The chorus is powerful and the lyrics even more so.

Battlestar [Scralatchica, or something like that] is definitely the strangest song I've ever heard. The overall sound is completely reverse from the rest of the bunch. Alot of record scratching, alot of drums, alot of synth. I'd say it's *one of* my least favorite parts of the CD, but a well needed break from the heavy Incubus tons that I've come to know through the CD. The first time I heard it, I thought, "these guys are nuts!" but now I think I appreciate it a little more. Without this track, the CD would be somewhat... serious. The hippity interlude is enough to calm you for the rest of Make Yourself, not that there's much left after this one. Not to say that they aren't worth mentioning.

I Miss You has that spacey sound that alot of the songs have, and the trademark of Incubus, going from highs to lows in slow and heavy. More space noises than I would have liked, but Brandon's voice is once again calming and a refreshing change from anyone else's. This love song is likely the most original one I'll ever hear, and the way it closes off with a soft note and intros into Pardon Me with the same, creates harmony between the two songs.

Pardon Me is a slightly rappish song with the most thought out lyrics I've seen in a long time and a long time to come. I especially love the chorus and the way it breaks down all barriers just to explode back into another rap sort of sound without a care in the world.

Out From Under's intro with the drumstick tapping and the strange sound that I can't identify on any sort of instrument really bring it to life. This is the most resistant song on the CD, and it repeats itself instead of having individual parts. I think it doesn't even need anything more. The chorus with its unbeatable guitar is above typical Incubus sound, but the scream mid-way to the end puts me off. You could trample this song with roses and it would still stay cold and heavy, totally focused and high up there on Incubus cloud nine. A great track to end the CD with, and I think that just about covers it.

Phew.

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