SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: INCUBUS – MORNING VIEW XXIII

INCUBUS
MORNING VIEW XXIII
VIRGIN MUSIC

Morning View remains a pivotal moment for not only Incubus, but for the alternative rock as the genre grew out of the ‘90s and into the early aughts. At a time where much of rock was trying to recapture the magic of the early stages of the previous decade, Incubus’ 2001 album was a refreshing breakthrough that saw the band find their sound. Now, in celebration of the its 23rd anniversary, the band has rerecorded the album, live off the floor at the original studio – alongside new bassist, Nicole Row – making Morning View XXIII a strong reminder to the creative power of Incubus.

Opening with a slow building ambient soundscape, Morning View XXIII kicks off with an extended intro at the start of “Nice To Know You”. As Mike Einziger’s guitar swells and Brandon Boyd’s soft vocals echo over Jose Pasillas’ drums, there is something orchestral about this, almost reminiscent of a symphony tuning before their performance. As the song actually begins, Incubus sound strikingly strong. As a band that thrives in the live context, there is an explosive energy to “Nice To Know You”. Boyd’s vocals, in particular, have aged gracefully, still powerful but with a sense of refinement that comes with decades of recording and touring. Aided by lush vocal harmonies, “Nice To Know You” sets the tone for Morning View XXIII in exciting fashion.

Few bands could allow for mellow, groove centered verses to collide with choruses driven by such punishing waves of distorted riffs as Incubus. This is one of the greatest strengths behind Morning View XXIII. In addition to a series of anthemic choruses, the band sounds phenomenal and their performance is expertly dynamic, capturing hypnotic melodies alongside monstrous moments. Their performance of Morning View is very faithful to the original savea handful of minor moments. The most apparent is the use of backing vocal harmonies scattered across the record, something which Row proves to be a central part of. Beyond this, some of Einziger’s lead lines have an improvised and modern stylistic tone to them, particularly in “Are You In?” and “Echo” features an all-new outro section that feels significantly more climatic. Across the 13 tracks present, additional highlights include “Warning”, “11 am”, “Circles”, “Wish You Were Here”, and “Aqueous Transmission”. That being said, just as with the original, there is not a moment of weakness on Morning View XXIII.

Morning View XXIII is purely built upon the notion of nostalgia; however, rather than repackage their seminal album with demos and live cuts from decades past, Incubus has chosen to revisit its seminal album in a truly meaningful way. By no means does this new version of Morning View overshadow the original, instead, it feels like a necessary companion piece that demonstrates the longevity of Incubus, while celebrating its past creative triumphs – a model that should prove inspiring for other bands to consider for future anniversary releases. Most impressively, this only stands as a strong addition to the original album’s legacy, demonstrating a sense of longevity to the band’s songwriting and enduring artistry, making Morning View XXIII an essential piece of the Incubus catalogue.

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