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Incubus
Light Grenades
(Epic-Immortal/Sony BMG)
They say there's safety in numbers. But for Incubus, there's a little too much safety in their sixth studio disc. On Light Grenades, hunky singer Brandon Boyd and his SoCal outfit continue their quest to be all things to all modern rock fans.
Sometimes on this unfocused 13-song set, they're a more acceptable version of Rage Against the Machine, thrashing out with hard-driving punk beats and wiry powerhouse guitars. Other times, they're a poppier Red Hot Chili Peppers, with rubbery basslines and percolating funk backbeats.
Then they're a less intense Pearl Jam, with dark rock grooves, Boyd's whiny crooning and, uncoincidentally, the production of PJ stalwart Brendan O'Brien. Truth is, they pull it all off pretty competently -- most of these cuts come with solid guitar riffs, strong melodies and hooky choruses, and a few come with shifting-sand tempos and propulsively energized grooves that raise a pretty fair ruckus.
But it's equally true that most of the time, the album feels safe and predictable.
Without a spark of excitement and risk, Light Grenades is just another modern-rock disc that plays by the numbers instead of being the explosive, illuminating affair its title would imply.
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Track Listing:
1. Quicksand
2. Kiss to Send Us Off
3. Dig
4. Anna Molly
5. Love Hurts
6. Light Grenades
7. Earth to Bella, Pt. 1
8. Oil and Water
9. Diamonds and Coal
10. Rogues
11. Paper Shoes
12. Pendulous Threads
13. Earth to Bella, Pt. 2