A Crow Left of the Murder... | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 3, 2004 | |||
Recorded | October–November 2003 | |||
Studio | Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, Georgia | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 58:30 | |||
Label | Epic/Immortal | |||
Producer | Brendan O'Brien | |||
Incubus chronology | ||||
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Singles from A Crow Left of the Murder... | ||||
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A Crow Left of the Murder... is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Incubus, released on February 3, 2004. The album marks the first appearance of bassist Ben Kenney, following the departure of founding member Dirk Lance. The singles from the album are "Megalomaniac" and "Talk Shows on Mute". "Agoraphobia" was released as a promo single.
The music of A Crow Left of the Murder... has been considered to have elements of art rock, [2] alternative rock, [1] alternative metal, [4] [3] [5] jazz, [4] pop [1] and progressive rock. [4] The work of guitarist Mike Einziger takes equal prominence in focus to that of vocalist Brandon Boyd, in contrast to previous albums which focused more prominently on Boyd's vocalization. [6] MTV reviewer Joe D'Angelo claimed that on the album Einziger's "funk and metal roots haven't completely disappeared; they're now just the foundation on which a repertoire of jazz, blues and progressive rock is built." [7] Some critics believed that the band were allowed to take more musical risks on the album following the commercial success of 2001's Morning View , although Einziger said in a 2004 interview that, "we've never felt we didn't have that freedom. We've always done what we wanted. It's kind of self-serving, but that's how we do it. We try not to pay attention to anything but each other." [8]
Einziger has said that "Megalomaniac" was originally written on an acoustic guitar, despite being one of the heavier songs on the album. [9] Boyd remarked that "'Megalomaniac' means self-exaltation, and to be crazy for big things. The song is about power crazed people and their destructive behavior." He adds, "lyrically speaking I know that there were a lot of things going on in and around the world and there were some very specific people in my mind coming dangerously close to having megalomaniacal tendencies and so I did my best to write those thoughts down." While it was written around the time George W. Bush ordered the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Boyd claimed the person in the song was a composite of several people, and primarily inspired by a character in the 1986 movie Three Amigos . [10] The music video for the song was handled by Italian-Canadian director Floria Sigismondi, and had allusions to both Adolf Hitler and Bush. Sigismondi came up with the concept for the video, with Boyd reflecting in 2004 that "when we did the video for 'Megalomaniac,' it was a really rewarding experience. Not only the outcome, the process was very rewarding as well. She's a great person. She knew exactly what she wanted to see and wasn't afraid to ask for it. She wasn't a screamer — some directors are screamers, they just yell at people. She didn't do that, which was nice." [11]
Due to the political references, MTV initially refused to show the "Megalomaniac" video except for late at night, as it was under pressure from conservative groups following the 2004 Janet Jackson Super Bowl controversy, where one of the singer's breasts was exposed at a halftime show they produced. In response to the Super Bowl controversy, MTV moved six potentially offensive videos to late night rotation, with "Megalomaniac" being the only one without any explicit sexual content. At the time, Einziger commented "it's ironic that this MTV scrutiny comes from an incident where someone bared their chest in public, while for the first time, our singer has his shirt on for an entire video." [10]
"Talk Shows on Mute" was written as an examination of the effects of television on people. It was inspired by a flight where Boyd began narrating to his fellow passengers a talk show playing on the plane's television. Boyd said that after this, "I realized a time will probably come when television will watch us if we're watching it, if that hasn't already happened, figuratively or literally. It sounded like some sort of pseudo-Big Brother nightmare, so I wrote it down." [12] The line, "Come one, Come all into 1984" does not refer to the year, where all the band members were still children, but rather George Orwell's 1949 book Nineteen Eighty-Four . [12]
The song "Priceless" features rapping-style vocals which recall the band's earlier work from the 1990s. [6] Boyd said that "Priceless" and a few of the other songs on the album "started as letters to myself", adding that "I wrote a couple of the songs on the record from someone close to me's point of view, stepping into their sight and speaking for them." [8]
Early pressings of the album list track 12 "Smile Lines" as "Suite Lines" on the back cover. The Japanese pressing of the album comes with a bonus track, "Monuments & Melodies" which is also available on the Alive at Red Rocks bonus CD.
Incubus began their world tour for the album in March 2004 with shows in Japan and South Korea. [13] On March 12, 2004, the band played their first show in the Philippines, a country where they had attracted a large following. [14] The band played further shows in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Europe before beginning a tour of North America in June 2004, which would continue for the rest of the year. [13] To further promote the album in 2004, Incubus performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! , the Top of the Pops in the United Kingdom and the Rove Live talk show in Australia. At a June 2004 show in London, the band notably performed the song "Take Me to Your Leader" for the first time since 1998, and went on to play it eight more times that year. These 2004 performances are to date the last time a Fungus Amongus / Enjoy Incubus song has been played live. [15]
In 2005, the band contributed the songs "Admiration", "Neither of Us Can See" and "Make a Move" to the soundtrack of the action film Stealth , with "Make a Move" being released as a single that year. The song "Aqueous Transmission" from Morning View also appeared on the film's soundtrack album, in addition to being used within the film itself. [16]
A Crow Left of the Murder... debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling about 332,000 copies in its first week on the chart. [17] It has since been certified platinum by the RIAA. [18]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 66/100 [19] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Blender | [20] |
Entertainment Weekly | C− [21] |
Los Angeles Times | [22] |
Mojo | [23] |
Q | [24] |
Rolling Stone | [25] |
Slant Magazine | [6] |
Spin | C+ [26] |
USA Today | [27] |
The album was generally well received by critics upon release. Stuart Green of Canadian publication Exclaim! gave it a positive review in March 2004, he wrote "with the addition of soulful Roots bassist Ben Kenney and a tasty fusion of everything from Faith No More-style rap metal to the prog-noodling of Rush (most notably on 'Sick Sad Little World', the album's standout track) to the earnest songwriting of, say, the Beatles or the Dave Matthews Band, this disc should establish them as the leaders of the new rock pack... at least in artistry if not sales." [28]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic awarded the album four-and-a-half out of five stars, claiming that, "at the beginning of their career, Incubus was rightly lumped in with the legions of post-Korn alt metal/rap-rock bands swarming America in the latter days of the 20th century", and that, "A Crow Left of the Murder... is far more interesting than any of their other records, or their peers." [4] Mikael Wood of the Dallas Observer reflected in his review that, "Southern California's Incubus emerged from the rap-rock pack in 2001 when its hit single 'Drive' revealed front man Brandon Boyd to be the kind of guy who might come back to his high school nine years after he graduated to give a motivational speech and award one lucky essay-writing girl an unforgettable dance at the senior prom. Before that the band played warmed-over funk-metal and made CDs with really awful covers." [29] He adds, "Boyd freaks his falsetto a lot, giving 'Smile Lines' and 'Beware! Criminal' a supple, sensual curvature that's anathema to most rap-rockers; there's a defanged Tori Amos/Trent Reznor pulse to 'Sick Sad Little World'; 'Pistola' is almost post-punk in its compact fury'." [29] Joshua Klein of The Washington Post stated, "A Crow Left of the Murder shows success has gone to the band's head, but only in the best sense. Here Incubus reverts to its weirder, wilder roots without abandoning its newfound pop appeal." [30]
Eric R. Danton of The Baltimore Sun wrote in his February 2004 review, "alternative-metal bands have tended to embody self-absorption far more than self-awareness, and we've all seen how that has turned out: It's made Fred Durst wealthy in inverse proportion to his talent. Incubus, at least, has avoided many of the petulant excesses that fuel Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. With a few pop-savvy ballads and a hottie front man in Brandon Boyd, Incubus has even attracted an audience that encompasses more than surly teen-age boys." [31] He added, "the alt-metal sound is mostly played out, but Incubus' determination to continue developing is clear here, and it will help to keep the band relevant in an increasingly splintered music scene." [31]
In their March 2004 review, The Oklahoman wrote that, "its finest moments recalls the more adventurous musical explorations of their major label debut S.C.I.E.N.C.E. ", noting that "Megalomaniac", "Pistola", "Priceless" and "Leech" possess a "caffeine-fueled drive." [32] They additionally observed that, "of course, there had to be a couple of idealistic love ballads for the young women who really are only interested in singer Brandon Boyd. To fill that slot, the album's 'Southern Girl' and the piano-driven 'Here in My Room' feature a harmony at their conclusion reminiscent of something off The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds ." [32] Scott Shetler of Slant Magazine gave it four out of five stars, writing "like it or not, Incubus is the prototypical rock band for the 21st century, appealing equally to both sexes — they’re likable guys who write memorable songs and it doesn’t hurt that they’ve got a model for a lead singer." Shetler adds, "Incubus have never made any huge leaps in terms of their sound, but they’ve always managed to change it just enough to stay slightly ahead of the pack, and with Crow they’ve simply done it again." [6]
In 2017, Dan Weiss of Consequence of Sound had a negative view of the band's direction on A Crow Left of the Murder..., writing that it was "their most strident record to date, and by then their eclecticism was so pared down you couldn't hear much Faith No More or hip-hop or quirky distinctions." [33] In his review for the Alive at Red Rocks CD/DVD, Alex Henderson of AllMusic claimed that "some fans of their early rap-metal/funk metal work see 2001's Morning View and 2004's A Crow Left of the Murder as a sellout." [34] In a 2006 interview with The New Zealand Herald , Brandon Boyd reflected, "it's funny because the way it's perceived around the world is vastly different. For some people Crow was the best record we've ever done, but some people look at that record as a pause in our talent as a band." [35]
Kerrang! ranked it as the second best Incubus album in 2020, and stated it "[was] the sound of Incubus maturing; finding ever-subtler applications for their melting pot of styles." [36] Boyd also ranked it as his second favorite Incubus record in a 2022 Louder Sound article. [37]
All tracks are written by Incubus
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Megalomaniac" | 4:54 |
2. | "A Crow Left of the Murder" | 3:30 |
3. | "Agoraphobia" | 3:52 |
4. | "Talk Shows on Mute" | 3:48 |
5. | "Beware! Criminal" | 3:48 |
6. | "Sick Sad Little World" | 6:23 |
7. | "Pistola" | 4:22 |
8. | "Southern Girl" | 3:40 |
9. | "Priceless" | 4:06 |
10. | "Zee Deveel" | 3:52 |
11. | "Made for TV Movie" | 3:38 |
12. | "Smile Lines" | 3:59 |
13. | "Here in My Room" | 4:19 |
14. | "Leech" | 4:19 |
Total length: | 58:30 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
15. | "Monuments and Melodies" | 5:05 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Pantomime" (Later released on the Alive at Red Rocks EP) | 3:54 |
When bought at some retailers (including Best-Buy) a bonus live EP was bundled with the CD.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Pardon Me" (live in Osaka, Japan) | 4:58 |
2. | "Pantomime" (live at Merdeka Stadium, Lumpur, Malaysia) | 5:17 |
3. | "Talk Shows on Mute" (live at Entertainment Center, Sydney, Australia) | 3:50 |
4. | "A Certain Shade of Green" (live at Entertainment Center, Sydney, Australia) | 3:32 |
Bonus DVD
A SACD edition has also been released, along with a Dualdisc edition as well.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
New Zealand (RMNZ) [59] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [60] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [61] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer José Pasillas while enrolled in Calabasas High School and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppel; the latter two were eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore, respectively. Nicole Row replaced Kenney in 2024.
Make Yourself is the third studio album by American rock band Incubus. It was released on October 26, 1999, through Epic Records and Immortal Records. The album received double platinum certification by the RIAA and produced three charting singles—"Pardon Me", "Stellar", and "Drive"—all of which reached the top three of the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, with the latter topping the chart and also becoming the band's sole top ten hit to date on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number nine.
S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is the second studio album by American rock band Incubus. It was released on September 9, 1997, by Epic and Immortal Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, and is the second and final release to feature Gavin Koppel, who first appeared on the 1997 Enjoy Incubus EP. It has been occasionally considered the band's proper debut album, due to the nature of their independent release Fungus Amongus.
Morning View is the fourth studio album by American rock band Incubus, released October 22, 2001, through Epic Records. A companion DVD, The Morning View Sessions, was released on May 29, 2002. Continuing the move away from nu metal, the album ranges widely from soft to hard rock sounds in the style of alternative rock. Morning View was the last Incubus album to feature bassist Alex Katunich.
Fungus Amongus is the debut studio album by American rock band Incubus, released on November 1, 1995, by Chillum Records, Incubus' own independent label. It was later re-released under Epic and Immortal Records on November 7, 2000, after popular demand.
Alive at Red Rocks is a live DVD and bonus CD by the American band Incubus. It was recorded in Red Rocks, Colorado on July 26, 2004. It was the first DVD showing new bassist Ben Kenney. It was also the first DVD that featured Mike Einziger using a Fender Rhodes piano, on the performances of "Here in My Room" and "Drive."
Audiovent is an American alternative rock band from Calabasas, California. Initially forming as "Vent" in the early 1990s, the band changed their name to Audiovent upon signing with Atlantic Records in 2001. The band released their one and only album on a major record label, Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris, in 2002. Two singles were released to rock radio and charted with moderate success - "The Energy" and "Looking Down". The band began work on a second album in 2003, demoing over 19 tracks over the course of the year, but disbanded in mid-2004 before the album could be formally recorded, due to creative differences between band members. They reformed in 2017 for several reunion shows, then began writing and recording new material in 2022. They released their first single, "Sleepless Machine" in late 2023, with more music to follow.
"Megalomaniac" is a song by the American rock band Incubus, from their 2004 album A Crow Left of the Murder... It was released as a single in December 2003, and eventually reached the top of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks, where it stayed for a six-week period. Outside the United States, the song reached the top 30 in Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris is the only major label album by alternative rock band Audiovent. It was released in 2002 on Atlantic Records. The album had two singles, "The Energy" and "Looking Down". Audiovent toured with Saliva and Theory of a Deadman in promotion of the album.
Light Grenades is the sixth studio album by alternative rock band Incubus, released on November 28, 2006, on Epic. The album sold 359,000 copies during its first week of release worldwide, and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 165,000 copies in the US in its first week; it is the band's first number one album. The album achieved Gold certification, less than the band's previous Platinum records beginning with 1999's Make Yourself.
This is a comprehensive discography of official recordings by Incubus, an American rock band from Calabasas, California. As of October 2022, Incubus has generated 12.4 million U.S. album consumption units and over 23 million records worldwide.
Live in Japan 2004 is a live album by the American rock band Incubus, released in 2004. The album's proceeds go to the band's charitable arm, the Make Yourself Foundation. It was recorded on March 3, 2004, at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.
Live in Malaysia 2004 is a live album by the American rock band Incubus, released in 2004. The album's proceeds go to the band's charitable arm, the Make Yourself Foundation. The concert was held at Bukit Kiara Equestarian Park in Kuala Lumpur on March 16, 2004 in front of a crowd of 8,000. Notable songs in the setlist are "Pantomime", and the "Everything in Ebb" Jam in the middle of Vitamin.
"Talk Shows on Mute" is a song by the American alternative rock band Incubus. It was released as the second single from the band's 2004 album, A Crow Left of the Murder..., and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #18 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and also peaked at number 16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
"Wish You Were Here" is a song by American rock band Incubus and the lead single from their fourth studio album, Morning View. Released on August 14, 2001, it peaked at number two on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart that year. "Wish You Were Here" would later be included on the 2009 greatest hits compilation Monuments and Melodies.
Monuments and Melodies is the first greatest hits compilation album by American rock band Incubus released on June 16, 2009, through Epic Records. It was released as a double-disc set, the first disc featuring 13 previously released singles from the albums Make Yourself, Morning View, A Crow Left of the Murder..., and Light Grenades, along with two new Brendan O'Brien–produced tracks, "Black Heart Inertia" and "Midnight Swim".
If Not Now, When? is the seventh studio album by American rock band Incubus, released on July 12, 2011 and named after the novel by Primo Levi. Preceded by the singles "Adolescents" and "Promises, Promises", the album represented the band's longest gap between studio albums at the time, and their final full-length release through long-time label Epic Records. Described by guitarist Michael Einziger as "a very straightforward, concise album," If Not Now, When? was recorded in the wake of an extended hiatus, and produced by frequent collaborator Brendan O'Brien. The album's cover features high wire artist Philippe Petit.
Trust Fall (Side A) is a four-track EP by alternative rock band Incubus, released in 2015 on Island Records. It was the first release from the band since their 2011 album, If Not Now, When?.
"Nimble Bastard" is a single by American rock band Incubus, off of their eighth studio album 8. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in April 2017.
8 is the eighth studio album by American rock band Incubus. It was released on April 21, 2017, through Island Records. The album takes its name from being the band's eighth LP. The release of 8 in 2017 saw the longest time between full-length albums for Incubus. The album was previously produced by Dave Sardy, and later re-produced and mixed by Skrillex, a close friend of the band. The album's first single, "Nimble Bastard", peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in April 2017. 8 is the last studio album with bassist Ben Kenney before his departure in 2024.