Tracks
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IMO, this is one of Incubus' best albums ever. It was more mature than their early work, but still showed their roots quite well. Like a lot of the albums I choose to review here, this one had several songs that were childhood-defining for me. Its general theme is the feelings and experiences surrounding spiritual awakening, starting with track one. As a little background, the title comes from the view out the huge window in the side of Incubus' practice space, inside the mansion they'd bought to live together while writing, practicing, recording, etc. I'm pretty sure that's what you're looking-at in terms of the picture on the CD's front-cover. As usual, nobody does mainstream rock quite like Incubus. They really set themselves apart as individuals with their innovative sound.
"Nice to Know You" - This starts-right-up with the "awakening" theme. "Deeper than the deepst Cousteau would ever go, and higher than the heights of what we often think we know" refers to the comparative vastness of perception one experiences when their consciousness expands (awakening.) And of course, "I'm beginning to notice how much this feels like a waking limb..." refers to beginning to exercise more of one's mind and spirit than one previously knew existed. This song has no shortage of sonic experimentation, courtesy of guitarist Mike Enzinger, who still leaves room for the other instrumentalists to make plenty of contribution.
"Wish You Were Here" - A huge and uplifting childhood hit for me. The way the music moves really reminds one of the beach scene described in the lyrics. That's Incubus - they really know how to "take you there." What's unique about this song is, while it is a song about missing someone, there's a level of personal self-sufficiency which is a rare gem in a sea of "I'm nothing without you!" songs written by people who think codependency is a virtue. "... and in this moment, I am happy. But I wish you were here, I wish you were here." It's an "fine without you, but better with you" kind of message. It's healthier, which I find refreshing. This is one of those songs where Enzinger doesn't use a ton of effects on his guitar, but still creates an epic soundscape in which the listener can float-around.
"11AM" - A breakup song. It captures that situation very well both tonally and lyrically. I especially love the electric guitar riff in the beginning. It's got a near-turbulent emotion to it but still doesn't "move" very much, which creates a "squirming" sort of feeling. It's a song about weighing the benefits of being alone and being able to just look after yourself against the value of companionship and a change in your situation.
"Mexico" - This song is all acoustic and makes for a nice little interlude amid the full-band way Incubus usually goes about performing. It's quiet but very powerful, like the unseen building of the will to leave a bad situation or relationship, which the song describes.
"Warning" - Another one of those "childhood-altering songs" from this album. Unfortunately for me when I was first hearing this stuff, I hadn't really begun to think deeply enough to comprehend the epicly meaningful message in this song. It's not just about making the most of the time you have. It's also about the slow and (to most) imperceptible decay of our current social order. This song is a masterpiece.
"Aqueous Transmission" - This song has a nice sort of vaguely Asian vibe about it, and is another intriguing break from the more heavy-rock oriented tracks on this album. It's very acoustically-oriented but still fits in some turntable action in a way that's comfortable and doesn't feel forced at all.
Overall I give this album four stars. It isn't the rare "every-song's-a-keeper" album, but it's got plenty of quality.
"Nice to Know You" - This starts-right-up with the "awakening" theme. "Deeper than the deepst Cousteau would ever go, and higher than the heights of what we often think we know" refers to the comparative vastness of perception one experiences when their consciousness expands (awakening.) And of course, "I'm beginning to notice how much this feels like a waking limb..." refers to beginning to exercise more of one's mind and spirit than one previously knew existed. This song has no shortage of sonic experimentation, courtesy of guitarist Mike Enzinger, who still leaves room for the other instrumentalists to make plenty of contribution.
"Wish You Were Here" - A huge and uplifting childhood hit for me. The way the music moves really reminds one of the beach scene described in the lyrics. That's Incubus - they really know how to "take you there." What's unique about this song is, while it is a song about missing someone, there's a level of personal self-sufficiency which is a rare gem in a sea of "I'm nothing without you!" songs written by people who think codependency is a virtue. "... and in this moment, I am happy. But I wish you were here, I wish you were here." It's an "fine without you, but better with you" kind of message. It's healthier, which I find refreshing. This is one of those songs where Enzinger doesn't use a ton of effects on his guitar, but still creates an epic soundscape in which the listener can float-around.
"11AM" - A breakup song. It captures that situation very well both tonally and lyrically. I especially love the electric guitar riff in the beginning. It's got a near-turbulent emotion to it but still doesn't "move" very much, which creates a "squirming" sort of feeling. It's a song about weighing the benefits of being alone and being able to just look after yourself against the value of companionship and a change in your situation.
"Mexico" - This song is all acoustic and makes for a nice little interlude amid the full-band way Incubus usually goes about performing. It's quiet but very powerful, like the unseen building of the will to leave a bad situation or relationship, which the song describes.
"Warning" - Another one of those "childhood-altering songs" from this album. Unfortunately for me when I was first hearing this stuff, I hadn't really begun to think deeply enough to comprehend the epicly meaningful message in this song. It's not just about making the most of the time you have. It's also about the slow and (to most) imperceptible decay of our current social order. This song is a masterpiece.
"Aqueous Transmission" - This song has a nice sort of vaguely Asian vibe about it, and is another intriguing break from the more heavy-rock oriented tracks on this album. It's very acoustically-oriented but still fits in some turntable action in a way that's comfortable and doesn't feel forced at all.
Overall I give this album four stars. It isn't the rare "every-song's-a-keeper" album, but it's got plenty of quality.
This is a great album! It's so relaxing and uplifting! I especially love aqueous transmission because it's so meditating to listen to it after a stressful day. I highly recommend this album to anyone who needs a little uplift in their day. :)