Top Ten Songs by Incubus

Incubus is a band made up of rockers who met in school and kept on going. They’re characteristic mix of funk and rock makes them an interesting and notable band. They hit the big time with their album Make Yourself, but, in my opinion, their previous album, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., is the best of all. Its harder beats and younger, more electric feel makes it an album that any fan of rock should have in their collection. They’re distinctive sound is made up of a mixture of powerful vocals by lead singer Brandon Boyd and the funky undertones made possible by scratching and funk guitar and bass. They meld the genres well, especially in their earlier albums. They do, however, fall into the traditional trap and get softer as they progress in their career. It’s hard to pick the top ten songs without just staying with the first couple albums, but to be fair; I tried to include them all in order to present the variety of styles. My top ten are as follows:

1. “A Certain Shade of Green” – S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
By far the best Incubus song ever, “A Certain Shade of Green” provides a great example of the band’s mixture of scratching and rock. It also showcases singer Brandon Boyd’s powerful voice. It’s also great live. I’d recommend giving this song a shot before anything else.

2. “Make Yourself”- Make Yourself
Incubus’s more famous album shows off a bit more of Boyd’s singing ability and starts to make a statement that they carry through to later albums, seeking to speak out about societies woes. This song has a great theme of being yourself, but doesn’t deliver it in a sappy way that most artists would present it.

3. “Deep Inside” – S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
This song provides a look into the more funky side of Incubus with a bit more bass and funk guitar and transitions from smooth vocals to choppy metal vocals.

4. “Pardon Me” – Make Yourself
This song is the first I ever heard of Incubus on the radio. Its acoustic version is a favorite for many. It’s a great one to sing a long to, if you can keep up. In the album version there are a lot of fast vocals and a great display of the Chris Kilmore’s mixing and scratching.

5. “Idiot Box” – S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
With characteristic scratches, beats, vocal dexterity, and societal lyrics, this song shows off a lot of Incubus’s style.

6. “Nebula” – S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
Spacey and exciting. It’s got some great effects and, again, a nice mix of instruments and scratching.

7. The Warmth” – Make Yourself
This song has a great message and powerful vocals supported by powerful lyrics.

8. “Nice to Know You” – Morning View
Not my favorite, but one of the better ones off of this album. I like the softer side with a bit of an edge. It’s also nice to know that Brandon Boyd can play a gourd.

9. “Megalomaniac” – A Crow Left of the Murder
I mostly like the video for this album. This album didn’t have many great hits, as it starts to show the softer side of Incubus. They fell into the same trap as many artists. They became softer as their career progressed. It’s got a nice bass line though.

10. “Drive” – Make Yourself
I put this song on the list simply because I like to sing to it. It’s got a message, like many of the Incubus songs and a great display of Brandon Boyd’s voice, but it’s just a good, mellow song to hang out to. That probably contributed to its overall popularity with radio play.

It’s hard to choose favorite songs, but I hope that this list will give you an idea of the versatility of this band. They have fallen into the mellow trap of older age, but I’m crossing my fingers that in the future they’ll reinvent themselves anew and go back to their earlier roots of funky rock.