Incubus – Trust Fall (Side B)
I never put two songs on a “New Listen” – song review article. But with the brand new Incubus EP – Trust Fall (Side B) – kicking so much butt, I couldn’t help myself. So I decided to pick my two favorite songs and tell you about them. The two songs that have me pushing my speakers to the maximum are Karma, Come Back and Into The Summer.
Karma, Come Back – jump starts the EP. It’s begins the way you’d expect something on S.C.I.E.N.C.E. to start of like. You just know it’s going to be funky. It has the charm of that David Essex opus, Rock On, as the bass guitar phases us in. Then there is the low growl of a fuzzy guitar coming out of the left speaker. Bassist Ben Kenney and guitarist Mike Einziger are the perfect marriage of space and tone.
Enter drummer Jose Pasillas II whose drums fill the bottom end with a thick kick drum and snappy snare. It’s like peanut butter and jelly. Both are crucial. Sonically, they are some of the best sounding drums/drum mix I’ve heard this year. Chris Kilmore adds in well timed synths that almost bring a percussive quality to the song.
Brandon Boyd has always been known for his vocal range and technique but the little runoffs at the end of lines like – But their light is starting to flicker, seem better than ever. Maybe it’s the tracks’ dark tone and sinister quiet approach that is allowing us to take in those little nuances even more, this time around. Whatever the case, they are organic and natural but the song wouldn’t be the same with out them.
The song gets heavy. The heaviest song on the entire record, actually. But it’s not just a banger. It has the groove and reflective sounding pieces of music.. before bringing the heavy again. Overall it’s a great song and my favorite on the new EP.
The second song and third on the track listing is Into The Summer. It’s been out for a while now and has been well received by fans. It’s not exactly a throwback but I was loving the David Bowie (Let’s Dance) – INXS (Listen Like Thieves) vibe I got on the track. In fact, there’s moments when I was reminded of Duran Duran’s New Moon On Monday and really peaked my interest. Plus those toms.. they just have that sound. You could seriously throw it on a new pressing of the Color of Money soundtrack and no one would be the wiser. Okay – not that far but you get what I’m saying (I think).
Again, sonically, these songs sound amazing pretty much on any medium. I’ve listened on studio monitors, car speakers and my earbuds. It’s gigantic on all of them. While I’ll admit I love when the band gets heavy, I would love to hear an entire EP dedicated to this sound. I mentioned that Karma, Come Back being my favorite song. This one is right there. I think maybe I’ve become a little used to it, since it’s been out so long but when I listen with fresh ears, I fall in love with it all over again.
Jose and Ben own the pocket on this song that would’ve made Tony Thompson and Bernard Edwards proud. Also loving of the chorused sounding guitar as well. Being an enormous fan of all things Andy Summers and Alex Lifeson, my ear probably is tuned to that sound anyway. Einziger does not disappoint here.
Big thumbs up to both songs.
-Tommy Marz
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