I didn't have any real expectations when it came to Incubus' latest album, Morning View. The first single was making quite a name for itself, but it didn't really leave any lasting impressions on me. Thus, my reasons for buying Morning View were basically non-existant.. but do you want to know why I decided to pick it up anyway? Welcome to the wonderful world of impulse buying.

See, I was looking around A&B Sound on a Saturday for a new pair of headphones, and while I was waiting in the checkout, I saw this little display of newly released, moderately priced music just sitting there (perfect location to target impulse buyers, I might add). I figured, hey, I was in the process of buying a new pair of mighty kick-ass headphones, I might as well have something new to listen to with 'em... so I sorted through the display, and came upon a pleasant little CD with a picturesque view of a seashore, with the words 'Incubus' and 'Morning View' neatly arranged on the right of the cover. I thought, 'Why not? I'm probably going to buy this CD eventually, so why not just avoid the Christmas rush and buy the damn thing now?'. So I did.

The vibe from Morning View is far more relaxed and laid-back than that of Make Yourself - remember all the catchy intros and electronic snazziness present on Make Yourself? The scratching element has been depressed somewhat on Morning View, except for some impressive work on the intro track (and soon to be hit single) "Nice To Know You". ..Which, depending on what you thought of the spiffy DJing on Make Yourself, could be seen as good or bad. Personally, I was a tad disappointed -- I rather liked the crazy hooks of many of the songs on Make Yourself. But what can ya do?

Morning View made up for the lacking DJ involvement with some mighty kick-ass tracks, such as the oriental funk of "Aqueous Transmission", the hard-rocking "Under My Umbrella", and the extreme calm of "Echo".

Incubus tap every base with this album, but that doesn't necessarily make it God's gift to the eardrum -- there are some proverbial flies in the ointment. The lyrics in the 13 tracks are, for the most part, very well done, but on songs like "Warning", it speeds right past thoughtful and straight into the eternal muck of sappy.

But these are minor quibbles.. Morning View is a great piece of work, and one of the best albums of the year. You should give some serious thought to adding this CD to your collection. To me, anyways.

ARTIST: Incubus

ALBUM TITLE: Morning View

NUMBER OF TRACKS: 12

LENGTH OF ALBUM: 58 minutes, 16 seconds

FAVOURITE TRACKS: 11am, Aqueous Transmission, Under My Umbrella

QUALITY: 4.5/5