A Crow Left of the Murder

Boyd obviously has big issues with the ills of the world but the lyrics to "Talk Show on Mute" (reality TV is bad, especially Big Brother) and "Zee Deveel" (nice cars, nice clothes and other status symbols are bad) say nothing to enhance mankind's understanding of these twin evils. Incubus are probably on firmer ground with "Made for TV Movie" (like "Megalomaniac" it's an anti-War-on-Terror diatribe) and musically they're to be applauded for sidestepping the prescripted expectations of the metal genre they've been saddled with. Ultimately, however, one's enjoyment of this record swings on whether one considers Brandon Boyd's societal musings to be deeply venerable discourse or just soppy waffle. --Kevin Maidment