A Crow Left of the Murder...
| A Crow Left of the Murder... | ||||
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| Studio album by Incubus | ||||
| Released | February 3, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | October—November 2003 at Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, Georgia | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock[1] | |||
| Length | 58:35 | |||
| Label | Epic/Immortal | |||
| Producer | Brendan O'Brien | |||
| Incubus chronology | ||||
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A Crow Left of the Murder... is the fifth studio album by alternative rock band Incubus, released on February 3, 2004. The album marks the first appearance of bassist Ben Kenney, following the departure of founding member Alex Katunich.
Contents |
[edit] Music and lyrics
The music of A Crow Left of the Murder... incorporates elements of heavy metal,[2] jazz,[2] pop[1] and progressive rock.[2] The work of guitarist Mike Einziger takes equal prominence in focus to that of voalist Brandon Boyd, in contrast to previous albums which focused more prominently on Boyd's vocalization.[3]
The word for a group of crows, or its collective noun, is a "murder". Therefore, the title of the album can be interpreted as rebellion.[clarification needed] The back cover of the album's liner notes show a murder of crows with one of their members flying to the left. This reference to rebellion against group obedience keeps with the main themes of the album. The choice of the direction left most likely comes from the liberal political message of the album[citation needed]. An example of this is shown by the music video for the single "Megalomaniac" which features caricatures of televangelists and politicians in the face of protest juxtaposed with images of Adolf Hitler, George W. Bush, Benito Mussolini and Joseph Stalin. "A Crow Left of the Murder", then, can be viewed as separation from the group mentality by a left-leaning individual, and that the group from which he is separating is associated with "murder."[citation needed]
Another explanation for the title could be an attempt by the band to distance themselves from what was going on in the music world at the time of its release. With the popularity of nu metal, which Incubus were often categorized as, but did not see themselves as being a part of, lyrics such as "even straight roads meander" hint to Incubus' ability to expand and evolve their musical direction with each new album.[citation needed]
[edit] Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau |  [4] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[1] |
| Mojo |  [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
| Slant | [3] |
| Yahoo! Music |   [7] |
The singles from this album are "Megalomaniac" and "Talk Shows on Mute". "Agoraphobia" and "Sick Sad Little World" were also released as radio-only singles.
The album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 332,000 copies in its first week on the chart.[8] It has since gone on to sell 1.9 million copies and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. This is one of the few Incubus albums to carry the Parental Advisory label.
Early pressings of the album list track 12 "Smile Lines" as "Suite Lines" on the back cover.
The Japanese pressing of the album came with a bonus track, "Monuments & Melodies" which is also available on the "Alive at Red Rocks" bonus CD.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Incubus.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Megalomaniac" | 4:54 |
| 2. | "A Crow Left of the Murder" | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Agoraphobia" | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Talk Shows on Mute" | 3:49 |
| 5. | "Beware! Criminal" | 3:48 |
| 6. | "Sick Sad Little World" | 6:23 |
| 7. | "Pistola" | 4:23 |
| 8. | "Southern Girl" | 3:41 |
| 9. | "Priceless" | 4:07 |
| 10. | "Zee Deveel" | 3:52 |
| 11. | "Made for TV Movie" | 3:38 |
| 12. | "Smile Lines" | 3:59 |
| 13. | "Here in My Room" | 4:20 |
| 14. | "Leech" | 4:19 |
| Bonus Track | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 15. | "Monuments and Melodies" | 5:05 | |||||||
When bought at some retailers (including Best-Buy) a bonus live EP was bundled with the CD.
| 2004 bonus EP | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Pardon Me" (live in Osaka, Japan) | 4:58 | |||||||
| 2. | "Pantomime" (live at Merdeka Stadium, Lumpur, Malaysia) | 5:17 | |||||||
| 3. | "Talk Shows on Mute" (live at Entertainment Center, Sydney, Australia) | 3:50 | |||||||
| 4. | "A Certain Shade of Green" (live at Entertainment Center, Sydney, Australia) | 3:32 | |||||||
- Bonus DVD
- "Lollapalooza" – 9:13
- Includes a brief interview discussing the Lollapalooza tour, then performances of "Megalomaniac" and "Pistola".
- "Bridge Benefit" – 8:41
- Includes a brief interview discussing the Bridge School Benefit, follow by acoustic performances of "A Crow Left of the Murder" and "Talk Shows on Mute"
- While We Were Out – 7:35
- This is a documentary about the making of the album in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as some interview footage, and some footage of other things the band have gotten up to whilst they were out. It also introduces Ben Kenney, who recently joined as the bassist for the band.
- Brandon's Injury – 1:06
- A short mock-umentary about how Brandon injured his ankle.
- Short Film – 6:31
- Though not listed on the packaging, there is also a short film by Brendan Hearne, starring Mike Einziger.
[edit] Personnel
- Brandon Boyd – lead vocals, Guitar
- Mike Einziger – lead guitar
- Ben Kenney – bass
- Chris Kilmore – turntables
- Jose Pasillas – drums
[edit] Charting
Album
| Year | Chart | First Week Sales | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Billboard Top 200 | 332,000 | 2 |
| UK Official Charts | 298,000 | 6 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Megalomaniac" | Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2 | ||
| The Billboard Hot 100 | 55 | ||
| "Talk Shows On Mute" | Modern Rock Tracks | 3 | |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 18 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Kiener, Dan (February 6th, 2004). "A Crow Left of the Murder... Review". Drowned in Sound. http://drownedinsound.com/releases/3570/reviews/8936. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "A Crow Left of the Murder... Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r677092/review. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ a b Shetler, Scott (March 24, 2005). "A Crow Left of the Murder... Review". Slant. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/incubus-a-crow-left-of-the-murder/420. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ "Incubus Reviews". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Incubus. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ "A Crow Left of the Murder... Review". Mojo. http://www.musicoutfitter.com/a-crow-left-of-the-murder/p413182.html.[dead link]
- ^ Cherry, Robert (February 11, 2004). "A Crow Left of the Murder... Review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/a-crow-left-of-the-murder-20040211. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ Heath, Chris (February 17, 2004). "A Crow Left of the Murder... Review". Yahoo! Music. http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/040217/33/1wasi.html. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ Todd Martens. ""Chesney's 'Sun' Rises To Top The Billboard 200"". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2088325. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
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