Morning View
Encyclopedia
Morning View is the fourth studio album
by American rock
band Incubus
, released October 23, 2001 through Epic Records
. A companion DVD, Morning View Sessions
, was released on May 29, 2002. Morning View was the last Incubus album to feature bassist Alex Katunich
.
With immensely popular singles like "Wish You Were Here
" and "Nice to Know You
," Morning View generally achieved critical praise and would go triple-platinum, making it the band's highest selling album.
, but we didn't have enough clout at the time. When we were getting ready to write this one, we knew that we needed to get into a more creative place. The idea was to not feel as if you were driving [somewhere] to work on a record. You could just get up and it was a natural extension of your day."
Vocalist Brandon Boyd
stated that the band "needed quick access to the beach because we're kinda spoiled brats sometimes. We need that outlet. At least I do. It's nice to write music all day and be like, 'I'm going to take a break, see you guys in two hours.'"
Out of the 30 songs the band sketched out for the album, 13 ended up on the final release.
every time I'd show up to the house. Every time we'd pull up, DJ Kilmore
would be like, "Ah, Morning View. It's time to rock!"
, aggression, and groove. It has an overall softer sound than previous albums, especially apparent on songs like "Echo" and "Are You In?
"; however, Incubus's heavier side is still evident on tracks like "Have You Ever" and "Under My Umbrella." Songs such as "Just a Phase" display more original song structures compared to their previous work. Regarding the album's unique sound, guitarist Mike Einziger
notes that it:
The final song, "Aqueous Transmission", employs the use of Chinese instruments such as the Pipa
and is accompanied by a Japanese orchestra. The Pipa
used on the recording was given to Mike Einziger
from Steve Vai
, who also helped him develop the main riff
to "Echo." "Aqueous Transmission" is 7 minutes and 46 seconds long, with the last minute consisting of frogs croaking outside the studio in Malibu. Boyd joking said that the purpose of the song was to make "the listener pee in his/her pants" from relaxation.
beginning with the euphoric "Wish You Were Here
" released on August 21, 2001. Despite the filming of an alternative music video
, as the banned original version conjured images of the September 11 attacks
, "Wish You Were Here" gained significant rotation and charted well.
Its follow up, "Nice to Know You
," and third single, "Warning
," both gained substantial airplay as well. The moody "Are You In?
" had a video exclusive to Europe due to its sensual nature. It gained little attention in comparison to its predecessors as did the final single, "Circles
." Five years after the album's release, an official video for latter was released on December 3, 2006 on Sony BMG Musicbox.
Once finished with the recording of their new album, Incubus began touring with Hundred Reasons
in Europe from June until the first week of July. They were also invited to play Moby
's Area:One Festival
alongside the likes of Outkast
, The Roots
, Paul Oakenfold
, Carl Cox
, and Nelly Furtado
. In August, the band performed their first shows in Australia and Japan before returning to the US for their long-awaited headlining tour; joining their long-time friends from California, Hoobastank
and Phantom Planet
, Incubus embarked on the Honda Civic Tour
which kept ticket prices low through sponsorship and saw the band give away cars to fans. Amidst touring, Incubus was still experiencing commercial milestones for their previous album
. They continued to headline throughout the remainder of the year.
In January 2002, the band toured Europe with 311
and Hoobastank. Incubus played on Late Night with David Letterman
on February 14, 2002. For the remainder of February and March, the group performed throughout Japan and Australia–where they also shot the video for "Warning"–before returning to the US. Incubus embarked on a headlining touring on August 31 with their last concert for Morning View taking place on November 2. This would also be their last show with bassist Alex Katunich
who left the Incubus soon later due to personal reasons.
score of 62, based on 10 reviews. Q Magazine states that "even at their most acerbic or delicately downplayed extremes, Incubus are compelling.", while CDNow noted that Incubus "has begun to grow up a bit."
at #2 with 266,000 copies sold in its first week. By December 2001, the album was certified platinum and still ranked #38 on the Top 200. Many of its singles would remain on the charts throughout the following year. After heavy touring and single rotation, Morning View would be the 40th best selling album of 2002.
.
Singles
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Incubus
Incubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
, released October 23, 2001 through Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. A companion DVD, Morning View Sessions
Morning View Sessions
Released on May 28, 2002, this DVD chronicles the Morning View Sessions concert that the band Incubus gave in New York City. The concert took place on the day their album Morning View was released.-Track listing:# "Program Start"# "Pardon Me"# "Stellar"...
, was released on May 29, 2002. Morning View was the last Incubus album to feature bassist Alex Katunich
Alex Katunich
George Alex Katunich is the former bassist of Incubus.Since high school, Alex went by the stage name of Dirk Lance which was apparently taken from the credits of an anonymous '70s porn flick...
.
With immensely popular singles like "Wish You Were Here
Wish You Were Here (Incubus song)
"Wish You Were Here" is a song by American alternative rock band Incubus and the lead single from their fourth studio album album, Morning View. Released in late summer 2001, it peaked at #2 on the Modern Rock and #4 on the Mainstream Rock Charts that year...
" and "Nice to Know You
Nice to Know You
"Nice to Know You" is the first track and second single by Incubus from the album Morning View. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock Charts.-Music video:...
," Morning View generally achieved critical praise and would go triple-platinum, making it the band's highest selling album.
Background and recording
To record the album, the band lived temporarily in Malibu, California, near a street called "Morning View Drive". Former bassist Alex Katunich (aka "Dirk Lance") noted that the band had previously "tried to do that for at least the writing portion of Make YourselfMake Yourself
Make Yourself is the third album by American rock band Incubus, released through Epic Records on October 26, 1999. The album has been certified double platinum in the United States along with featuring three charting singles, "Pardon Me", "Stellar", and "Drive", all of which reached the top three...
, but we didn't have enough clout at the time. When we were getting ready to write this one, we knew that we needed to get into a more creative place. The idea was to not feel as if you were driving [somewhere] to work on a record. You could just get up and it was a natural extension of your day."
Vocalist Brandon Boyd
Brandon Boyd
Brandon Charles Boyd is an American musician, author, and visual artist. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the American rock band Incubus.-Early Life and Incubus:...
stated that the band "needed quick access to the beach because we're kinda spoiled brats sometimes. We need that outlet. At least I do. It's nice to write music all day and be like, 'I'm going to take a break, see you guys in two hours.'"
Out of the 30 songs the band sketched out for the album, 13 ended up on the final release.
Album title
Former bassist Alex Katunich (aka "Dirk Lance") stated that the album's title comes from "the name of the street the house was on where we recorded the album." Boyd notes that "every time we'd pull into the street we had the view of the ocean and Pacific Coast Highway. I got a big creative bonerErection
Penile erection is a physiological phenomenon where the penis becomes enlarged and firm. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular and endocrine factors, and is usually, though not exclusively, associated with sexual arousal...
every time I'd show up to the house. Every time we'd pull up, DJ Kilmore
Chris Kilmore
Chris Kilmore is an American DJ. He is the turntablist and keyboardist of the rock band Incubus.-References:*...
would be like, "Ah, Morning View. It's time to rock!"
Music
Morning View features a variety ambianceAmbient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
, aggression, and groove. It has an overall softer sound than previous albums, especially apparent on songs like "Echo" and "Are You In?
Are You In?
"Are You In?" is the fourth single from Incubus's 4th full length album Morning View. In New Zealand it peaked at number 5 and was certified gold....
"; however, Incubus's heavier side is still evident on tracks like "Have You Ever" and "Under My Umbrella." Songs such as "Just a Phase" display more original song structures compared to their previous work. Regarding the album's unique sound, guitarist Mike Einziger
Mike Einziger
Michael Aaron Einziger is a Grammy-nominated musician known as the co-writer and guitarist of the alternative rock band Incubus. Einziger is widely known as an innovator and enthusiast of the use of pedalboard guitar effects during live concerts, and was voted #41 in Total Guitar's top 100...
notes that it:
"would've been really easy for us to try to replicate certain songs that did well on our last record, which we didn't do. We didn't do anything even remotely close to that. We put pressure on ourselves to make a good record because if none of us were happy with it, we'll all be miserable for the next two years while we're on tour."
The final song, "Aqueous Transmission", employs the use of Chinese instruments such as the Pipa
Pipa
The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
and is accompanied by a Japanese orchestra. The Pipa
Pipa
The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
used on the recording was given to Mike Einziger
Mike Einziger
Michael Aaron Einziger is a Grammy-nominated musician known as the co-writer and guitarist of the alternative rock band Incubus. Einziger is widely known as an innovator and enthusiast of the use of pedalboard guitar effects during live concerts, and was voted #41 in Total Guitar's top 100...
from Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
, who also helped him develop the main riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
to "Echo." "Aqueous Transmission" is 7 minutes and 46 seconds long, with the last minute consisting of frogs croaking outside the studio in Malibu. Boyd joking said that the purpose of the song was to make "the listener pee in his/her pants" from relaxation.
Touring and promotion
Morning View boasted a total of five singlesSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
beginning with the euphoric "Wish You Were Here
Wish You Were Here (Incubus song)
"Wish You Were Here" is a song by American alternative rock band Incubus and the lead single from their fourth studio album album, Morning View. Released in late summer 2001, it peaked at #2 on the Modern Rock and #4 on the Mainstream Rock Charts that year...
" released on August 21, 2001. Despite the filming of an alternative music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, as the banned original version conjured images of the September 11 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, "Wish You Were Here" gained significant rotation and charted well.
Its follow up, "Nice to Know You
Nice to Know You
"Nice to Know You" is the first track and second single by Incubus from the album Morning View. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock Charts.-Music video:...
," and third single, "Warning
Warning (Incubus song)
"Warning" is the third single from Incubus's 2001 album Morning View. It is the 8th track from the album.-Synopsis:The video, directed by Francis Lawrence shows a girl in a hoodie, wearing a digital watch, who stares blankly ahead, apparently oblivious to anyone around her, even though she stands...
," both gained substantial airplay as well. The moody "Are You In?
Are You In?
"Are You In?" is the fourth single from Incubus's 4th full length album Morning View. In New Zealand it peaked at number 5 and was certified gold....
" had a video exclusive to Europe due to its sensual nature. It gained little attention in comparison to its predecessors as did the final single, "Circles
Circles (Incubus song)
"Circles" is the final single from Incubus's hit album, Morning View....
." Five years after the album's release, an official video for latter was released on December 3, 2006 on Sony BMG Musicbox.
Once finished with the recording of their new album, Incubus began touring with Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons are an English rock band from Farnborough, Hampshire, composed of Colin Doran , Larry Hibbitt , Andy Gilmour , Andy Bews and Ben Doyle . Originally, the band was signed to Columbia Records in mid April 2001, after fourteen months of near-constant touring...
in Europe from June until the first week of July. They were also invited to play Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
's Area:One Festival
Area Festival
The Area Festival was a music festival founded by popular electronic musician Moby, who asserted that he was "in large part, inspired by the ethos of Lollapalooza", and wished to create a similarly "genuinely eclectic, interesting, alternative music festival". Moby organized the first such...
alongside the likes of Outkast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
, The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
, Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
, Carl Cox
Carl Cox
Carl Cox is a British techno and house music DJ.-Biography:Cox grew up in Oldham, Lancashire, before attending Glastonbury High Boys secondary modern school on Glastonbury Road in Morden. Cox began his career as a hardcore and rave DJ in the mid 1980s...
, and Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
. In August, the band performed their first shows in Australia and Japan before returning to the US for their long-awaited headlining tour; joining their long-time friends from California, Hoobastank
Hoobastank
Hoobastank is an American rock band, best known for their 2004 hit "The Reason" and other hits "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running Away". They formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, with singer Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist Markku Lappalainen. They...
and Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet are an American alternative rock band from Southern California. Formed in 1994 in Los Angeles, the band consists of Alex Greenwald , Darren Robinson , Sam Farrar and Jeff Conrad . The band is best known for its track "California", which became the theme song for the Fox TV series,...
, Incubus embarked on the Honda Civic Tour
Honda Civic Tour
The Honda Civic Tour is an annual concert tour, sponsored by Honda Motor Company which began in 2001. Each year, the headlining band or bands customize a Honda Civic for concert patrons to win in a raffle.-First Half:*Headliner: blink-182...
which kept ticket prices low through sponsorship and saw the band give away cars to fans. Amidst touring, Incubus was still experiencing commercial milestones for their previous album
Make Yourself
Make Yourself is the third album by American rock band Incubus, released through Epic Records on October 26, 1999. The album has been certified double platinum in the United States along with featuring three charting singles, "Pardon Me", "Stellar", and "Drive", all of which reached the top three...
. They continued to headline throughout the remainder of the year.
In January 2002, the band toured Europe with 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
and Hoobastank. Incubus played on Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
on February 14, 2002. For the remainder of February and March, the group performed throughout Japan and Australia–where they also shot the video for "Warning"–before returning to the US. Incubus embarked on a headlining touring on August 31 with their last concert for Morning View taking place on November 2. This would also be their last show with bassist Alex Katunich
Alex Katunich
George Alex Katunich is the former bassist of Incubus.Since high school, Alex went by the stage name of Dirk Lance which was apparently taken from the credits of an anonymous '70s porn flick...
who left the Incubus soon later due to personal reasons.
Reception
Critical response
The album received generally positive reviews, with a MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
score of 62, based on 10 reviews. Q Magazine states that "even at their most acerbic or delicately downplayed extremes, Incubus are compelling.", while CDNow noted that Incubus "has begun to grow up a bit."
Commercial success
Topping all previous Incubus records, Morning View debuted on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at #2 with 266,000 copies sold in its first week. By December 2001, the album was certified platinum and still ranked #38 on the Top 200. Many of its singles would remain on the charts throughout the following year. After heavy touring and single rotation, Morning View would be the 40th best selling album of 2002.
Track listing
All songs written and performed by IncubusIncubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
.
- "Nice to Know YouNice to Know You"Nice to Know You" is the first track and second single by Incubus from the album Morning View. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock Charts.-Music video:...
" - 4:43 - "CirclesCircles (Incubus song)"Circles" is the final single from Incubus's hit album, Morning View....
" - 4:09 - "Wish You Were HereWish You Were Here (Incubus song)"Wish You Were Here" is a song by American alternative rock band Incubus and the lead single from their fourth studio album album, Morning View. Released in late summer 2001, it peaked at #2 on the Modern Rock and #4 on the Mainstream Rock Charts that year...
" - 3:32 - "Just a Phase" - 5:33
- "11am" - 4:16
- "Blood on the Ground" - 4:36
- "Mexico" - 4:22
- "WarningWarning (Incubus song)"Warning" is the third single from Incubus's 2001 album Morning View. It is the 8th track from the album.-Synopsis:The video, directed by Francis Lawrence shows a girl in a hoodie, wearing a digital watch, who stares blankly ahead, apparently oblivious to anyone around her, even though she stands...
" - 4:42 - "Echo" - 3:36
- "Have You Ever" - 3:16
- "Are You In?Are You In?"Are You In?" is the fourth single from Incubus's 4th full length album Morning View. In New Zealand it peaked at number 5 and was certified gold....
" - 4:26 - "Under My Umbrella" - 3:33
- "Aqueous Transmission" - 7:46
Australian Bonus CD
- "Pardon Me" (Live in Denver)
- "Favorite Things" (Live in Denver)
- "Clean" (Live Acoustic)
- "Drive" (Acoustic)
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | First Week Sales | Albums sold (to date) | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Billboard 200 | 266,000 | 3.6 million | 2 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Wish You Were Here" | Modern Rock Tracks | 2 |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 4 | ||
| Billboard Hot 100 | 60 | ||
| Adult Top 40 | 36 | ||
| 2002 | "Nice To Know You" | Modern Rock Tracks | 9 |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 9 | ||
| "Warning" | Modern Rock Charts | 3 | |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 27 | ||
| "Circles" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 31 |
Personnel
- Brandon BoydBrandon BoydBrandon Charles Boyd is an American musician, author, and visual artist. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the American rock band Incubus.-Early Life and Incubus:...
– lead vocals - Mike EinzigerMike EinzigerMichael Aaron Einziger is a Grammy-nominated musician known as the co-writer and guitarist of the alternative rock band Incubus. Einziger is widely known as an innovator and enthusiast of the use of pedalboard guitar effects during live concerts, and was voted #41 in Total Guitar's top 100...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Dirk Lance – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Chris KilmoreChris KilmoreChris Kilmore is an American DJ. He is the turntablist and keyboardist of the rock band Incubus.-References:*...
– turntablesTurntablismTurntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer... - Jose PasillasJosé PasillasJosé Antonio Pasillas is an American drummer known as the drummer of alternative rock band Incubus.-Biography:José Pasillas is of Mexican descent. He grew up in Calabasas, California. He began playing drums in 1990...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....