Incubus Album: “Fungus Amongus”

Ah, yes. Funk-metal. A dying genre of music. It started with legendary albums like Blood Sugar..., and The Real Thing, and Sailing The Seas Of Cheese. Fungus Amongus does nothing but uphold those albums, and in many areas, surpasses them in superb musicianship, blistering assault, and complete and total all-out wackyness. Incubus recorded this when they were around 19 years old, but it doesn't really show in the music. Lyrics maybe. Some of the songs, like "The Answer," or the incredible "Take Me To Your Leader" are great foreshadowings of the rap-funk-metal to be seen on S.C.I.E.N.C.E, and other songs fully portray every bit of talent the band has, notably "Speak Free." Fans of Morning View, well, this album might go right over your head, because it is very different from the Incubus we know today. Brandon's voice is still in top form. To prepare for him here, listen to the song "Deep Inside." Fungus Amongus's songs are basically(or is it bassically?) rawer versions of that. The lyrics, although immature, are thought-provoking and downright hilarious at times, although laced with oodles of profanity. It's a bit of a wild card to buy this album, and it might take 6 months to a year for it to grow on you, but relax. A true Incubus fan NEEDS this one in their collection. It's worth it.

This CD is truly a feat if you really stop and think about it. the band was 16 and already playing like this with an absolutely unique style. The musicianship is just astounding (and anyone who says otherwise, I defy you to sit down with a guitar or bass and play like that, I freakin dare you) and the vocals are funny, uplifting, and even kind of heavy in certain places. I think this and S.C.I.E.N.C.E are probably their best releases. A cool mix of punk, ska, funk, and a little metal.

Recorded in tha earlier 90's when tha guys of Incubus were in their teens, Fungus Amoungus has a funkier, thrashier sound than their newer CD's with influences from bands like RHCP and Primus. While admittedly tha lyrics at times don't make much sense, they're more fun and lightweight and Brandon has a distinct singing style that can switch from slow and melodious to fast without employing tha use of grunts or screams. Fungus is alot different than Make Yourself, fans who like Stellar, Drive, and tha likes, might be dissapointed by this cd. I think that its an incredible effort from Incubus considering how young they were and tha fact that they released it themselves originally, and it shows the progression of their style as they grow and matured.

This has to be Incubus's weakest release but i cant really blame them they were young when they produced it, and it is still a pretty decent album. some key songs are "Take Me To Your Leader" which is probably the best song on the album with crazy and unique lyrics and another good song is "you will be a hot dancer".

first of all, like i read somewhere else, comparing 'fungus amongus' to any of incubus' lp's (s.c.i.e.n.c.e., make yourself and morning view) is like comparing apples to oranges. unlike the band's lp's, which were carefuly conceived, featuring melodic sounds and very balanced vocals (even though there's a noticeable evolution in their music style), fungus amongus is a collection of the band's oldest recordings, which date from the early 90's, when they were high-school teenagers. a trashier sound, followed by funky rythims and loose lyrics are the best adjectives to describe this cd. although it seems to be a very relaxed collection of songs from a group of young boys who seemed to have a really good time recording them, the roots to what would be major albums can still be identified, for example, on a great performance by the lead singer brandon boyd whose vocal range is outstanding.

in sum, this collectin of incubus' early songs is surprisingly good (keeping in mind that the band members were very young when this was recorded) but *do not* expect this to be a follow up of their lp 'make yourself' like i heard and read too many times.