S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is the second album by the American rock band Incubus, released on September 9, 1997 by Epic Records. The album has been certified Gold by the RIAA. It has been mentioned by various band members that the acronym S.C.I.E.N.C.E. stands for Sailing Catamarans Is Every Nautical Captain's Ecstasy. "Sometimes we just sit around and come up with these for laughs. In other words, there's not just one meaning, it's just food for thought," says singer Brandon Boyd.[6] This is the first and only studio album to feature DJ Lyfe.
Production
After releasing their independent debut album Fungus Amongus, Incubus signed a seven-record deal with Sony-affiliated Immortal Records.[7] Their first full-length major label effort S.C.I.E.N.C.E. was recorded during May–June 1997. Singer Brandon Boyd said "S.C.I.E.N.C.E. was done in six weeks in a very small, charming studio in Santa Monica. Very different experience, but very important on this band's existence."[8]
Music
S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is influenced by several genres, including heavy metal,[9][10] electro,[11] funk,[9][10] jazz,[10][11] hip hop[9] and techno.[9] According to Rolling Stone writer Rob Kemp, S.C.I.E.N.C.E. "links funk metal to the rap metal".[3] "Magic Medicine" incorporates elements of trip hop, sampling a recorded reading of a children's book.[12]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| The Daily Vault | B+[14] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [15] |
| The Great Rock Discography | 6/10[16] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10[11] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.5/5[17] |
Critics wrote favorably of the album's diverse style. Pitchfork state that Incubus "successfully combines all sorts of [music genres] without sounding like a mess".[11] AllMusic reviewer David Thomas wrote that "The numerous styles on the album don't always blend perfectly, but they create a solid sound that defines the band. Incubus also manages to make their songs upbeat and danceable as well as tunes to headbang to. An admirable feat in a genre that tends to reward decibel levels instead of quality."[13] Drop-D Magazine reviewer Darren Kerr praised the album's incorporation of turntablism and trip hop.[12] Kerr also noted similarities between Faith No More, writing "I would not dispute that Brandon of the Jungle's evil-lounge-singer-morphing-into-teeth-gnashing-maniac vocal style is emulative of Mike Patton. I also would not argue that a couple of these songs would not sound out of place alongside FNM tracks like 'Caffeine' or 'The Gentle Art of Making Enemies'. However, guitarist Michael Einzinger and bassist Alex Katunich are mining a groove vein uniquely their own."[12]
VH1 ranked the album tenth on their 2015 list of "The 12 Most Underrated Nu Metal Albums".[5] In 2020, Louder Sound listed it as being one of the best metal albums released between 1996 and 1997,[18] besides considering it one of the top 10 albums of 1997.[19]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Incubus, except "A Certain Shade of Green", written by Incubus and Randy Muller.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Redefine" | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Vitamin" | 3:13 |
| 3. | "New Skin" | 3:51 |
| 4. | "Idiot Box" | 4:07 |
| 5. | "Glass" | 3:37 |
| 6. | "Magic Medicine" (instrumental) | 3:03 |
| 7. | "A Certain Shade of Green" | 3:11 |
| 8. | "Favorite Things" | 3:11 |
| 9. | "Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song)" | 4:26 |
| 10. | "Nebula" | 3:50 |
| 11. | "Deep Inside" | 3:55 |
| 12. | "Calgone" ("Calgone" ends at 5:12; the hidden track "Segue 1" begins at 5:42) | 16:05 |
| Total length: | 55:52 | |
Personnel
- Incubus
- Cornelius – lead vocals, percussion
- Jawa – guitar, backing vocals
- Dirk Lance – bass
- DJ Lyfe – turntables, keyboards
- Badmammajamma – drums
- Additional
- Charles Waltz – violin
- Jeremy Wasser – saxophone on "Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song)"
- Jim Wirt – producer
- Ulrich Wild – engineer
- CJ Eiriksson – engineer
- Donat Kazarinoff – engineer
- Matthew Kallen – assistant engineer
- Terry Date – mixing
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering, remastering
- Frank Harkins – art direction
- Chris McCann – photography
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[20] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[21] | Gold | 500,000^ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ "Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E." 4Th Street Recording.
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Make Yourself – Incubus". AllMusic. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Kemp, Rob (2004). "Incubus". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 403–04. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Bland, Simon (26 October 2020). ""Instead Of Falling Into Some Subgenre Of Rock, We Created Our Own": An Oral History Of Incubus' Make Yourself". Kerrang!. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
After multiple world tours in support of 1997's funk metal record S.C.I.E.N.C.E, Incubus finally land back in LA to begin work on a new album
- ^ a b "The 12 Most Underrated Nu Metal Albums". VH1 News.
- ^ [1] OzzFest '98 - Interviews - Incubus
- ^ "Sony and Incubus Reach New Agreement". Los Angeles Times. April 11, 2003.
- ^ [2]
- ^ a b c d Friedlander, Paul (2006). "We Should Be Together". Rock & Roll: A Social History. Basic Books. p. 305. ISBN 0-8133-4306-2.
- ^ a b c Sullivan, Kate (November 2001). "The Accidental Sex Symbol". Spin. 17 (11): 78.
- ^ a b c d Wisdom, James P. "Incubus: S.C.I.E.N.C.E.". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 5, 2003. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
- ^ a b c Kerr, Darren (April 11, 1998). "Review of S.C.I.E.N.C.E.". Drop-D Magazine. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
- ^ a b Thomas, David. "S.C.I.E.N.C.E. – Incubus". AllMusic. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
- ^ Thelen, Christopher (1999). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews : S.C.I.E.N.C.E." dailyvault.com. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Incubus". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). "Incubus". The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate Books. p. 731. ISBN 1-84195-615-5.
- ^ Royal, Jacob (October 30, 2012). "Incubus – S.C.I.E.N.C.E.". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
- ^ https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-100-best-metal-albums-of-the-90s/4
- ^ "The Top 10 best albums of 1997". Metal Hammer. Future plc. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ "British album certifications – Incubus – S.C.I.E.N.C.E." British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type S.C.I.E.N.C.E. in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "American album certifications – Incubus – S.C.I.E.N.C.E." Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.