This review covers the alternative rock track Incubus – New Skin.
This track was released in 1997 on the album S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
The track starts with some percussion work and along with both a lead guitar and bass guitar. From there, the lead guitars take over.
After a bit, the vocals then come in as the guitars drop back a little. From there, an instrumental section takes over for a moment. The main chorus then kicks in.
From there, the vocals take the track into the next verse with the guitars dropping back somewhat. A brief instrumental section comes in before the vocals come in. Some scratching does make a brief appearance. After that, the vocals take the track into the next round in the main chorus wit the lead guitar.
The vocals drop out with largely just percussion work.
A voice sample comes in with some pitch bending effects. The guitars them come in along with the vocals. Some scratching makes a brief return. The vocals then take the track into the main chorus again. This section ends with a section that emphasizes the guitars. A synth effect comes in and the guitars gradually fade out. The track ends with the percussion work gradually fading out.
What I will say right off the bat is the fact that the guitars sound great. They flow well with the track and give the track a very satisfying rock sound. The additional scratching combined with the guitar work really adds a nice level of depth to the tracks overall sound. They only make very short and sparing appearances, but it ends up work very well despite the few times they come in.
A problem with the track, however, is the mastering. The guitars and other elements throughout the track end up drowning out the vocals to the point where it is almost impossible to really understand what the vocals are even saying. As such, the meaning tends to get lost in all of this.
I normally don’t have a problem with the use of a voice sample. Even though there is some effort to make it even better with the use of pitchbending, I’m not entirely sure if it adds much to the overall track.
Still, this is a pretty decent track. It’s one of those tracks that have great elements, but also flaws. The great elements are, of course, the instrumentation throughout the track. The guitars really do this track a lot of favours and make it very enjoyable. Even the scratching finds a way to make subtle improvements to the overall sound. Unfortunately, the mastering held this track back since it is almost impossible to really understand the lyrics of the track. That, ultimately, is a real shame in my view. Still, it’s a pretty decent track to listen to. So, a satisfying, if flawed listening experience.
Score
7/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
