Several fans may have been disappointed, but let's face it, the SCIENCE and Make yourself days are over a decade in the past. In a way, I'm kinda glad the band did this. It was a surprise nonetheless, but its a surprise that grows on you. Every song has this kind of magic to it that usually kicks in after the second or third listen, but never the first. That is why you have to let it grow on you. Personally I think some of the tracks in this album are some of the band's most creative material. Tracks 7-10 stood out to me the most. The jovial acoustic melody of "Defiance", the length and bipolarity of "In the Company of Wolves", the upbeat tempo of "Switchblade", and the stunning atmosphere of "Adolescents" is what truly made this a great listening experience for me, and a factor to still appreciate this band for everything it has to offer.… Expand

groovesandwich.typepad.com In a previous post, I discussed the importance of a music education. I stated that it will make oneâ

When I worked at a record store, way back in 2000, before the record industry imploded, the When Incubus Attacks Vol.1 Ep was released. And the talk among coworkers was how we thought Boyd and Co. should release an acoustic-geared album. And now that the angst finally died down, it'd have been perfect timing for something like this. And it's not that I'm against a mellow Incubus album, because they've had wonderful transcendental tracks on previous albums, but something as flat and contemporary as If Not Now, When?, well, I guess the title answers the question. I just wished they'd have gone organic to this wavy new age crooner. And there ARE a couple of sweet spots on here, 'Wolves, Promises...I just didn't want an album full of that. I'm not mad, 'bands aloud to have artistic integrity, just isn't my bag.… Expand

Bleh. This album confirms what a lot of people have been speculating for many years: Incubus is not the band it used to be. There is a large following of listeners who have been dying for a taste of the S.C.I.E.N.C.E days, or even a little morsel of Make Yourself. Not only does Brandon Boyd and co. further distance themselves from those early records and innovative sound, they have launched them into orbit. What we have here is a dull and uninspiring batch of songs aimed to get the female 13-30 demographic excited. Whereas previously we would get a wonderful set of songs showcasing the talented band members, with a few toned-down numbers sprinkled in; we now have eleven tracks of lameness. I certainly don't need rehashed versions of "A Certain Shade of Green", or "Circles", but what I do need is some freakin' rock 'n roll!… Expand

Incubus is not the band they used to be and that is a great thing. They have not tried to force feed us the same 'ol music rearranged and repackaged just to satisfy a few. I am thankful for the direction they have taken to always push themselves and the music in new directions. I feel sorry for those that missed the turn and were unable to ride along as the band progressed artistically. The latest offering is an effort of epic proportion to take the music far from where it has been before while still maintaining the signature maturity and sound it developed in the second half of the band's career( since ACLOTM). This is a laid back and relaxed Incubus that has no filler. Enjoy this. It will satisfy to the highest degree when you are able to accept that Incubus is a band that will continue to take risks in their music to prevent any chance that they insult the fans with stale offerings . This is a refreshing and smooth ride from start to finish.… Expand

It's another progression for the band and looks like each member's time off, specially Mike getting additional Harvard music, paid off. The band doesn't really have two identical albums so it's not a surprise that the songs will take time to grow on you (about 3 loops each). For listeners who are true fans of the band, it's not new that they need to adjust a little following the latest release of the band since the most important ingredient is how well the lines are played and the explosion of different instruments, which cannot be heard from other bands. Adding to this, I can barely remember any band who sounds a lot better when playing live than the radio edit and studio version of their songs.… Expand

I absolutely love Incubus for their integrity, ambition, talent, musical quality, and, most of all, for their album-to-album evolution. This is their best album to date, in my opinion. It's a lot more laid back than their previous releases - they've definitely taken the minimalist approach to their music on this album - but there's more going on on this album compositionally than any of their other albums. If you put this album on with a good pair of headphones, you will hear every ounce of beauty and passion infused in these songs. I personally love the tracks "Promises, Promises", "Isadore", "In The Company Of Wolves", and "Adolescents" the most. This album really is a perfect soundtrack to the summer. I recommend going outside on a beautiful, slightly cloudy day, laying on your back in the grass, putting your headphones on, and playing the album from front to back while watching the clouds go by. If you're a true fan of all of Incubus' previous albums and you don't own "If Not Now, When?" yet, you need to go out and buy it right now. You will not be disappointed.… Expand

As a fan of Incubus from way back in the Fungus Amongus/ Enjoy Incubus days, this album came as a huge disappointment. Simplistic, Pop-ish, and seemingly dedicated to appealing to tweens, Incubus has taken a huge step backwards here. Instead of producing a BAND album, "If Not Now When" centers the band's musical efforts around Brandon Boyd's singing on top of simplistic pop tunes; resulting in bland, radio friendly trash. Not the challenging musical journey I would have hoped for from Incubus. Until now, I have liked to varying degrees all of Incubus' albums, because without exception they showed the musicality and versatility of all of the band members. This album is mostly just the crooning of Brandon Boyd over vanilla pop rock. Some will defend this album and proclaim that Incubus should be lauded for "taking risks" and going outside of their standard musical fare. If what the band produced was new and innovative I might agree, but the reality is that this album is crap.… Collapse

Well, I would have to place, Make Yourself, Morning View & A Crow Left of the Murder above this album. But, I do think "If not now, when" is better than "Light Grenades". It's a different sounding album then most of the Incubus catalog, but after a few listens it grows on u. I would say a solid 6

What's your problem? This album is way better than anything Incubus has done before! Relaxing alternative rock style with great guitar riffs and gorgeous lyrics - I really like it! They're way better in this style and also if not every song is such a big track, the result is really good. Just because it's something different than we expected, doesn't mean it's bad, okay? Perhaps I would even list it as one of the 10 best albums in 2011.… Expand

As a huge Incubus fan, I tried really hard to like this album. Really, really hard. And I understand the idea of "evolving" or changing styles as a band. I've liked that Incubus has striven to do something new on every album. But there's a difference in changing and regressing, which is what Incubus did for this one. On every previous album, listeners can sense the amount of effort and creativity the band spent on writing their music. Even if their music style changed, one could still appreciate the music for its complexity and, for the most part, originality. However, on "If Not Now, When?," the majority of the songs are mind-numbingly simplistic and bland. Some of the songs may even start out promising, or may have a short lick of something that sounds experimental or complex, but they then reduce down to a soft pop/ easy listening rhythm and style, reminiscent of vapid, easily-forgotten radio tunes from the 80s and 90s. To put it simply, this album was not only a disappointment, but a complete shock to fans who expect so much more from this band. I usually judge disappointing new albums from my favorite bands from a perspective that they may be, for example, "Incubus bad," or "Tool bad," meaning that they're not best quality of music put out by that particular band, but the music is still better than the majority of music out there. Unfortunately, this album was just plain bad.… Expand

Their politics are bad; simply bad. But when it comes to the human condition they do very well. I have to stretch this out to be an acceptable criticism... as if the above isn't enough and people actually read these.

The new album from rockers Incubus is a disappointment from start to finish. It's sound takes another root form what the band had in their previous albums, for example with the Train-esque "Promises, Promises" and try to acquire their old sound with "Adolescents". These tracks shows that the new album is nothing but a watered-down effort from the band to attract a new audience.

After completing my first listen of "Morning View" back in my mid-college days my first impression was that Incubus was both expanding beyond their initial category as well as lightening up a little. Although in that first listen I immediately liked/loved a few songs (Nice To Know You, Are You In?), eventually I grew to simply love the entire album. Stepping back to one of those impressions 'lightening up a little', I had to re-think about why I liked this band, because it was obvious that they were not going to sit still in the years to come.

Moving forward to their recent release "If Not Now, When?" I again had to re-think why I liked this band. After 10+ years of loving their music could I really decide that this was their worst? That this time the album wouldn't grow from an initial 'meh' to 'Absolutely Loving it'? I think it is, and unlike some reviewers that want to write off the band as lost or past their prime, I am ok with "If Not Now, When?". I'm ok an 11 song LP that has no true stand outs, and I'm ok waiting another few years for their next attempt. But then again, this album is simply that: just ok.

It isn't terrible, but it definitely isn't great and barring another ten or twenty more playthroughs I don't expect that impression to change. There are guitar parts that are immediately recognizable Einziger/Incubus style, but the funny thing that struck me this go around was the new instruments that were spread throughout the tracks. Unlike the marxophone that introduces "Anna Molly", on "Promises, Promises" it is simply a piano, and I think that characterizes many of the other tracks. Simple. Simple isn't bad, it's just simple, and it does have it's moments such as on "Defiance" where the acoustic guitar is the only accompaniment to Boyd's falsetto and melodic vocals. But this sort of track used to be the interlude between sides A & B on previous albums (i.e. Earth to Bella 1/2) and is now the climax if you had to state that there is one.

Let Incubus be, if anything they've got this out of their system or at least allowed themselves the pleasure of exploring the idea of easy-does-it. Because regardless of the result doing something is not as easy as doing nothing.… Expand

Like many others I was at first feeling disappointed with this album because it wasn't what I expected, but since Incubus is one of my favorite bands I kept playing it. As you can tell from the score, this album, unlike any other, has grown on me. This is one of my favorite "chill" albums. Just sit back and enjoy!

I think lyrically and melodically this album is incubus' best so far (especially lyrically). While "I am the same old incubus" song might only sound like "adolescent", other songs (well atleast for me) stood out neck to neck with it. I am very happy regardless of the shift of musical gear incorporated by the band. BTW, been a fan since FungusAmongus.

Incubus' attempt to break out of their self-imposed genre is a complete and utter failure. Instead of remaining true to their unique sound, hard-driving guitar and bass, and emphasizing the talents of Brandon Boyd, they tried to do something different and were utterly inept at doing so. The title song and Friends and Lovers were sadly lacking in depth and catchiness. No song on this album begs to be remembered and sung along with. Incubus is an incredible band, with talent bursting out of the seams, but this album was severely disappointing to me, who has been a fan for over a decade. They need to recapture the glory and depth of Morning View and throw in the masterful lyrics of Light Grenades. That should be their next attempt. If you like Incubus as much as I do, it's worth a listen. A few of the later tracks are definitely worth your while including Switchblade and Adolescents which capture the sound of earlier Incubus albums.… Expand

I cannot say this is their best effort. That title falls to Crow Left of the Murder without a doubt. However, as this is not a sophomore effort since Ben Kenney joined, they have really relaxed on the initial momentum or influence he placed on their progressive structures for songs. Significant stand out song - In the Company of Wolves. The intricate build of this song is sufficient to make one understand the maturity the band have gone through. To the fans of their heydey who still think they should go back to SCIENCE because otherwise they are 'selling out' - show a big more maturity as listeners.
Anyways, great album, and ones not to miss include the aforementioned Company of Wolves, Tomorrow's Food (great melodies), the title track and promises promises.… Expand