HQ Live (Special Edition)

HQ Live (Special Edition)

In the spirit of temporary West Cost “pop-up” shops, Brandon Boyd and his band transformed a West Hollywood storefront into Incubus Headquarters where they played free concerts for seven consecutive days. Initially done as a publicity blitz to garner a buzz for the band’s seventh studio album If Not Now, When?, they also culled the best of these live performances into a Special Edition compilation, boasting old fan favorites like the pensive post-grunge rocker “Drive” and newer gems such as an intimate piano-heavy rendition of “Promises, Promises.” Mike Einziger’s guitar tone sounds amazing throughout — most noticeably in the beautifully brooding “11AM” and in the opening “Nice To Know You” where he segues from nimble arpeggios swirling in various effects to crumbling walls of tube-burning distortion (check the flawless harmonies in the chorus of this one). As hardcore fans of the band know, there’s a tangible dimension of rock-power in their live performances that doesn’t always translate when they’re tracking an album. These recordings really capture the band’s raw energy — especially “Circles.”

Disc 1

Disc 2

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