'Grenades' a dud

At the time of my writing this, Incubus' has been getting fairly positive reviews -- from Allmusic.com, the Associated Press, the L.A. Times and so on. This has led me to consider and reconsider my initial reaction to this disc. But each successive spin has only reaffirmed my conclusion: Someone has to stand up to this madness -- to butcher the famous Edmund Burke quote, "All that is required for (mediocrity) to prevail is for good (critics) to do nothing."\nLight Grenades represents a conflux of two powerful currents of mainstream dullness -- the generic post-grunge sound that refuses to die out no matter the horrors wrought upon it (Candlebox, Creed, Nickelback); and the generic, feel-good, pop therapy lyrics most commonly associated with Coldplay's Chris Martin. Thus, Light Grenades is not merely generic, but hyper-generic -- like products in the 1984 cult classic film "Repo Man," its album artwork should be a plain white wrapper with "Rock Band" printed across the front.\nThis isn't to say that it's as notoriously dreadful as Creed or Nickelback -- Incubus brings the rock effectively, if familiarly, on tracks such as "Anna Molly," "Light Grenades" and "Rogues." The hooks are there, the energy's there and the lyrics play a decidedly secondary role to the spirited drums, blasting guitars and raw timbre of Brandon Boyd's voice.\nProblems arise when things slow and quiet down -- and for a nominal rock group, you'd be surprised how often this occurs on Light Grenades. With the instruments dialed back, you can't avoid paying attention to what Boyd is singing -- which is usually an unbearably sappy variation on "don't worry, things will be all right" (worst offenders: "Dig," "Love Hurts" and "Diamonds and Coal").\nLight Grenades is so powerfully bland, it'll probably sell a zillion copies. But please know that there's an abundance of exciting, original music out there -- you don't have to settle for this.