* Don't bother ** Worth a listen *** Turn it up **** Buy it ***** Exceptional

Love. Optimism. Social consciousness. Killer guitar licks. The ensemble from Calabasas, Calif. has been making music centered around these elements for years, to varying commercial and critical success. Their newest album, however, is as irresistible as the band's namesake.

Previous albums, including Morning View and Make Yourself, have produced strings of hit singles — "Drive," "Pardon Me," "Megalomaniac," "Wish You Were Here," etc., but were not strong as whole albums. Light Grenades is Incubus' most solid and cohesive album to date, providing those commercially viable tunes with album-rock prog touches.

Originally written off as a rap-rock group along the lines of Limp Bizkit and Rage, Incubus has gone to great lengths to shed the misconception. More akin to the Red Hot Chili Peppers or 311, frontman Brandon Boyd and his mess of musicians prove they've got the chops to pull of just about anything, from tender love ballads to anthemic rock to balls-to-the-wall hardcore.

The highly artistic record begins with the atmospheric intro "Quicksand." It transitions into the tone-setting "A Kiss To Send Us Off," which sounds straight off of 311's From Chaos. The bassy and transcendent "Dig" follows, akin to Morning View's "Wish You Were Here."

Next is the star of the show, the hit single "Anna Molly" (pronounced "anomaly"). The lost-love anthem crams about a halfdozen riffs into one extremely marketable three minutes and 46 seconds, and it's potentially the best song on the album.

The ballad "Love Hurts" incorporates a Sonic Youth-style guitar with lyricism typical of the band's trademark positivity — "Love hurts / but sometimes it's a good hurt / and it makes me feel alive." While positive, it's not exactly sappy. In fact, it's one of the best tracks on the record.

The titular Light Grenades is old-school hardcore that calls on you "Come on, remember who you are!" The guitar riff is hard-hitting and catchy, but the lyrics are strangely socially aware and poignant.

The menacing "Rogues" is the highlight of the second half of the album. It's reminiscent of the band's work on their last album, A Crow Left of the Murder. "Paper Shoes" starts off with an acoustic guitar and crescendos into a mess of electric guitars and drums before dropping off with the acoustic guitar again. It serves as one of the record's few low points.

The climax of the album is the stellar "Pendulous Threads," which, at five minutes and 35 seconds, is the longest track on the album. The song uses just about every element used on the entire record — effective lyricism, soft and hard guitars, angry and soaring vocals, instrumental solos, etc. They demonstrate songwriting genius with lines like: "Life's a match in a gas tank / don't ever mourn the ebbing tide / just dance on fire and enjoy the ride!" "Earth to Bella (Part 2)" ends the album in a mess of guitars and drums.

While it has some low points, they are few and far between. Incubus' releases have been rough around the edges for years, but with Light Grenades, they finally got it right. In their own words, "Even diamonds start as coal."

— Jeff Tripoli

jefftripoli@thedaily.washington.edu