There is nothing memorable about playing it safe.

Over the years, the popular rock band Incubus has taken us on a strange, emotional trip through its last three albums, gathering fans along the way. But in its latest offering, A Crow Left of the Murder, the band takes a detour I fear many fans will be unable or unwilling to follow.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the new album, but conversely there is nothing very right about it either. The album lacks the dynamic depth of emotion that fans have grown to love and expect from the band.

Incubus has consistently matured and changed its style in every album, and this is no exception. A Crow Left of the Murder moves away from the transcendent mystical eastern sound of the last album, Morning View, and continues the mellowing trend heading toward more of a traditional rock ‘n’ roll sound. The familiar and strange sounds of electronic distortion are minimized, but still present, and although the experimental guitars still have a place, the choruses come sooner and more often and seem dissapointingly predictable and clich.

The album more purely focuses on Brandon Boyd’s vocals and shows his more mature style, but doing away with some of his various vocal ticks, seems to rob the songs of a portion of their gritty emotion and spontaneity. Boyd offers the listener no glimpse into his heart and no incentive to love the album. The result is a cleaner recording that seems more predictable than it should.

Having said all that, I don’t hate the new album. It is certainly disappointing if compared with the band’s previous works, but on the rock ‘n’ roll music spectrum, it fairs pretty well. The songs are catchy and well structured with interesting, if too regularly placed, guitar riffs. Stylistically, A Crow Left of the Murder is more definable and comparable with other alternative bands, but it is important to remember that this traditional rock sound is a totally new musical direction for the band. The sound is more mainstream and radio-friendly and should get tons of air-play, but is that really what true fans wanted or expected from this band?

Overall, the album is enjoyable and, like wine, improves with repeated sampling. It certainly deserves more than one listen, but don’t expect to have a jewel to be dropped into your lap; you’ll have to dig for this one.