A Crow Left of the Murder...

The music of A Crow Left of the Murder... incorporates elements of art rock,[2] alternative metal,[4][3] jazz,[4] pop[1] and progressive rock.[4] The work of guitarist Mike Einziger takes equal prominence in focus to that of vocalist Brandon Boyd, in contrast to previous albums which focused more prominently on Boyd's vocalization.[5]

Songs

Boyd has said that "'Megalomaniac' means self-exaltation, and to be crazy for big things. The song is about power crazed people and their destructive behavior." He adds, "lyrically speaking I know that there were a lot of things going on in and around the world and there were some very specific people in my mind coming dangerously close to having megalomaniacal tendencies and so I did my best to write those thoughts down." While it was written around the time George W. Bush ordered the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Boyd claimed the person in the song was a composite of several people, and primarily inspired by a character in the 1986 movie Three Amigos.[6] The music video was directed by Floria Sigismondi and had allusions to both Adolf Hitler and Bush. MTV initially refused to show the video except for late at night, as it was under pressure from conservative groups following the 2004 Janet Jackson Super Bowl controversy, where one of the singer's breasts was exposed at a halftime show they produced. In response to the Super Bowl controversy, MTV moved six potentially offensive videos to late night rotation, with "Megalomaniac" being the only one without any explicit sexual content. At the time, Einziger commented "it's ironic that this MTV scrutiny comes from an incident where someone bared their chest in public, while for the first time, our singer has his shirt on for an entire video."[6]

"Talk Shows on Mute" was written as an examination of the effects of television on people. It was inspired by a flight where Boyd began narrating to his fellow passengers a talk show playing on the plane's television. Boyd said that after this, "I realized a time will probably come when television will watch us if we're watching it, if that hasn't already happened, figuratively or literally. It sounded like some sort of pseudo-Big Brother nightmare, so I wrote it down."[7] The line, "Come one, Come all into 1984" does not refer to the year, where all the band members were still children, but rather George Orwell's 1949 book Nineteen Eighty-Four, which revolves around a man living in a totalitarian society.[7]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	66/100[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Blender	[9]
Entertainment Weekly	C−[10]
Los Angeles Times	[11]
Mojo	[12]
Q	[13]
Rolling Stone	[14]
Slant Magazine	[5]
Spin	C+[15]
USA Today	[16]

The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling about 332,000 copies in its first week on the chart.[17] It has since been certified platinum by the RIAA.[18]

A Crow Left of the Murder... was generally well received by critics upon release. Stuart Green of Canadian publication Exclaim! gave it a positive review in March 2004, he wrote "with the addition of soulful Roots bassist Ben Kenney and a tasty fusion of everything from Faith No More-style rap metal to the prog-noodling of Rush (most notably on 'Sick Sad Little World', the album's standout track) to the earnest songwriting of, say, the Beatles or the Dave Matthews Band, this disc should establish them as the leaders of the new rock pack... at least in artistry if not sales."[19]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic awarded the album four-and-a-half out of five stars, claiming that, "at the beginning of their career, Incubus was rightly lumped in with the legions of post-Korn alt metal/rap-rock bands swarming America in the latter days of the 20th century", and that, "A Crow Left of the Murder... is far more interesting than any of their other records, or their peers."[4] Mikael Wood of the Dallas Observer reflected in his review that, "Southern California's Incubus emerged from the rap-rock pack in 2001 when its hit single 'Drive' revealed front man Brandon Boyd to be the kind of guy who might come back to his high school nine years after he graduated to give a motivational speech and award one lucky essay-writing girl an unforgettable dance at the senior prom. Before that the band played warmed-over funk-metal and made CDs with really awful covers."[20] He adds, "Boyd freaks his falsetto a lot, giving 'Smile Lines' and 'Beware! Criminal' a supple, sensual curvature that's anathema to most rap-rockers; there's a defanged Tori Amos/Trent Reznor pulse to 'Sick Sad Little World'; 'Pistola' is almost post-punk in its compact fury'."[20] Joshua Klein of The Washington Post stated, "A Crow Left of the Murder shows success has gone to the band's head, but only in the best sense. Here Incubus reverts to its weirder, wilder roots without abandoning its newfound pop appeal."[21]

Eric R. Danton of The Baltimore Sun wrote in his February 2004 review, "alternative-metal bands have tended to embody self-absorption far more than self-awareness, and we've all seen how that has turned out: It's made Fred Durst wealthy in inverse proportion to his talent. Incubus, at least, has avoided many of the petulant excesses that fuel Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. With a few pop-savvy ballads and a hottie front man in Brandon Boyd, Incubus has even attracted an audience that encompasses more than surly teen-age boys."[22] He added, "the alt-metal sound is mostly played out, but Incubus' determination to continue developing is clear here, and it will help to keep the band relevant in an increasingly splintered music scene."[22]

In their March 2004 review, The Oklahoman wrote that, "its finest moments recalls the more adventurous musical explorations of their major label debut S.C.I.E.N.C.E.", noting that "Megalomaniac", "Pistola", "Priceless" and "Leech" possess a "caffeine-fueled drive."[23] They additionally observed that, "of course, there had to be a couple of idealistic love ballads for the young women who really are only interested in singer Brandon Boyd. To fill that slot, the album's 'Southern Girl' and the piano-driven 'Here in My Room' feature a harmony at their conclusion reminiscent of something off The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds."[23] Joe D'Angelo of MTV wrote in his review that, "Einziger's more encompassing style overshadows anything he's done on the band's previous albums. His funk and metal roots haven't completely disappeared; they're now just the foundation on which a repertoire of jazz, blues and progressive rock is built."[24] D'Angelo further wrote that, "for the most part, Incubus succeed when they stick to the crafts they spent four albums perfecting. When they stretch, they don't always have a firm grasp."[24]

When bought at some retailers (including Best-Buy) a bonus live EP was bundled with the CD.

Bonus DVD

1. "Lollapalooza"  – 9:13
   • Includes a brief interview discussing the Lollapalooza tour, then performances of "Megalomaniac" and "Pistola".
2. "Bridge Benefit"  – 8:41
   • Includes a brief interview discussing the Bridge School Benefit, follow by acoustic performances of "A Crow Left of the Murder" and "Talk Shows on Mute"
3. While We Were Out  – 7:35
   • This documentary is about the making of the album in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as some interview footage, and some footage of other things the band have gotten up to whilst they were out. It also introduces Ben Kenney, who recently joined as the bassist for the band.
4. Brandon's Injury  – 1:06
   • A short mock-umentary about how Brandon injured his ankle.
5. Short Film  – 6:31
   • Although not listed on the packaging, there is also a short film by Brendan Hearne, starring Mike Einziger.

A SACD edition has also been released, along with a Dualdisc edition as well.