Make Yourself

Make Yourself is the third studio album by American rock band Incubus. It was released on October 26, 1999, through Epic Records and Immortal Records. The album received double platinum certification by the RIAA and produced three charting singles—"Pardon Me", "Stellar", and "Drive"—all of which reached the top three of the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, with the latter topping the chart and also becoming the band's sole top ten hit to date on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number nine.

Make Yourself
Studio album by
Incubus
ReleasedOctober 26, 1999 (1999-10-26)
RecordedMay–June 1999
StudioNRG (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length48:04
Label
Producer
Incubus chronology
S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
(1997)		 Make Yourself
(1999)		 When Incubus Attacks Volume 1
(2000)
Singles from Make Yourself
  1. "Pardon Me"
    Released: October 5, 1999[1]
  2. "Stellar"
    Released: June 13, 2000[2]
  3. "Drive"
    Released: November 14, 2000[3]

The album is the first to be recorded with new turntablist Chris Kilmore, who replaced DJ Lyfe.

Composition

Style and genres

Make Yourself has been described as an alternative metal,[4][5][6][7][8] alternative rock,[9][10] nu metal,[4][6][9][11] and funk rock[7] album. Slant Magazine claimed in 2001 that Incubus "blur the perceptions between metal and alt-rock" on the album.[12]

Writing and recording

Most of the songs for the album were written following an exhausting tour for their full length major label album S.C.I.E.N.C.E.. Vocalist Brandon Boyd reflected in 2019, "when we got home, we started coming up with ideas and gave ourselves eight weeks to write the record and in those eight weeks, all the songs that appear on the album came out."[13] In a 1999 interview, Boyd mentioned that the song "Nowhere Fast" originated through improvisational live jams, remarking "we've been exploring drum-'n'-bass here and there on stage, playing little improvisational ditties in between real songs from the records. José would start playing a drum-'n'-bass he'd made up, I'd play my didgeridoo to it, and [it] started forming out of live things like that."[14]

While the album has since been considered to have a more accessible sound than their previous works, Boyd claimed in 2019 that "we didn’t actually say out loud to each other that we needed to write a more commercial record; we just wrote in the same way we knew how to write and Make Yourself is what came out."[13] However, guitarist Mike Einziger did note in 2019 that the band wanted to make the album more mature and less "zany" than earlier works such as S.C.I.E.N.C.E..[13] He stated there was a "genuine creative desire to step up our artistry. We really wanted to become great songwriters [and] graduate from the zany music we spent our high school years writing."[13] Tensions arose between band members during the recording, which led to them briefly entering group therapy.[15] Boyd reflected on the tension in a 2001 interview with Spin, saying that "when we're making music together, it's like five men making love — in a very platonic sense. It's very erotic because your spirits are intermingling, you're becoming one. It's also why it can get so heated. You're tapping into this electricity that's very primal."[15]

When the album was being recorded at NRG in North Hollywood, turntablist Chris Kilmore had his own DJ setup in the hallway. He adds, "there were a bunch of other bands there. 311 was there a lot of the time, and Jurassic 5 was there a lot of the time. And because I had that turntable setup in the hallway, I was always out there practicing and trying stuff."[16] The day the instrumental song "Battlestar Scralatchtica" was recorded, Brandon Boyd was missing because he had a dentist appointment. Kilmore states, "we weren’t going to waste a day. So we wrote a cool little track. I was out in the hallway scratching, and Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist walked by. I was like, 'Hey. Do you guys want to scratch on this track we just did?'. We went in, laid it down, and that’s how 'Battlestar Scralatchtica' came about."[16]

Release and touring

Shortly after the album's release, a thrash metal/death metal band from Louisiana called Incubus changed their name. The band, now known as Opprobrium, had released two critically acclaimed albums in 1988 and 1990, and were not aware of this Incubus prior to the release of Make Yourself. The name change was voluntarily made in order to avoid confusion and any potential conflicts between the two bands.[17][18]

To support Make Yourself, the band and Buckethead opened for Primus on their Antipop tour in 1999, including at a millennium show on December 31, 1999.[19] Early the following year, they performed at the SnoCore Tour with System of a Down and Mr. Bungle (who broke up shortly afterwards). The members of Incubus have since spoken of their pleasure at getting to play with Primus and Mr. Bungle, two artists whom they cite as influences.[20] Mr. Bungle were met with a hostile crowd reception at some of the shows with Incubus and System of a Down. Brandon Boyd later reflected in 2018, "Mr. Bungle was hugely influential to both of our bands, and they were playing second, like before Incubus and System of a Down." He added, "Mike Patton would be a real rabble rouser, and say horrible things to the audience. We would be on the side of stage cheering, fanboys."[21] From October to November 2000, Incubus and Taproot supported Deftones on their "Back to School" tour for the album White Pony.[22]

In 1999 and 2000, music videos were made for the singles "Pardon Me", "Stellar" and "Drive". Less widely seen music videos were also made for the non-singles "I Miss You", "Privilege" and "Out from Under". The music video for "Stellar" featured Boyd's then-girlfriend Jo, who he wrote the song about.[23] A tour edition for the album was released in 2001, with a second disc containing three acoustic tracks and one live track.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Alternative Press3/5[24]
The Daily VaultA−[25]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[26]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[27]
Slant Magazine[12]
Sputnikmusic4/5[28]

Make Yourself has received generally positive reviews from critics. Steve Huey of AllMusic awarded it four out of five stars, writing "Make Yourself makes a bid for broader mainstream success while keeping the group rooted in a hybrid of familiar late '90s alt-metal (i.e., roaring guitars, white-noise sonic textures, and an undercurrent of electronics) and Chili Pepper funk-rock. Where S.C.I.E.N.C.E. sometimes veered abruptly between the two genres without really fusing them, Make Yourself finds the band settling more comfortably into its sound."[7]

Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine also gave it four out of five stars, writing in April 2001, "whether it’s rehashed hard rock or a non-enterprising rap-metal hybrid, there isn’t much to differentiate between most rock bands these days. Incubus, however, sets themselves apart with their second full-length release Make Yourself. A superb blend of metal guitar riffs, classic punk-rock mentality, and subtle hip hop and electronic elements, Incubus doesn’t just imitate these genres, but rather, redefines them in an otherwise non-revolutionary rock landscape."[12] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) states that on Make Yourself, "Incubus had found a beta-male approach to new-metal: roaring, assymetrical riffs and herky-jerky dynamics coexisting with Boyd's yearning tenor and burgeoning melodic gift."[27] In November 1999, Tulane Hullabaloo writer Henry Rienka claimed that it was a rap rock album in the style of bands such as Hed PE, despite consisting almost entirely of sung vocals. Rienka wrote that, "their union of grinding guitar, vinyl scratching, and urgent rock/rap vocals produces thrashing, grooving, and bouncing boobies."[29] He added, "Make Yourself just doesn't quite match up with their breakthrough release; 1997's S.C.I.E.N.C.E. On this effort, Incubus seems more concerned with playing with sounds and differentiating themselves from Kid Rock than they do with making enjoyable music."[29] Kevin Stewart-Panko of Canadian publication Exclaim! gave Make Yourself a positive review in December 1999, writing "Incubus is simply an awesome band. They have the distorted guitars, but they also have finger wagging melodies, an actual singer and dance floor elements. It’s similar stuff that plagued Faith No More about ten years ago, and Incubus has a noticeable FNM influence, especially Brandon Boyd's voice, which eerily recalls a youthful Mike Patton."[30] Adweek stated in April 2000 that Incubus had "finally made a mark", and that "their newest offering blends alternative metal with a little rap/rock thrown in for good measure."[31]

Despite garnering critical and commercial success, Make Yourself was met with a mixed reaction from some fans of the band, due to its more melodic sound. In a June 2000 interview with Spin, Brandon Boyd claimed, "when the album first came out, we got threatening letters from fans like 'You Sold Out'."[32]

Legacy

The album is listed in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Colin Larkin wrote in his 2011 book The Encyclopedia of Popular Music that Make Yourself was "a far slicker affair than previous outings", adding that it "utilized the latest studio technology and a greater range of sounds and variety of instruments."[33] In 2019, Kerrang! included it on a list titled "50 Rock and Metal Bands Whose Third Album Was Their Best".[4] They wrote, "in ways moving away from their roots and definitively getting more anthemic and catchier with it, Make Yourself caught Incubus in a state of flux, but one in which they really found their feet. A little nu metal, a little alternative metal, a little funk, but altogether compelling."[4] Loudwire praised it in 2019, stating that "while at first the album appears to be more of a mainstream break for the band, with Make Yourself they’ve managed to find a smoother way to incorporate hip-hop and funk more consistently into their brand of alternative metal. It may not be the most heavy on the nu-metal sound because of this, but it allowed the mainstream to get a taste of something they may otherwise not have been looking for."[6] In 2019, the Times-Union reflected that on Make Yourself the band "blended some hip-hop and electronica with anthemic choruses and big riffs to create a form of alt-metal that was more dynamic than a lot of the nu-metal and bro'd out posturing in hard rock at that time."[34] PopMatters included it on their 2020 list of "The Most Memorable Albums of 1999", with writer Theresa Dougherty remarking that they "became one of the first bands played on modern rock radio to effectively integrate a DJ into their sound" and that "the fundamental struggle for identity within these songs still strikes me with its relevance."[35] In 2021, it was named one of the 20 best metal albums of 1999 by Metal Hammer magazine.[36]

The band went on a tour of North America in 2019 to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary.[37] In a 2019 interview, DJ Chris Kilmore stated, "for me personally, I actually really enjoy revisiting Make Yourself because my role in the band has expanded greatly into playing all kinds of keyboards and things like that. But when we were on Make Yourself, I just had two turntables. So I really get to showcase what I originally did in this band, which is really fun for me."[16]

Track listing

Original release

All tracks are written by Brandon Boyd, Michael Einziger, Alex Katunich, Chris Kilmore and Jose Pasillas

Make Yourself track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Privilege"3:54
2."Nowhere Fast"4:30
3."Consequence"3:18
4."The Warmth"4:24
5."When It Comes"4:00
6."Stellar"3:20
7."Make Yourself"3:03
8."Drive"3:52
9."Clean"3:55
10."Battlestar Scralatchtica" (Instrumental)3:49
11."I Miss You"2:48
12."Pardon Me"3:43
13."Out from Under"3:28
Japan edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
14."Crowded Elevator"4:46
Total length:52:58

Tour edition bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Pardon Me" (acoustic)3:47
2."Stellar" (acoustic)3:16
3."Make Yourself" (acoustic)3:13
4."Drive" (live orchestral version)4:04

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[38]

Incubus

Additional personnel

  • Dave Holdridge – cello on "Drive", "I Miss You", digital editing
  • Cut Chemist – additional scratching on "Battlestar Scralatchtica"
  • DJ Nu-Mark – additional scratching on "Battlestar Scralatchtica"
  • Michael "Elvis" Baskette – engineer
  • Evan Hollander – assisting engineer
  • Matt Griffin – assisting engineer
  • Stephen Marcussen — mastering at A&M
  • Rick Will – mixing
  • Scott Litt – mixing

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for Make Yourself
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[51] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[52] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[53] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[55] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Alternative: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 1, 1999. p. 121. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  2. "Alternative: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. June 9, 2000. p. 121. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  3. "Alternative: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1376. November 10, 2000. p. 133. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  4. "50 rock and metal bands whose third album was their best". Kerrang!. August 14, 2019.
  5. "Oral History: Incubus' 'Make Yourself' Turns 20". RecordingAcademy.com. October 23, 2019.
  6. Lemeshow-Barooshian, Rae (January 8, 2019). "Top 50 Best Nu-Metal Albums of All-Time". Loudwire. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  7. Huey, Steve. "Make Yourself – Incubus". AllMusic. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  8. "Incubus Make Yourself - Album Review - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. April 14, 2001. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  9. Perreault, Olivia (May 6, 2019). "Incubus Plots 20-Year Anniversary Tour To Commemorate 'Make Yourself'". TicketNews. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  10. Mack, Eric (February 26, 2012). "Make Yourself - Incubus". Attackzonemedia (AZM). Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2016. And in all seriousness, it's not a stretch to call Incubus the only good new band that emerged during this period in mainstream alternative rock.
  11. "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". Loudersound. April 2022.
  12. Cinquemani, Sal (April 14, 2001). "Incubus: Make Yourself". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  13. "An oral history of Incubus' Make Yourself: "Instead of falling into…". Kerrang!. October 26, 2022.
  14. Incubus.com biogeography by Brandon Boyd (1999)
  15. Spin, November 2001
  16. Johnson, Seth (November 14, 2019). "Incubus Turntablist Chris Kilmore Reflects on 20 Years of 'Make Yourself'". NUVO.
  17. "Opprobrium - Francis and Moyses Howard". Metal-Rules.com. May 28, 2008.
  18. Hartmann, Graham. "Metallica Issued Cease-And-Desist for Allegedly Plagiarizing Death Metal Band". Loudwire.
  19. "Brandon Boyd Fan First: Incubus Origin Story, 1991 Turning Point, Lucid Dreams, New Solo Music" – via www.youtube.com.
  20. "Brandon Boyd of Incubus: 'Jeff Buckley to me was my first experience of a Western male singer'". Music-News.com.
  21. Baltin, Steve. "Part 2: Incubus' Brandon Boyd And System Of A Down's Serj Tankian On Life On The Road". Forbes.
  22. "Deftones Tap Incubus, TapRoot For Tour". MTV News.
  23. LLC, SPIN Media (November 25, 2001). "SPIN". SPIN Media LLC – via Google Books.
  24. "Incubus: Make Yourself". Alternative Press. No. 138. January 2000. p. 88.
  25. Thelen, Christopher (2001). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews : Make Yourself". dailyvault.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  26. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Incubus". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  27. Kemp, Rob (2004). "Incubus". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 403–04. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  28. Fisher, Tyler (January 13, 2007). "Incubus – Make Yourself". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  29. Riekna, Henry (November 19, 1999). "Silly demon, sex is for kids". The Tulane Hullabaloo. p. 19 – via Tulane University Digital Library.
  30. "Incubus Make Yourself | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca.
  31. Adweek Volume 41, Issues 14-17. A/S/M Communications. 2000. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  32. LLC, SPIN Media (June 11, 2000). "SPIN". SPIN Media LLC – via Google Books.
  33. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  34. Jr, Jim Shahen (October 5, 2019). "Review: Incubus solid, albeit unspectacular, at Palace". Times Union.
  35. "The Most Memorable Albums of 1999 (Part 5), PopMatters". June 12, 2020.
  36. "The Top 20 best metal albums of 1999". Metal Hammer. Future plc. January 21, 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  37. DiVita, Joe. "Incubus Announce Huge 'Make Yourself' 20th Anniversary 2019 Tour". Loudwire.
  38. Make Yourself (liner notes). Incubus. Epic. Immortal. 1999. EK 63652.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  42. "Charts.nz – Incubus – Make Yourself". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  43. "Swisscharts.com – Incubus – Make Yourself". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  44. "Incubus | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  45. "Incubus Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  46. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  47. "Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on November 6, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  48. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  49. "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 2, 2004. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  50. "Top 100 Metal Albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  51. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  52. "Canadian album certifications – Incubus – Make Yourself". Music Canada. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  53. "Latest Gold / Platinum Albums". Radioscope. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  54. "British album certifications – Incubus – Make Yourself". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
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