A Crow Left of the Murder...

A Crow Left of the Murder... is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Incubus, released on February 3, 2004. The album marks the first appearance of bassist Ben Kenney, following the departure of founding member Dirk Lance.

A Crow Left of the Murder...
Studio album by Incubus
Released	February 3, 2004 (2004-02-03)
Recorded	October—November 2003 at Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, Georgia
Genre	Alternative rock[1] art rock[2] alternative metal[3][4] funk rock
Length	58:35
Label	Epic/Immortal
Producer	Brendan O'Brien
Incubus chronology
Morning View (2001) A Crow Left of the Murder... (2004) Light Grenades (2006)
Singles from A Crow Left of the Murder...
"Megalomaniac" Released: December 23, 2003 "Talk Shows on Mute" Released: May 25, 2004 "Agoraphobia (Promo Single)" Released: 2005

Music and lyrics

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]

The singles from the album are "Megalomaniac" and "Talk Shows on Mute". "Agoraphobia" was released as a promo single. Early pressings of the album list track 12 "Smile Lines" as "Suite Lines" on the back cover. The Japanese pressing of the album comes with a bonus track, "Monuments & Melodies" which is also available on the Alive at Red Rocks bonus CD.

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	66/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Blender	[7]
Entertainment Weekly	C−[8]
Los Angeles Times	[9]
Mojo	[10]
Q	[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
Slant Magazine	[5]
Spin	C+[13]
USA Today	[14]

The album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 332,000 copies in its first week on the chart.[15] It has since gone on to sell 1.9 million copies and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.[16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Incubus.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Megalomaniac"	4:54
2.	"A Crow Left of the Murder"	3:30
3.	"Agoraphobia"	3:52
4.	"Talk Shows on Mute"	3:49
5.	"Beware! Criminal"	3:48
6.	"Sick Sad Little World"	6:23
7.	"Pistola"	4:23
8.	"Southern Girl"	3:41
9.	"Priceless"	4:07
10.	"Zee Deveel"	3:52
11.	"Made for TV Movie"	3:38
12.	"Smile Lines"	3:59
13.	"Here in My Room"	4:20
14.	"Leech"	4:19
Total length:		58:35

Japan Bonus Track

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Monuments and Melodies"	5:05

Unreleased Track

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Pantomime" (Later released on the Alive at Red Rocks EP)	3:54

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

2004 Bonus EP

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Pardon Me" (live in Osaka, Japan)	4:58
2.	"Pantomime" (live at Merdeka Stadium, Lumpur, Malaysia)	5:17
3.	"Talk Shows on Mute" (live at Entertainment Center, Sydney, Australia)	3:50
4.	"A Certain Shade of Green" (live at Entertainment Center, Sydney, Australia)	3:32

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.

Personnel

Band

• Brandon Boyd – lead vocals, guitar
• Mike Einziger – lead guitar
• Ben Kenney – bass
• Chris Kilmore – turntables
• José Pasillas – drums

Production

• Brendan O'Brien – production, mixing
• Nick DiDia – engineer
• Billy Bowers – additional engineering
• Mike Einziger – additional engineering
• Bob Ludwig – mastering

Charting

Album

Year	Chart	First Week Sales	Position
2004	Billboard Top 200	332,000	2
	UK Official Charts		6

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
2004	"Megalomaniac"	Modern Rock Tracks	1
		Mainstream Rock Tracks	2
		The Billboard Hot 100	55
	"Talk Shows on Mute"	Modern Rock Tracks	3
		Mainstream Rock Tracks	18

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[17]	Platinum	15,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[18]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[19]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Kiener, Dan (February 6, 2004). "Incubus – A Crow Left of the Murder..." Drowned in Sound. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
2. Grierson, Tim "Teaming again with O’Brien for 2006's Light Grenades, Incubus opted for a more streamlined approach after the art-rock of A Crow Left of the Murder" Incubus Biography and Profile About.com
3. Incubus Fail To Mature With Fifth Installment Michigan Daily – February 10, 2004. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "A Crow Left of the Murder... – Incubus". AllMusic. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
5. Shetler, Scott (March 24, 2004). "Incubus: A Crow Left of the Murder...". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
6. "Reviews for A Crow Left of the Murder by Incubus". Metacritic. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
7. Catucci, Nick (March 2004). "Incubus: A Crow Left of the Murder". Blender (16): 120. Archived from the original on December 13, 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
8. Browne, David (February 13, 2004). "A Crow Left of the Murder". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
9. Cromelin, Richard (February 1, 2004). "Incubus turns up power". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
10. "Incubus: A Crow Left of the Murder...". Mojo (123): 94. February 2004.
11. "Incubus: A Crow Left of the Murder...". Q (214): 104. May 2004.
12. Cherry, Robert (February 11, 2004). "A Crow Left of the Murder...". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
13. Ganz, Caryn (March 2004). "Incubus: A Crow Left of the Murder...". Spin. 20 (3): 95–97. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
14. Gundersen, Edna (February 5, 2004). "Incubus, A Crow Left of the Murder". USA Today. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
15. Todd Martens. "Chesney's 'Sun' Rises To Top The Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
16. "American certifications – Incubus – A Crow Left of the Murder". Recording Industry Association of America.
17. "New Zealand album certifications – Incubus – A Crow Left of the Murder..." Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
18. "British album certifications – Incubus – A Crow Left of the Murder..." British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type A Crow Left of the Murder... in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
19. "American album certifications – Incubus – A Crow Left of the Murder..." Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.