Incubus

Of all the commercially successful so-called "new rock" bands, Incubus has always stood out from such mediocre contemporaries as Nickelback, Stone Temple Pilots, Creed, Korn, et. al. They have always been a little artier, a little more creative and inventive and a hell of lot more interesting. The band's fifth album finds the quintet in possibly the finest form of its relatively young career. 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.