Editor's note: Incubus is performing tonight at the Waikiki Shell. Here's a review of one of the band's top CDs.

CD: "Make Yourself" by Incubus

Release: Oct. 26, 1999

Style: Rock

My take: In a musical generation where critics often complain about mainstream acts being generic and cookie-cutter or lacking staying power, Incubus has survived almost a decade after its initial commercial success.

It's hard to believe "Make Yourself," Incubus' second mainstream release and its first to attract widespread attention, came out almost a decade ago. Since then, Incubus has enjoyed massive commercial success: platinum record sales, a string of radio hits, live DVDs and appearances on several big-name festivals including Lollapalooza, Ozz-fest and Warped Tour.

Looking back at "Make Yourself" can be a nostalgia trip and refresher course in how great popular music can be. The megahit "Drive" is perhaps the most memorable track here, thanks to its attention-grabbing acoustic hook and an innovative music video. Incubus singer Brandon Boyd provided drawings of bandmates, which were incorporated into an otherwise simple video of five guys playing instruments in an unfurnished space.

But beyond the incredibly popular hit single, the men of Incubus were trying to achieve one goal: Make good music on their own terms. You'd be hard pressed to think of one other popular band that came close to touching Incubus' sound and energy. If you fuse 311's crunch and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' funk, then mix in psychedelic drugs, you'd have the recipe for early Incubus.

Just listen to "Stellar," another popular track. At its base, it's a simple ballad that uses the metaphor of space travel to the initial wonder of being in love. But the dense bass, simple drum beat during the verses and cosmic distortion on the guitar make it a prime example of new-age stoner rock.

And this technique is very much par for Incubus' course. While every song is distinct from one another, they all incorporate a space-rock quality. It's nearly impossible not to picture yourself listening to these songs while driving around on a lazy night or relaxing at a quiet lookout point, gazing at the stars or lights of a big city.

The true feather in Incubus' cap is DJ Kilmore, who adds a distinct and essential hip-hop flavoring to the lineup; just listen to the turntable work on "Drive." His skills are featured best in the almost-instrumental "Battle Scralatchica," featuring an overload of mixing and scratching techniques.

Aerosmith and Run DMC welded together the rock and rap genres with "Walk This Way," but the two sounds were still distinct. Incubus took those bands' formulas, reworked the recipe and came up with a much better and accessible product.

Music from nearly a decade ago is still fresh today, even better than material from the band's more recent "Light Grenades" disc. It's tough to say now if Incubus has peaked, but if it did, "Make Yourself" is definitely the band's apex.

Jeremy Castillo, who received an associate of arts degree from Windward Community College, is a student at the University of Idaho.