A lineup change certainly hasn’t changed Incubus for the worse.

In its fifth major studio release, “A Crow Left of the Murder,” Incubus cranks out melodies like those found in “Morning View” and brings back some, though not all, of the punch of its third album “Make Yourself.”

-Ben Kenney, Incubus’ new bassist and replacement for Dirk Lance, provides funky bass lines on songs like “Zee Deveel” and “Sick Sad Little World.” DJ Kilmore loses the scratching in favor of more interesting electronic effects that are especially notable on “Pistola.”

Fortunately, lead singer Brandon Boyd has continued to mature vocally and lyrically. His voice is stronger and cleaner than ever, and he’s writing increasingly poetic lyrics: “A prism with an intellect/ You throw your light selectively/ You stole my glow/ A seasoned thief.”

The band’s first single, “Megalomaniac,” shows Incubus still can deliver real rock. Boyd wails with punkish enthusiasm during the song’s rousing chorus.

Despite this, fans of Incubus’ first hard-rocking albums might not fully embrace the mellow nature of half the songs on “ACLOTM.” The weakest track is the subdued and somewhat lackluster “Southern Girl.” But, melody works beautifully in the keyboard-heavy “Here In My Room.”

The guitars throughout “ACLOTM” generally offer a clean sound with minimal distortion. It’s a nice change from the heavy distortion present in a good deal of “Morning View.”

Incubus also released a limited edition package with a DVD containing video clips of concerts, including footage from this summer’s Lollapalooza tour. The disc is a nice extra to reward purchasers.

Overall, Incubus once again has created great songs. “ACLOTM” definitely is worth the money.