Review ENVY OF NONE ‘Envy Of None’

Alex Lifeson, this name stands for 1/3 of legendary Ru sh while Andy Curran is one of the founding members of Canadian rockers Coney Hatch. The two Canadian rock icons connected with Alf Annibalini and Maiah Wynne. All four operate under the name of Envy Of None, a project that takes an interesting and different musical direction as what you might have expected.

Envy Of None isn’t about loud guitars and progressive rock in its typical meaning. That doesn’t mean that the quartet doesn’t focus on progressive sounds though. The four-piece band lasers in on a sound that builds on alternative-, experimental and synth rock which also means that this outfit has nothing to do with the sound of Rush.

Songs like ‘Look Inside’, with its repetitive basic theme, echoes their different approach to music. The hypnotic repetitiveness of the song is what fascinates before ‘Liar’, the first single, comes with a dark and Depeche Mode reminding expression. ‘Dumb’ takes this musical reference even to a next level.

Envy Of None also knows how to rock, although things never get loud and raging. There is the bass-driven opener ‘Never Said I Love You’ with a chorus that catches listener’s attention right away. ‘Old Strings’ is a song that has a strong melancholic feel while ‘Kabul Blues’ is a calm and heavy-hearted sonic collage. Synth-sounds are very present on the album and therefor the acoustic guitar that introduces ‘Western Sunset’ is a welcomed element of distraction from the basic direction of Envy Of None. The cinematic instrumental is a great way to finish off an album that surprises.

It doesn’t mean that if you like bands like Rush and Coney Hatch, you also will appreciate the sound of Envy Of None. These songs are different and at the same time an exciting distraction from the usual riff attack. Sometimes things drift away a bit too much towards synth-rock and Lifeson’s guitar could get a bit more attention. However, this project will find its friends, especially if you value music that doesn’t follow the standard principles.