Envy - Under The Sun

Hear The Track Here

There are three tracks on Envy's MP3 Unsigned page and with this one, I have reviewed all three so I hope those guys are busy with their songwriting kits again otherwise....wot will I do??? Everything (September 2006) and Lilac Daze (October 2006) were decent enough tracks, despite some glaring problems and even though I can relate to this band as songwriters, I still have to hear something that would do those songs justice. We can't all be virtuoso's (virtuosi?) but even so, keeping rhythm and time are critical, as are pitch and confidence in delivery. For my money, I feel that Envy certainly have the potential (decent songs and ideas) but have so far been let down by far too many technical problems and that - in such a fiercely competitive scene - will only hinder the bands reach to new audiences and/or casual listeners.

First impressions, as always, count.

Judging by the comments posted about Under The Sun, I am not the first one to react unfavourably to the echo the vocal is drenched in, so the less said about that, the better. Hey, we all go overboard sometimes and I can't think of any artist who hasn't overindulged their favourite efx so why not. Just not make a career out of it eh? Again Under the Sun shows the band know how to write songs that carry their weight, but when it comes to the actual delivery there is - as always - a hestitancy in the playing that definitely mars all three tracks. Come on guys, you KNOW how to play because I can hear it, all it needs is tightening and that comes - as always - with lots of practice. Looking back over these three tracks I would say that instrumental nervousness is the one constant major flaw. It's even more important to get it right when you commit to rendering the track somehow (Ed: I think he means recording) because you are - despite all appearances to the contrary - making a little bit of history. And that, as we well know, has a nasty habit of coming back to haunt you.

Seriously, I reckon if I saw Envy live, and they played these three tracks I'd be in there moshing away with the best of them because live performance is infinitly more forgiving than any recorded medium. Once you commit to releasing tracks on the internet like this they ARE, whatever you might think, a peice of internet history and may have a profound impact on you somewhere down the line. Carol Kirkpatrick suggested re-tweaking this based on the suggestions voiced in the comments thread of this track and I wholeheartedly agree because - in common with all of their tracks - the song and the idea are sound as a pound. All it needs are some well thought out finishing touches and - of course - some major fixing of the more obvious instrumental flubs and glitches. The worst thing about this is that Envy will be judged on these tracks on their abilities as a live act, and that would be a grave injustice because I think they would be pretty good live.

Oh well, on to the next...