Envy Of None

Envy Of None

(KSCOPE)

Rush guitarist/songwriter Alex Lifeson has a new band, Envy Of None. Along with Alf Annibalini, Andy Curran, and Maiah Wynne, we definitely get a full band effort here, not just a bunch of players backing up a famous musician. Depending on your point of view, that’s unfortunate or really great news for your ears.

This is an 11-song album full of keyboard swirls, drum programming and the ethereal-sounding vocals of Wynne. And although the songs are deeply layered, the production top notch, there is a sameness to things here that kind of got to me after a while.

The band manages some heavy riffing and a cool drum programming sound on “Spy House,” and here’s also where we get the first of Lifeson’s true leading. “Dog’s Life” is informed by some NIN-like metallics, with the band getting very aggressive, and on the slow, “Kabul Blues,” Lifeson adds some fantastic color playing a volume pedal to the fore. It’s the first real moment I can report where we hear him.

“Dumb,” mines a U2 dance beat, “Enemy,” a heavy metallic percussion bed, and extra loud choruses, and finally we get a Lifeson solo acoustic sweet instrumental, as the last tune, “Western Sunset,” his tribute to Rush drummer Neil Peart.

It’s interesting to note that the Envy Of None project was never supposed to be more than a 4-song EP. I’ll leave it up to you if you feel the full eleven here are worth you time or even envy.