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A reviewer can really appreciate a band like Envy. They make our lives easy. By continually putting out excellent music with no strings attached and no gimmicks whatsoever, Envy have turned themselves into one of the most well-respected rock acts around, appreciated across the board by critics and music lovers alike. I have no doubt that Insomniac Doze will continue to improve upon this band’s already fantastic legacy.

Insomniac Doze, as the album title, song titles, and cover art suggest, is a different beast than its predecessor, the behemoth A Dead Sinking Story, already regarded as one of the greatest screamo albums of all time. Envy’s new release takes the formula from that album and builds upon it even more, tightening their approach to their already unique take on the genre. This album actually feels even more epic than A Dead Sinking Story, and shows a band really coming into their own after the hefty transition from All the Footprints… to A Dead Sinking Story. This time around, the band has chosen to expand upon the more post-rock pieces of their music, creating dreamy atmospheres and hopeful overtones. The majority of Insomniac Doze is played in this vein, with much more emphasis on Tetsuya Fukagawa’s impeccable singing and airy spoken word pieces. In fact, the album kicks off with sung vocals instead of the traditional full-on screaming attack. Fear not, however, as this is still largely an Envy record: the heavy parts are still gigantic and as intense as ever, if not a tad more restrained without sacrificing any of the quality. That’s a key concept on Insomniac Doze; nothing ever seems forced, and there’s not a single moment of overkill, even in the more epic, ten-plus minute tracks like “Crystallize” and “The Unknown Glow.” This album flows with the best of them.

As fantastic as A Dead Sinking Story was, you couldn’t help but feel like it wandered on at times. The connection between the heavy and the soft parts was occasionally awkward, with no link or common ground between the two. This is where the band’s newfound expertise in post-rock comes in; it no longer feels like “heavy parts” and “soft parts,” but rather it feels like a single piece progressing, expanding, and climaxing. You can truly hear the relation to the preceding phase of a song when it decides to switch gears; there’s no “cut and paste” thing going on here, as everything, once again, flows. The band once again promotes “beauty in repetition,” but it feels warranted and welcome. The final two tracks, “Night in Winter” and “A Warm Room” (the band does a great job conveying moods with the song titles) are almost straight post-rock, but it ends the album on a fantastic note with the final climax, a barrage of screams and percussion. My one complaint is that sometimes Fukagawa’s spoken word is a little overdone and sometimes seems haphazardly thrown into the mix, lasting a little bit too long, as it appears in every track, predominantly in the first “single,” “Scene.” Aside from that, everything falls into place.

While some might say that Insomiac Doze isn’t a huge step forward from A Dead Sinking Story, I would beg to differ. The band is still playing how they’ve always played, and there’s not too much of a departure in sound either, but I’m amazed at how tight the songwriting has gotten. Envy has harnessed their raw power and channeled it into seven tracks in a little less than an hour, expressing restraint and beauty every bit as much as pure brutality and intensity. The band has married the two opposites, creating one haunting and explosive sound. Needless to say, I’m absolutely floored.



People who liked this also liked:
Refused - The Shape of Punk to ComeGive Up The Ghost - We're Down Til We're UndergroundSet Your Goals - Mutiny!Weezer - The Blue AlbumRise Against - The Sufferer & the WitnessThe Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!The Lawrence Arms - The Greatest Story Ever ToldGet Up Kids - Four Minute MileCircle Takes The Square - As The Roots UndoGlassjaw - Worship and Tribute



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    Posted by hobbitcore on 2006-09-13 20:53:31

    also this album is very beautiful but also very predictable...i love it but i could almost predict every note that was going to be played before it was played cuz they follow such typical post-rock chord structures...i still can't help but love it though

    Posted by hobbitcore on 2006-09-13 20:52:17

    I'm astounded that Anchors didn't review this x_x

    Posted by awkward on 2006-09-13 18:39:03
    My Score:

    i waited this for so long... and was disappointed :/ the choice to be more post-rock was SO OBVIOUS IT RUINS THE ALBUM FOR ME. well not really, but to some extent. it was so goddamn obvious. and the overdone spoken word... jesus christ what the fuck? i do love the second track though.. wish the rest of the album was that good too.

    and yeah like someone said, "Eyes Of Single Eared Prophet" is one of their best releases.. so fucking fierce.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 5:51 PM (EDT)

    "repetition is the death of art"

    Posted by mpc on 2006-09-13 12:44:15
    My Score:

    I think I actually like this better than A Dead Sinking Story... great album.

    Posted by SilentStorms on 2006-09-13 12:41:07

    That's why I blazed you, as you have no idea of who anonymous was. Remember that musical interests are SUBJECTIVE. That's right, I said it ... errrr... typed it. You don't have to like everything, just what you think is good. And I like Envy. No disrespect

    Posted by SilentStorms on 2006-09-13 12:11:11

    Do you have those suckas on MSN. Cuz no one I know except my dad and my bro and my g/f actually know who this band is. But then again, I'm from Canada ... eh. Seriously give me their msn!

    Posted by skankin_in_the_pit on 2006-09-13 10:02:18

    "There's no way you can back that statement if you don't like Envy. Especially considering that you 'guarantee'd it. Weak bud."

    If he wasn't anonymous and had mad it known that he likes good bands I wouldn't of guaranteed it. I live with two people that are OBSESSED with Envy, so I guess I automatically have to like everything else they like? Because they are smart enough to like envy?

    Posted by danperrone on 2006-09-13 10:01:32

    that's totally irrelevant and...just wrong

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 3:10 AM (EDT)

    "Posted by Anchors on 2006-09-12 01:05:45

    This album was absolutely phenomenal."

    Let me get this straight, you seem to be into "screamo." While Envy doesn't have those typical screamo vocals (much more throaty and harsh), I think it's funny that you readily jump on any band with a guy screaming like a girl, yet are skeptical of female vocals in general. Go fuck yourself.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 1:23 AM (EDT)

    I think there split with Yaphett Kotto and This Machine Kills is my favorite. This album is quite good though.

    Posted by SilentStorms on 2006-09-13 00:33:33
    My Score:

    Does anyone else think that their Eyes of Single Eared Prophet was Envy's best work? Or maybe it's just me. But still, Envy fucking owns.

    Oh and that loser who posted that if these guys were from America no one would give a fuck needs to question if he should live. That comment was quite racist.

    Posted by SilentStorms on 2006-09-13 00:27:36

    "I guarantee I have better taste in hardcore and thrash than you, but you wouldn't think that from the name."

    There's no way you can back that statement if you don't like Envy. Especially considering that you 'guarantee'd it. Weak bud.

    Posted by skankin_in_the_pit on 2006-09-12 20:44:43

    "I can totally understand why someone with the name of "skankin_in_the_pit" would not be into these guys. In fact, I'm glad."

    Comments like that make me glad that they added the Top Rated Albums/Top Rated Bands. Just click on what you're making fun of and along with ska/ska-punk bands you'll see a variety of other genres. I'd do the same, but you're just an anonymous asshole so I can't.

    I guarantee I have better taste in hardcore and thrash than you, but you wouldn't think that from the name.

    Also I made it clear that I've given this band a very fair chance so obviously I'm not just interested in ska/ska-punk.

    Posted by iconoclast on 2006-09-12 19:55:57

    these guys are awsome. i havnt heard this whole album yet, but so far, so good.

    Posted by iconoclast on 2006-09-12 19:54:43

    with the exception of larry arms and thrice

    thrice??!?! hahahaha. was that a joke?

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 6:26 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    I can totally understand why someone with the name of "skankin_in_the_pit" would not be into these guys. In fact, I'm glad.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 5:58 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    this album took a few listens to sink it, now, i think it's one of the better albums i've bought in the past few years...

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 5:40 PM (EDT)

    there are many japanese and european bands that you should listen to. I think that the scene in america is a bit dead right now with the exception of larry arms and thrice.

    Posted by ElVaquero on 2006-09-12 17:38:24
    My Score:

    Yes!

    Posted by danperrone on 2006-09-12 17:31:28
    My Score:

    "i'm right there with you. just because they're from japan people treat them like they're retarded, in the sense of "wow, they're Japanese and they know how to play music. that's fascinating." if this band was from the US, no one would give a flying fuck."

    worst post ever

    Posted by wyzo on 2006-09-12 17:17:49
    My Score:

    these guys can do no wrong in my eyes, and have been good enough to not give me reason to think otherwise.

    wyzo

    Posted by Mute98 on 2006-09-12 17:15:36

    these guys fucking rule, IMO its like a posthardcore/screamo meets mogwai, i love it

    Posted by kenjamin on 2006-09-12 15:12:01

    "i'm right there with you. just because they're from japan people treat them like they're retarded, in the sense of "wow, they're Japanese and they know how to play music. that's fascinating." if this band was from the US, no one would give a flying fuck."

    Seriously what the fuck is this supposed to mean? Maybe people get stoked about them touring because they've been a band for 10 years and have done 2 US tours? There are so many good bands in Japan right now and people don't "treat them like they're retarded." You just happen to be a racist.

    Posted by primeevil7 on 2006-09-12 14:40:41

    Having seen them live, I was expecting to be blown away.

    I wasn't blown away. You know that feeling when a band goes right over your head?

    At least the $10 went to honest dudes, I guess...

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 2:06 PM (EDT)

    I like 'A Dead Sinking Story' better. This just sounds like post-rock with screaming. There's a severe lack of the more 'intense' portions that were present on DSS.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 1:47 PM (EDT)

    "I'm the only person in the world that doesn't like this band."

    i'm right there with you. just because they're from japan people treat them like they're retarded, in the sense of "wow, they're Japanese and they know how to play music. that's fascinating." if this band was from the US, no one would give a flying fuck.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 12:58 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    This is sensational, the mp3 on their site is awesome.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 10:54 AM (EDT)

    I just wasnt impressed by this release, but I can understand its praise.

    -sirens

    Posted by skankin_in_the_pit on 2006-09-12 10:05:17

    I was always the dude that couldn't get into these guys, but everyone kept telling me "nah man once you see them live it'll all change." Then I saw 'em at a small bar here a couple weeks back and I was the only one not completely blown away. Since the show I've had to listen to friends talking about it incessantly and asking what is wrong with me.

    I'm the only person in the world that doesn't like this band.

    Posted by etwiels88 on 2006-09-12 09:54:05
    My Score:

    Much love for this band

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 at 9:00 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    i love envy.

    Posted by ramo on 2006-09-12 08:57:37
    My Score:

    A really great album. Temporary is sure releasing some interesting stuff. All I got to say is thumbs up for this release.

    Ramo

    Posted by HeresLookinAtYou on 2006-09-12 01:52:57
    My Score:

    fucking amazing

    Posted by theTopher on 2006-09-12 01:31:37

    These guys have escaped so many of the hideous trends floating around the scenes in the past few years.

    Posted by danperrone on 2006-09-12 01:08:04

    i wrote this fucking a month and a half ago

    and as of right now, this is still #1

    there's been a lot of great music this year, but NOTHING this good

    Posted by Anchors on 2006-09-12 01:05:45

    This album was absolutely phenomenal.

    Posted by aubin on 2006-09-12 01:00:38
    My Score:

    Definitely one of the best albums released this year, and one of the most incredible records I've heard in a long time.

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