Greg Prato recently caught up with Rush legend Alex Lifeson for AllMusic to discuss his new Envy Of None album, Stygian Wavz, due to be released on March 28th. Lifeson also iscussed Rush’s music and lyrics during the chat. Following is an excerpt.
Q: Do you ever go back and listen to Rush’s music?
Lifeson: “Not really. Every once in a while I hear a track and…I’ve never been able to separate myself from the guy that worked on that music that wanted it to be better. So, everything that I hear I think could be better. I just focus on, ‘Oh, why did I play that little thing? Or this.’ It’s hard to just sit back and listen. And I think that’s probably pretty common for anybody that records music. But, yeah, maybe I’ll have a listen more often.”
Q: I recently went back and re-read quite a few of Neil Peart’s lyrics, because I was putting together a list of some of his best lyrics for a site I write for. What would you say are some of your favorite lyrics he wrote?
Lifeson: “Oh, ‘Freewill’ was great. ‘Closer to the Heart’ was to the point. ‘Xanadu’ was that sort of really cool period from the more ‘fantasy’ era – because it’s just so descriptive and colorful, the lyrics in that song. ‘Subdivisions’ speaks to a whole generation. Yeah, he was a very, very gifted lyricist. He was a great observer, and that’s where he wrote from. I think for the last third of his writing career – he was more of an observer, looking at things around him and commenting on them more from his own personal viewpoint.”
Read the complete interview via AllMusic here.
American/Canadian four-piece, Envy Of None, have shared a brand-new single. The second track from the new album, “The Story” holds a special place in each of the band member’s hearts and is brought to life with a stunning new video by Jaden D. Stream/download the single here, and watch the video below.
Speaking about the new single and inspiration behind the video, songwriter and vocalist Maiah Wynne shared, “I wrote about wanting to be better, to grow, and the sense of desperation that comes with that desire. To me, the song is about the struggle of not being able to break bad cycles. I had been stuck for a very long time and was trying to be better. I think it’s a theme a lot of people can connect with in some way. Whether it’s habits, addiction, self-sabotage, or just unhealthy patterns, we all are trapped by something we are trying to break away from. If I had the power to write my own story, I’d want to be the hero, but so often I am my own villain.”
Envy Of None announced their new album back in January and have so far shared three standout singles, “Not Dead Yet”, “Under The Stars” and “Stygian Waves”. To promote the album, the band recently appeared on Talk Shop Live in the US with host Steve Harkins to discuss the creation of Stygian Wavz, the writing and recording process and plans for the future. Check it out here.
Though they’d never describe themselves as such, Envy Of None are the living, breathing definition of a supergroup. No other band on earth could rightly claim to have Alex Lifeson – one of rock’s most influential visionaries – heading up guitar duties, with Andy Curran of Coney Hatch and Soho 69 overseeing bass/programming as well as producer extraordinaire Alfio Annibalini on keyboards. However, the star in this band could very well be its youngest member – American singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne – whose wonderfully emotive vocals are able to spin the music in new exciting directions that thrill to the core.
On their self-titled debut of 2022, the group were able to prove that they were a lot more than the sum of their parts, with an abundance of panache and finesse poured into a contemporary alt rock sound that was hard to predict and even harder to categorize. This year’s sophomore release, Stygian Wavz, is the sound of a band basking in the radiant glow of creative confidence and coming into their own, staggering the listener with every twist and turn encased within their heady mix of genre-splicing brilliance.
Stygian Wavz will be released on a selection of formats including coloured vinyl, standard black vinyl, CD, Blu-ray, digitally and as a special deluxe edition boxset. Watch a formats trailer below:
– Limited Edition Stygian Wavz Box Set:
Includes CD and Blu-ray (with Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes and 4 promo videos), plus Gatefold Green & Black Marble LP with individual band member prints. Also includes 12-page booklet featuring track-by-track notes from the band and exclusive photography
– Stygian Wavz Blu-ray edition, exclusive to Super Deluxe Edition:
Includes the album in 24/96 hi-res stereo, plus Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround mixes by Alex Gamble, packed in a Blu-ray amaray case with a 12-page lyric book. Includes promotional videos for ‘That Was Then’ and ‘Under The Stars’ (directed by Olivier Boscovitch) also included as well as promotional videos for ‘Not Dead Yet’ and ‘Stygian Waves’ (director: Mariano Biotico)
– Stygian Wavz Pink Vinyl Edition: North America Exclusive
– Stygian Wavz Blue Vinyl Edition: Kscope Store + Independent Retailers
– Stygian Wavz ‘EON Purple’ Vinyl Edition: Envy Of None Store Exclusive
– Stygian Wavz Black Vinyl LP Edition, mastered at half-speed
– Stygian Wavz Digipak CD with 16-page booklet
Pre-order all formats here.
Stygian Wavz tracklisting:
“Not Dead Yet”
“The Story”
“Under The Stars”
“Thrill Of The Chase”
“Handle With Care”
“That Was Then”
“Raindrops”
“New Trip”
“Clouds”
“The End”
“Stygian Waves”
“Stygian Waves” video:
“Not Dead Yet” video:
“Under The Stars” video:
Envy Of None are:
Alf Annibalini – Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
Andy Curran – Bass Guitar, Synthesized Bass, Programming, Guitar, Background Vocals, Stylophone
Alex Lifeson- Guitar, Mandola, Banjo, Programming
Maiah Wynne – Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Keyboards
Source: bravewords.com
