I'm sure the Envy Corps are a bit tired of hearing this, so I'll say it upfront: They take most of their cues from the well established genre of British Pop, and yeah, Luke Pettipoole's voice sounds like Thom Yorke. With that out of the way, it's easier to focus on areas where the band outshines their contemporaries. They make immediately catchy, accessible rock songs devoid of pretension, which counts for a whole lot in the hook laden world of indie rock. It's usually a shame to see potentially exciting groups get weighed down by glossy, generic production, but the Envy Corps' studio work is modest enough to keep focus on the bands performance, which you can practically hear maturing over the course of the album. They have a loose dynamic that sometimes borders on inexperience, but ultimately adds an element of freshness to a fairly tired genre.
Pacing is another one of Soviet Reunion's strong points. I have always enjoyed bands that balance their song's lengths, and the Envy Corps do well at stretching out or capping an idea when necessary. The album starts out with a static filled 25 second intro that leads into a brief, verse-chorus pop song consisting of the mantra-like phrase: "I don't know how I do it/I just do." By the time we get to the third track, "You'd Look Good in Wings, Part II," a clear, uncluttered mix of bass, guitar, and drums is set up, just so it can give way to an adversely distorted refrain. It's a tried and true formula, but the Envy Corps pull it off naturally enough to keep you excited. This reinterpretation of established song mechanics is probably the band's greatest asset (aside from great hooks and melodies), but at the end of the day, we've still heard these songs cloned a thousand times before by likeminded bands. You're ability to get into the Envy Corps will largely depend on how open you are to another solid indie rock album. As I see it, one more isn't going to hurt anyone.
More about: The Envy Corps
