There is a precise point early on in Recitation where it
dawns on us that there truly is no other band quite like Envy.
90 seconds into album opener “Guidance,” amid a subtle
symphony of synth washes, backwards guitar harmonics
and chiming bells, a solitary female voice recites what
sounds like a poetry in a language that few Envy fans
outside of Japan can understand. And yet, it’s beauty is
undeniable, and its emotional resonance is transcendent,
sounding like a Japanese love letter to Brian Eno. This is
why labels like “post-hardcore” tend to feel clumsy and
slippery when slung at Envy; such tags assume a starting
point that’s miles away from where Envy began and worlds
away from where they are now.
It’s no surprise that Envy have increasingly found inspiration
in instrumental rock and experimental ambient music –
genres that historically circumvent cultural trappings. With
each album since their inception in the early ‘90s the group
have chipped away at the linguistic and cultural barriers
inherent in international rock music. Their breakthrough
came with 2003’s A Dead Sinking Story, the groundbreaking
third album that replaced familiar hardcore breakdowns with
the sound of actual emotional breakdowns, and – along with
ISIS and Explosions In The Sky – helped blur the lines
between more than a few genres. That began a transition
that leads straight to Recitation, by far the most dynamic,
technically diverse and emotionally complex album of
Envy’s two-decade career. Where recent co-releases with
fellow underground rock icons Thursday and Jesu hinted at
a band in transition, Recitation is a fully realized vision from
a band at their most inspired.
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