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lucy gray
album review
by erin thursby
scopes1925@msn.com

Artist:
Envy on the Coast

Title:
Lucy Gray

Release Date:
08.07.07

Label:
Photo Finish Records


      I couldn’t find anything wrong with Envy on the Coast’s first CD, except that we’re just not compatible. They’re a new band, freshly minted in 2006. They wasted no time in putting out an EP and now, with Lucy Gray, a full-length album.
      Somehow they sound like most bands I’ve heard lately, a dash of Evanescence, a hint of power-pop, a scrap of old school music and a little indie sensibility. Still, it’s a good combo and they seem to know how to craft a song. The entire time I listened to them, I kept thinking, “Come on, I should like this!” because they really do have it together. They’ve got the catchy hooks, with musical surprises lurking past the chorus.
      They throw in gimmicks, such as the dial tone used in the first track, ‘Sugar Skulls.’ I love gimmicky crap like that, but I still couldn’t get into it.
      ‘(x) amount of the truth’ is chock full of musical gimmicks as well, opening with weird radio signals and, I think, Russian. It lapses into some sort of haunting melody and harmony. It’s the shortest thing on the album, clocking in at only two minutes, but I wished there were more of it. The lyrics are a tad clichéd—the usual metal convention of innocent children sleeping with a horrible something looming over them, including the possibility that the little angels (and their dreams) might end up in hell after all. “Wake all the children from their slumber before they wonder/ why their dreams have gone to hell.” Fun times.
      I know emo is supposed to be a dirty word, but I couldn’t help feeling that the EotC guys are so Emo. And there’s nothing wrong with that. A lot of other people think there’s nothing wrong with that either, judging from the true love and devotion of their fans on MySpace. They’ve hit the magic number, with over 30,000 fans on MySpace. At about 27,000, if you aren’t already signed to a label, music companies are more likely to sit up and take notice of you. EotC gained a major leap in ‘friends’ since they started some fierce and constant touring to promote their album.
      The more I listened to the CD, the more I wanted to call up the band and say things like “It’s not you, it’s me. You’re a really great band, you put out great music and I’m sure you’ll make some fan somewhere very happy.” The truth is, they’re already making a lot of fans very happy, right now.

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