Rock

Envy Of None
Stygian Wavz
KScope KSCOPE3018; LP: KSCOPE1237

The guitarist here is Alex Lifeson, formerly of legendary Canadian rockers Rush, but Envy Of None is much more than a vehicle for his fretboard skills. He plays incisive rhythm and colourful solos, but has emphasised that the songwriting of Maiah Wynne is the group’s crucial element. Her dreamy vocals have a yin-yang relationship with the punchy guitars and drums; and keyboard textures give it all a sonic radiance. There are stylistic overlaps with Garbage, but EON have established an individual character epitomised by the swooning melodies of ‘The Story’ and the single, ‘Not Dead Yet’. On the title track, syncopated rhythms and Lifeson’s acoustic guitar and oud lines suggest new horizons. MB

Sound Quality: 90%

The Darkness
Dreams On Toast
Cooking Vinyl COOKCD922; LP: COOKLP922

In the early 2000s, The Darkness were
the band most likely to... but then came the messy break-ups and poor sales. Since 2015 they’ve been back on track with Queen drummer Roger Taylor’s son Rufus behind the traps. Queen were always a big influence on both the group’s music and flamboyant image, and their eighth album is an arch and entertaining mélange of flash guitars and droll lyrics. ‘Rock And Roll Party Cowboy’ feels like a glam rock version of ZZ Top as Justin Hawkins sings, ‘Marshall stack, double Jack’. On ‘I Hate Myself’, he claims,
‘I hate myself so you don’t have to’ – and he already seems bored with this album on ‘Walking Through Fire’. MB

Sound Quality: 85%

Masters Of Reality
The Archer
Mascot M76182; LP: M76181

As a producer, Chris Goss has worked with bands including Foo Fighters and Queens Of The Stone Age, but his influence began in the ’80s as guitarist and singer in Masters Of Reality. For their first album in 16 years he has made a deliberate break with their trademark ‘Gothicised blues riffs’. Playing these songs in rehearsal was, he says, a ‘weird sometimes melancholic blast’, and his voice has a plaintive Neil Young-like quality. But they smoulder in a compelling manner and still pack a considerable punch, with ghostly faux-orchestral backdrops and gnarly, twisted guitar lines that punch through on ‘Chicken Little’, giving the vocals a good buffeting. MB

Sound Quality: 85%

Held By Trees
Hinterland
Tweed Jacket TJMCD04; LP: TJMLP04

In the ’80s Talk Talk enjoyed singles
chart success, but while Held By Trees features ex-group members and the late Mark Hollis’s son Charlie on piano, their jumping-off points are the slowly unfurling, improvisatory instrumental passages that hallmarked albums like 1988’s Spirit Of Eden. It’s languorous and immersive,
and their electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards and winds are augmented by a host of guest musicians. Listening to the album is like taking a woodland walk – even the titles – ‘The Boundary’, ‘The Path’, ‘The Pylon Line’ – read like a musical map and while there’s more fine detail than dramatic incident, it’s a restorative experience. MB

Sound Quality: 80%