"To The East" and Envy

By Jason Hunter

Electrelane

rgan? Check! Jangly guitars? Check! British vocals? Check! While I own 2007's excellent No Shouts No Calls, I always return to their myspace site, which boasts a tight, concise overview of their too-short career. What I like most of Electrelane's sounds is that they don't immediately sound like any other band I can identify, yet make these great sad pop songs. If I ever move away from the East Coast and then decided to move back I want this LP on repeat as I make that trip. In my mind, it's the sound of longing and waiting patiently.

Envy

recent discovery thanks to Temporary Residence releasing their entire catalogue stateside. Since the lyrics are in Japanese, I have no idea what Tetsuya Fukagawa is screaming about but it sounds just as brutal as the post-hardcore guitars that twist around him. Lately, they are doing more with atmospherics and less with bone-crushing metal riffs, which is also cool. However, I can't deny the awesomeness of "Chain Wandering Deeply" and "Go Mad and Mark" from 2003's A Dead Sinking Story. Truly, one my favorite discoveries from 2008.