ENVY OF NONE, the new band from Alex Lifeson (RUSH), Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH), Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne, will release its self-titled debut album on April 8 via Kscope. The album is available for pre-order HERE.
Fans will be able to enter the guitar giveaway via a QR code, printed on a ticket inside one of the CDs in the Deluxe Edition of the debut album.
“Envy of One” will be available in the following formats:
- Ltd Edition deluxe version – presented in a gatefold sleeve with a blue colored vinyl LP, 2 CDs including a 5 track bonus disc, 28 page Booklet with exclusive content (plus QR Code Golden Ticket for giveaway entry)
- CD – includes a 16 page poster booklet
- LP – on black vinyl / baby blue colored vinyl (North America exclusive) / white colored vinyl
- Digital
Created through extensive work with Alex Lifeson and Gibson™, Epiphone‘s Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess Standard similarly redefines the boundaries of the classic Les Paul™ in an accessible package. This guitar carries all of the traditional tones that have made the Les Paul legendary, along with unprecedented levels of sonic and performance versatility.
The Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess Standard carries powerful Epiphone Ceramic Pro neck and ProBucker 3 bridge pickups with coil-splitting options via their push-pull volume controls and a Graph Tech Ghost Floyd Rose system that not only provides the world’s most efficient vibrato but is also loaded with Ghost piezo bridge saddles. Access traditional magnetic humbucker tones, mix it up with coil-split options, tap the Ghost’s realistic acoustic tones, or blend acoustic and magnetic voices — the sky’s the limit from this sonic chameleon, whose sound-shifting depths are virtually limitless. You can route it all through a traditional mono jack or use two cables for individual magnetic and piezo outputs. All this and the Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess Standard still presents that timeless Les Paul look that has remained a classic for more than 60 years. An EpiLite™ case is also included.
For full specifications, visit this location. For full terms & conditions, head over here.
Retailing at $899, this is a unique opportunity to win a high spec, unique instrument, developed by Alex Lifeson himself. The giveaway is open to a worldwide audience, and no purchase is necessary outside Great Britain.
Lifeson is no stranger to the concept of evolution. As a founding member of RUSH, he’s been able to explore more musical ground than just about any other guitar player out there — taking rock to new progressive heights throughout the decades and always in the most wildly inventive of ways. His influence can be heard on countless bands around the world, from indie shoegaze and math rock to heavy metal and beyond. Over the last few years, Lifeson has been focusing on a new project that, no matter how well-acquainted you are with his discography, will undoubtedly shatter all seeds of expectation and blow the mind. That project is ENVY OF NONE.
“Envy Of None”‘s 11 tracks — which ricochet between various shades of alternative, experimental and synth rock — throw surprises at every turn, twisting dark melodies against contemporary pop hooks. Lifeson himself is proudly aware of how little of it crosses over with the band that made him famous.
However, it was only when Wynne became involved that this truly started to feel like a band destined to go somewhere. Her haunting melodies and soul-baring intensity is — by the admission of her own bandmates — what truly brought this music to life. All things considered; she is a star in the making.
“I sent over an early version of the song ‘Shadow’,” explains Curran. “When I played what she’d done back to the others they were like, ‘Who is this crazy talented person?!'”
The album’s first single, “Liar”, is out now. Its industrial beats, driving fuzz bass and atmospheric guitars concoct a seductive swirl indeed — thrilling in ways closer to the darker art rock of DEPECHE MODE, NINE INCH NAILS and A PERFECT CIRCLE than anything these musicians have been known for prior.
“Maiah became my muse,” says Lifeson. “She was able to bring this whole new ethereal thing through her sense of melody on tracks like ‘Liar’ and ‘Look Inside’. After hearing her vocals on ‘Never Said I Love You’, I felt so excited. I’ve never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she’s special, it’s because she’s really f**king special.”
“One of my favorite things about these songs is the intimacy of them,” reveals Wynne. “It makes them feel different and more honest. There are some heavier songs too, like ‘Enemy’, and then tracks like ‘Kabul Blues’, that sound completely different to anything else.”
The album closer, “Western Sunset”, which was penned by Lifeson in tribute to his dear friend Neil Peart. It’s a highly emotive piece of music to honor a man deeply missed by the rock community at large, and even more so by those who were lucky enough to know him.
“I visited Neil when he was ill,” says Lifeson. “I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There’s a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book.”
ENVY OF NONE is:
- Alf Annibalini / Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
- Andy Curran / Bass Guitar, Synthesized Bass, Programming, Guitar, Background Vocals, Stylophone
- Alex Lifeson / Guitar, Mandola, Banjo, Programming
- Maiah Wynne / Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Keyboards
“Envy Of None” track listing:
1. Never Said I Love You [04:06]
2. Shadow [03:21]
3. Look Inside [04:44]
4. Liar [03:13]
5. Spy House [02:23]
6. Dog’s Life [04:36]
7. Kabul Blues [03:12]
8. Old Strings [05:15]
9. Dumb [04:19]
10. Enemy [04:16]
11. Western Sunset [02:25]
