Gibson Guitars has posted a new interview with Envy of None's Alex Lifeson, Andy Curran and Alfio Annibalini, where the trio discuss the project's 2nd album Stygian Wavz, which released this past Friday. The only member of the band missing from the interview is vocalist Maiah Wynne, who Alex often describes as his muse in the band:
... "Maiah became my muse. 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 fucking special!" ... "Once she layers her vocals, they come back to me, and I proceed with my final guitar arrangements. Maiah and I share a dynamic working relationship. I am always greatly inspired by her musical sensibilities and often shake my head at the genius of her talent." ...
The interview is very focused on the band's general writing, recording and mixing process, rather than specifics about the individual songs themselves, and you can read the entire piece here. Here's Alfio describing Lifeson's solos:
... It is a superpower, and it's never about flash, it's never about, 'look what I can do,' it always serves the song. When we were doing the first record, Alex mentioned that he was interested in exploring atmospheres and textures, and he wanted the songs to stand on their own without having to add solos. The funny thing is that even though there aren't many solos on that record, it is loaded with guitars. For this album, adding solos was never discussed, but as it turns out, there are some incredible, dare I say iconic solos-'The Story,' 'Under the Stars,' and 'Clouds' come to mind. As you mentioned, Alex's solos give the song arrangements depth and serve to hook the listener. There are only a few players in the world who can do that." ...
The band has also teamed up with Gibson to run a contest where the winner will get a signed, Stygian Wavz custom Epiphone Les Paul Special II guitar. You can enter to win for free with a free download of The Story, or simply just purchase the new record in any format on the EON website. The winner will be chosen at random on Friday, April 18th. The LE Deluxe box set is just one of the many available formats, which include colored vinyl, standard black vinyl, CD, Blu-ray, and digitally. For more details on the various album formats and what they include, visit the official Envy of None store and watch the video trailer. The entire tracklist is as follows:
Envy Of None - Stygian Wavz
1. Not Dead Yet [03:29]
2. The Story [04:41]
3. Under The Stars [04:32]
4. Thrill Of The Chase [03:40]
5. Handle With Care [04:14]
6. That Was Then [03:46]
7. Raindrops [03:33]
8. New Trip [03:55]
9. Clouds [04:02]
10. The End [03:58]
11. Stygian Waves [03:37]
