While there is no limit to the amount of electronic artists floating around these days, some are working towards expanding that niche further. Envy is Blind is such an outfit where music and art coalesce into a realm of EBM modernist artwork. This Cd takes a slant on philosophy, which ranges from Taoism to nihilism, but delivers their dark message in highly extensive dance beats.   

"Synthetic Evolution" utilizes sound bytes from various newscasts and films, filtering it through a number of massively pumping tracks. We are given a taste of our random thoughts, observing the realm of hopelessness striving to grow and develop. There is a poignant nod towards the theme that man has progressed to the point of falsifying reality and accepting mediocrity as a way of life.

"Requiem" opens the disc, utilizing news type soundbytes. In particular is that byte from Pres. Bush sounding like a petulant child where he declares, "we will rid the world of evil doer's." The impact of the track about the meaninglessness of our world gone mad is underscored and punctuated with the intense delivery of the lyrics. It is made more chilling by the number of news byte inclusions, providing a prognostication of our finite world as it descends into a hellish nightmare. It launches us towards the reality of a life lived in fear and control, not due to real threats, but from our own political machines which seek to annihilate us. We are fed political rhetoric while our democratic freedoms are eaten away by an apathetic society.   

"Co-Existence" takes us on a journey to look at the balance of life. It simply is the way of the cosmos, and nothing can really change that evolutionary truth. The track opens with a peaceful tranquility, similarly to floating on a dark river. This is a mid-tempo groove that also utilizes soundbytes to further punctuate the crux of the songs deeper meaning. Oddly, we are taken back through time, through past wars and past deeds of mankind's destruction against others.   

"Sea of Flames" opens with a trance like percussion joined with deep yoga like breathing. It is at once meditative and erotic. Lyrically, it asks us to accept the moment of our most precious point in our lives. We seldom have many such moments to cherish, nor do many such moments touch us to the depth of our soul. Ideally, everything is plunged into the "sea of flames" at the end. It is essential to demarcate such beauty when we find it, tuck it away into our heart, and take it out when we need it again.  

"Fallen" trades the heavy percussive dance EBM elements for a more sedate realm during the intro. This particular tweaks an essence of classic medieval tones and wraps it into a modern trance-like essence. It is as though one is floating in space observing intergalactic icicles as they melt in a cavernous abyss.   

 "Covenant" takes us a bit further on our journey from that last track. It segues into this one, going a bit deeper and darker with the space-like ethereal essences. The beauty here is the wondrous way that a funeral type of dirge was given a new modernistic slant. For those who thought it wasn't possible to envelope a goth atmosphere via the electronic medium, "Covenant" disproves this quite diligently.    

Envy Is Blind is one of the up and coming stars within the electronic music medium. The concept of creating club friendly songs with a potent meaning has also been seen with another contemporary artist, VNV Nation. Part of the redeeming factor about such music is that it offers a snapshot of time within our lives that has been overrun with information overload. Such artists help to make the listener step back and review the events that are happening within our world as well as around the globe. Often we get bogged down in the myriad of rapidly changing events that we don't stop long enough to calculate where certain events will eventually lead us. 

While the majority of tracks on this disc can be played during the height of a club night, there are a couple of slower tracks for simply kicking back to. Whether one chooses to dance or listen, Envy Is Blind created songs on this EP which present a timely mindset of a younger generation. The first 4 tracks grab our attention with addictive and dynamic dance tones with their poignant lyrics. After we have been pumped up and placed on an adrenaline high, we are brought towards a level of cooling down, helping to punctuate the lyrical themes of the preceding tracks. These selections are quite enjoyable and it won't be too long before many of them are featured in clubs across the globe.
 
Tracks:
1. Synthetic Evolution
2. Requiem
3. Co-Existence
4. Sea of Flames
5. Fallen 
6. Covenant

"Live" Band Line Up 
Mike Poggenburg: vocals, synthesizers
Eric Fossum: Synthesizers

Website: www.envyisblind.com
Sound samples available at: www.mp3.com/envyisblind  
Email: envyisblind@hotmail.com 

07/16/03