Singles

The Envy Corps - Rhinemaidens

James McDonald 16/10/2007

Rating: 4/5

With Razorlight officially going to 'pot', and the Morning After Girls failing to reach the heights they were expected to, nay, deserved to, one would be forgiven for assuming Vertigo Records are currently occupying the back-burner of today's music scenes. That said, such a position may not be all too detrimental for the industry giants, and I'll tell you why. You see, Vertigo have an ace in their pocket, namely the Envy Corps, and have slowly been revealing their hand through a chain of discrete eps and singles over the last few months.

The latest of said singles is 'Rhinemaidens', a charming track which insights a sense of progress as it ploughs along like a ship in singer Luke Pettipoole's otherwise troubled waters. It preservers, despite a U2-esc guitar delay which features as the main focal point throughout, before climaxing mid-song, then restarting itself to do it all over again. This unique structure, coupled with inspirational lyrics (the opening line, "I met you in the middle of a rain-clou"', being one clear example) makes for a very enjoyable listen indeed.

That said, in this writer's opinion, 'Rhinemaidens' is not an example of the Envy Corps at their best, especially given the weight of previous material, for example the 'Story Problem' ep. However, this in itself doesn't deter me from the fact that the band are making some very exciting noises at present, and will undoubtedly be moving from the 'back-burners' to our smiling tums in the coming times. Definitely worth a look.