Envelopes - Party (Brille)
3/5
By: Michael Cragg
Envelopes, a conglomeration of different nationalities, are the kind of band that sometimes sound like they're all simultaneously playing different songs or pulling in different directions, and yet there are moments during 'Party' that things come together to spectacular effect. One thing's for sure though and that's that they're not exactly easy on the ear at first, singer Henrik Orrling's voice veering the wrong side of out of tune over some caustic guitar scratches.
But they're clearly a band who won't let the constraints of a three and half minute song stop them from trying out different sounds, textures or time signatures, with bands as diverse as Pixies, Suede, Shout Out Louds, Talking Heads and Bonnie Tyler all influencing the outcome. Yes, that's right, I did mean to say Bonnie Tyler, seeing as her hit 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart' rears it's coiffured head after about ninety seconds, Orrling changing the lyric to "Once upon a time I was falling in love/ Now I'm only falling apart/ Totally f**ked from the start". It's a cute surprise, nicely displaying the Envelopes sense of fun whilst belying a certain melancholy, a tone mirrored by the desperate chorus of, "If there's a party can I come/ All alone".
The Sportsday Megaphone remix doesn't really add anything new to the original, but b-side 'Go To Hell' is a treat, all skipping melodies, cute backing vocals and that ever present nihilism as displayed by the title. Envelopes may come across as ramshackle and fractured, but secretly you get the sense that they know exactly what they're doing.
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