Thursday/Envy split

This split on Temporary Residence had been rumored to be in the works for a while. It seemed a pretty ballsy move on Thursday's part from where I'm sitting. I had a brief intense love affair with Thursday around the time of their second record, but I got over them pretty quick. Envy I was late in getting into, but the last three or four years have featured a lot of their records on the JS-NYC hi-fi. Thursday are a decent band, but they aren't in an Envy class by a long shot.

This split is a pretty nice feather in the TRL cap. I guess Thursday kind of hold their own musically. Geoff's voice was the thing that killed the band for me. It was just a little too whiny in the wrong kinds of way. To be fair, I often wonder if I understood the Envy lyrics whether it would be the same kind of deal-breaker. Tetsuya Fukagawa has more of a guttural tone than Rickley's screech that comes off better for me. Believe me, I know how many of you (ha!) feel differently. Envy just seem to be farther ahead. On some next level shit, if you will. They are a maelstrom of sound and beauty that knows few peers. You'll need to look no farther than the cover to see it in black and white. The dove that is the Thursday logo is in the foreground, but the tornado behind is a more than apt metaphor for what you're getting from the Envy franchise and why New Jersey's finest pale in comparison.

There are seven songs on the split, three from each artist; the odd track beng a remix of one the Thursday tracks by Anthony Molina of Mercury Rev that's decent enough, but seems more like a desperate attempt to level the playing field by Thursday. Yes, I am a dick. Either way, the Thursday stuff is tolerable and the Envy is exceptional. You should buy it here from Temporary Residence. If you happen to be a collector nerd, you can get some tasty screen and colored vinyl selections as well.

Thursday can be contacted here, Envy here.

R