Envy on the Coast

At first glance, these eager Long Island newcomers seem like just another forgettable mainstream emo act, complete with Castro-style military caps and ridiculously overwrought song titles.  Thankfully, on this rousing debut, they break away from the Warped Tour pack wit heady prog-rock arrangements and weighty lyrics that aren't exclusively about singer Ryan Hunter's last evil girlfriend.  Throughout, he gets deep about death, religion, and A&R guys, but the real star here is lead guitarist Brian Byrne, whose space-metal riffs and effects-pedal bombast truly send these songs skyward.

By Trevor Kelley