Emeralds

[heretogo]

These guys seem to be quite "in-demand" and from what I've heard the hype is rightfully justified. I would be interested in hearing people's opinions on them and maybe get some recommendations on what are their best records.

I've only heard three releases so far. The best one to my ears is the Solar Bridge cd. Very slow drifting drone psychedelia, with quite a bit of kraut-influence thrown in the mix. Pretty short, under 30 min, but all of it essential. Perfect stuff for just laying on the couch and looking at the ceiling. What Happened cd is quite different. More song-like compositions and the sound is somehow clearer and stronger. Less drone and more forward motion. Very good also, but I think I prefer Solar Bridge. And then there is the s/t tape on Hanson. Much darker and more industrial atmosphere. Nice variety from the two cds.

First time I saw them live was at No Fun 2008. Didn't leave much of an impression. The small downstairs stage/space didn't suit them at all. No Fun Stockholm 2009 was a different story. Blissful euphoria, maybe partly due to the few beers I had had... I actually fell asleep for a moment, seemed like a very suitable reaction, and not due to boredom! Very nice set.

[Andrew McIntosh]

I love the sounds of analogue synths and the kinds of influences that Emeralds obviously demonstrate. But for mine, I think their hype rests more on their position as being in the right scene at the right time than any musical pleasure.

Listening to The Overland Tour tape, there's some nice moments, but the sound itself doesn't seem to have depth. Their side of a split with the appallingly named Sunburned Hand Of The Man is somewhat more abstracted and has a nice, back-of-the-memory skerrick of melodies in it, well structured. But it doesn't really grab me, if you get me.

Forest Fires, to my ears, isn't a bad one, has some nice darker and dronier moments but there's a few lax moments there as well. Ledges is a better release. Two lengthy pieces and two shorter pieces, again with more emphasis on darker and dronier tones. The second, longer track in particular is a nice one to lie on the couch and stare at the ceiling to. The third, also long track is very good, mutating drone, some very nice tones.

All up, they are hit-and-miss acceptable.

[Zeno Marx]

So far, they're the only "krautrock-influenced" group to rise from the bottom, out of all the claims that have been made in the past few years.  It appears that they didn't really hit their stride or get their footing until 2009.  What Happened is their best work so far.  Allegory of Allergies is a very good listen, but I don't find their interaction to be matured and honed like we find it a couple years later.  I like Solar Bridge and the s/t, but they aren't quite up to snuff.  This kind of group needs to master the skill of listening.  The playing is secondary to listening to each other, and I think they really did that well on What Happened.  For reference, they should maybe listen to more live Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schluze from the '75-'77 period.  I'm not looking for mimicry, but I think they're already good enough that they could learn from those recordings.  They have the sounds and intent.  They just need to polish their interplay and better learn each other's moves.

[ConcreteMascara]

I'm quite fond of the Forest Fires tape and portions of What Happened?, especially the last track Disappearing Ink, but Emeralds as a whole are hit and miss for me. Their show in Brooklyn last March with Giffoni and Thurston Moore was exceptional, better than NFF 2008. I like their more obviously dark work and their more dramatic work, the things in between don't hold my interest as well. Mark McGuire, the guitarist, has done some really good solo work however. And his releases as Skyramps are also pretty great. The other members interest me less honestly. I'm all about the delay guitar.

[Zeno Marx]

Sounds like I need to try that Skyramps album.  I love when a good psychedelic guitar meanders and winds through the synths.  Edgar Froese, in the mid-70s with Tangerine Dream, could find these mesmerizing zones that bordered on perfection.  Just so beautiful and heady.

[heretogo]

I do agree that these guys are not quite "there" yet. But in contrast to a lot of the contemporary groups treading similar ground, I think they really do have the goods to step up their game a couple of notches and take it to another level. You know, instead of just adopting certain parts (and being content with that) of the classic sound they actually make it work. It's a proper band with what seems to be a vision, a drugged one maybe, but still something that sets them apart from the riff-raff. The thing I really liked about Solar Bridge was the atmosphere, the actual content was pretty light, but somehow they (maybe by accident, who knows) slipped into a stream of really good vibes that works for me. One-dimensional, yes, but sometimes that's all you need. What Happened is clearly a more thought-out proper album, which in the long run might be the more fruitful approach.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will look out for their more recent output. Any thoughts on the s/t LP on Wagon? I seem to remember hearing good things about it.

[heretogo]

I've now been listening to the cd reissue (on Hanson) of the s/t LP for awhile. And I have to say it's awfully good. Not perfect but just so god damn beautiful I'm forced to ignore the minor issues I have with parts of it. First track is sublime and 100% great. After that there is this pulsating, bubbly rhythm that persists for the remainder of the disc (on and off). Part of me would like to have longer intervals of pure star-gazing and less of this forward motion. But they do it so well I feel like a douchebag complaining about it... I don't even want to try to analyse any of this, it's just pure instinctive joy.
On one hand I feel tempted to get every fucking release these guys put out, cd-r's, tapes, side-projects - everything. But luckily (that's my wallet speaking) they don't all seem to be that good. I got the Mark McGuire tape on Durable Stimuli (Get me out of here) and while it's okay and all, there's nothing too great about it, pretty standard guitar-noodling. So maybe I'll stick to the major editions, the 2LP on EditionsMego has been ordered already...

[Ashley Choke]

The split with Pain jerk is great. Talk about Ying Yan. The Emeralds tack has recently become my favored soundtrack for sex.

[mystikum]

I never appreciated this group until I saw them Live.  For me, this isn't the type of music I can really enjoy from my stereo

[Mattias G]

Anyone who heard the new record on EditionsMego?

My favorite record with them are the S/T LP and What Happened CD. And live on No Fun Sweden they blew my mind. They seems to be incredible musicians and really know their instruments, it is nothing that is important but in this case it really impressed me. I think they did improvisation and if that is the case they they where telepathic and mind melting.

[Andrew McIntosh]

Hmmm....clearly a lot better live than on their recordings, then.

[Brad]

Is there an official site that lists upcoming Emeralds performances? 

[Zeno Marx]

The s/t on Wagon/Hanson is impressive.  Dying to hear the Editions Mego album, but I'm going to hold off and really absorb all that the s/t has to offer before moving to the next one.

Went back a bit and found that the Queen of Burbank Vol.2 was very droney/ambient.  It surprised me.  Not bad.  Actually decent stuff, but more one-dimensional than I hope to hear from them.

[heretogo]

Anyone who heard the new record on EditionsMego?

I got this a couple of days ago. First impression was that this really isn't want I wanted it to be... Much more hectic stuff than anything I'd heard from these guys before. Tracks are fairly short for the most part and it feels more like a "pop album". Now I'm listening to it for the second time and it starts to make more sense. Don't get me wrong, I'd still prefer extended star-gazing but I'm really beginning to enjoy also this shorter format approach. There are nice glimpses of bliss inserted inbetween the more straightforward synth-pop passages and it all feels quite naturally composed. More listening is required before I pass final judgement but it sounds very promising.