I’m guessing these guys will need no introductions for anyone reading. I’ve been following Emeralds since their Solar Bridge album from last year (also on Hanson and now available on vinyl as well). Having also snatched their follow up What Happened [nofun] and the vinyl repress of Allegory of Allergies [weird forest] which was originally a double tape of live recordings, I felt I had pretty much saturated my need for their particular brand of analogue synth meets guitar bliss, it has begun to feel all a bit too easy, easy for them and easy on me. Seeing them pair up (or rather quartet up) with ex-Wolf Eyes’ Aaron Dilloway seemed promising though, something to bring them down off their cloud into the mire for a while. Possibly.
Side A opens with kraut-influenced synth figures that are by now fairly signature Emeralds material and drifts along in exactly the typically lush vein you would expect from them, Dilloway’s input is barely noticable except for a little occasional click in my right ear suggesting he might be running some tape loops around. The next track has far less sheen, beginning with a bestial vocal loop from Dilloway which returns throughout the piece. This and his other more confrontational input seems to hold the Emeralds lads in check somewhat interrupting their usual flow, which is nice to hear as a change though I’m not actually sure it makes for better music. I don’t know if the copy I’ve got is defective but the third track on side A seems to start then cut out…fast forward, turn over…
The flips starts out with swoops of delayed electronische ton, gradually becoming peppered with further tonal gurglings and clusters of guitar, and this really is feeling like a straight Emeralds record again, not that there’s a problem with that I like their music, but can’t help feeling it’s just a bit safe now, when space opens up I am sat willing Dilloway to interject, but it doesn’t come and the piece builds, really rather nicely. Maybe all Dilloway is doing here (and in the first track) is working with tape manipulation of Emeralds’ sounds, adding to the thickness of the sound.
Thoroughly recommended to Emeralds lovers, but if you’re hoping for a departure from their well-trodden path, stay away.
available as a tape or CDr from hanson
P.S. This post got me to thinking. Is there’s really anything wrong with musicians doing what they do best? Should we constantly be expecting people to reinvent themselves, to take bold new steps? And at what point does doing what you do best become simply dull and formulaic?
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