What Happened is the first I've heard by them. I'd say "it's a gem" but that would a) be cheesy; b) not even come close to how awesome I think it is. Mesmerised by it right now, to be honest.
― Special topics: Disco, The Common Market (grimly fiendish), Monday, 16 February 2009 23:12 (fifteen years ago) link
Solar Bridge > What Happened, but Wh is still nice
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, 16 February 2009 23:19 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm going to see them open up for Throbbing Gristle in Chicago. Oh, and they're playing in a church.
Jealous?
― brightscreamer, Tuesday, 17 February 2009 02:41 (fifteen years ago) link
Yes, since you ask ;)
― Special topics: Disco, The Common Market (grimly fiendish), Tuesday, 17 February 2009 08:43 (fifteen years ago) link
what happened and solar bridge are both very nice. what I like about these guys is that there are little melodic touches all over the place. pretty close to "new age" territory sometimes, but that don't bother me none.
― original bgm, Tuesday, 17 February 2009 16:38 (fifteen years ago) link
Shit, I didn't know they were gonna open! That night's gonna be great, can't wait!
― Ivan, Tuesday, 17 February 2009 20:55 (fifteen years ago) link
Hey, y'all! I have two extra tickets for Saturday's show in Chicago...want to come with?
― batmeh (brightscreamer), Thursday, 23 April 2009 03:09 (fifteen years ago) link
BUMP
― batmeh (brightscreamer), Thursday, 23 April 2009 12:06 (fifteen years ago) link
anyone heard that new 2lp?
― nerve_pylon, Thursday, 23 April 2009 15:27 (fifteen years ago) link
no but I am looking forward to their merch table in Chicago
― sleeve, Thursday, 23 April 2009 18:37 (fifteen years ago) link
wish What Happened was on vinyl.
― nerve_pylon, Thursday, 23 April 2009 18:45 (fifteen years ago) link
Does no one want tickets to the show on Saturday? I'm not scalping them, guys. I'm gifting them.
― batmeh (brightscreamer), Thursday, 23 April 2009 22:36 (fifteen years ago) link
the new 2lp is great! how was the show?
― nerve_pylon, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 19:51 (fifteen years ago) link
I finally bought What Happened last weekend. Jeez. This shit is straight up AMAZING. "Living Room" especially is gorgeous. I love the guitar loops that just get eventually eaten up by the synths. Solar Bridge and the 2LP are great too, but I think WH is their best.
― jonathan - stl, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 04:22 (fourteen years ago) link
A coworker of mine passed "What Happened" to me... it's really excellent. I keep reading about people seeing these guys play in basements & backyards. I'm hoping I can hear that for myself.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 17 June 2009 05:49 (fourteen years ago) link
finally heard "alive in the sea of information". see people hear "drone" and think "boring" when they should be thinking "heavenly buzzsaw that opens the thousand gates of perception."
― This part of the sentence is even dumber. (lukas), Sunday, 29 November 2009 21:47 (fourteen years ago) link
I know there has been a bit of discussion in the rolling drone thread, but I thought I'd hit this thread because their new album, Does It Look Like I'm Here? is playing tonight through the hd 280s. Solid album. The longer track, "Genetic" is so good. I ate the best turkey sandwich from Whole Foods tonight too.
― Barry Soetoro the marlboro man (van smack), Saturday, 15 May 2010 04:19 (thirteen years ago) link
Kinda confused that they broke out of the tons of bands that sound exactly like them to become the most popular.
― filthy dylan, Saturday, 15 May 2010 21:32 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah i mean that never happens. ever.
― am0n, Saturday, 15 May 2010 22:20 (thirteen years ago) link
please tell me about more contemporary bands that use analog synths like these dudes
xp
― bug holocaust (sleeve), Saturday, 15 May 2010 23:20 (thirteen years ago) link
completely forgot that i have a copy of the pain jerk/emeralds tour cd. i should play it. don't think i ever did. anyway, like i said on the other thread, the new one has really grown on me. the mego thing. also on my mego hit parade and simliar in some ways to the emeralds stuff is the new album by ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER. one guy. never heard him before. starts out as straight up noise and then goes into ambient/mellow territory. i like it a lot. Daniel Lopatin. that's the guy with the unwieldy name.
― scott seward, Saturday, 15 May 2010 23:30 (thirteen years ago) link
Zombi
who totally rule btw
― in which we apologize for sobering up (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Saturday, 15 May 2010 23:45 (thirteen years ago) link
I get where you're coming from but... their music really is v. approachable. esp that new mego disc. a handful of well-recorded, melodic, short, new age-y pop ambient songs. not that surprising that people are digging them more than most acts working a harder "drone" or "noise" angle. (admittedly zombie are neither of those things.)
― original bgm, Sunday, 16 May 2010 19:27 (thirteen years ago) link
It's not just approachable -- I think Emeralds' music really has its very own sound. They may share techniques and inspirations with artists like Oneohtrix Point Never, Jonas Reinhardt, et al, but their music has a very specific quality that I don't get from anyone else. I wish I could put my finger on it; it has to do with the loops upon loops upon loops, the sense of many different parts, all spinning at different velocities.
― pshrbrn, Sunday, 16 May 2010 19:37 (thirteen years ago) link
Oh yes please this is total KateBait.
And hey, I love me some Zombi but this is a different kind of headspace, less proggy more ambient drifty.
― Using an Aural Exciter in an Orgone Accumulator (Masonic Boom), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 13:56 (thirteen years ago) link
I ordered the new one. Dont suppose anyone has the s/t vinyl they could sell to me?
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 14:02 (thirteen years ago) link
There's a wibbly wubbly warped tapeloopness to this that reminds me of Cluster. The sounds are slippy slidey as well as shimmery.
― Using an Aural Exciter in an Orgone Accumulator (Masonic Boom), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 14:04 (thirteen years ago) link
I've always felt they remind me of Force Majuere era TD
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 14:07 (thirteen years ago) link
Which is my fave TD
A bit, yes. I can see that. But I'm not sure that they have that kind of streamlined smoothness that TD have.
OK, I've just reached Genetic which is straight up TD territory with those big Minimalist Composer arpeggiators in the background and I'm in heaven.
― Using an Aural Exciter in an Orgone Accumulator (Masonic Boom), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 14:09 (thirteen years ago) link
Genetic is awesome but just wait til the title track hits you in 2 tracks time
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 14:11 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm going to be a slathering mess by that point if this album keeps up delivering the goodness like this...
― Using an Aural Exciter in an Orgone Accumulator (Masonic Boom), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 14:11 (thirteen years ago) link
This album just came out on emusic this week, fyi, for anyone who uses that site. I'm anxiously waiting for my June dls to come in.
― scott pgwp (pgwp), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 17:14 (thirteen years ago) link
you all should check out Skyramps as well, if you haven't already. iirc it's McGuire and the Oneohtrix Point Never guy.
― richie aprile (rockapads), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 19:21 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah that Skyramps record is awesome. I picked that up because I liked Oneohtrix "Rifts" and now I feel like I need to dig into the Emeralds stuff too ...
― dmr, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 19:32 (thirteen years ago) link
FWIW, I totally recommend buying the vinyl version of the Mego release. I listened to 320s of the album for a week or more, and felt like I really had a handle on the record. But when my mail-ordered wax finally came, it sounded almost like a different record. Ok, I'm exaggerating. But the space of it blew wide open.
― pshrbrn, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 20:37 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah this is a band that is best heard in full fidelity.
― bug holocaust (sleeve), Wednesday, 26 May 2010 21:18 (thirteen years ago) link
I had the exact same experience with Solar Bridge, loved my mp3's but once I got the CD reissue it was like DAMN
Agreed about Skyramps being really awesome.
― van smack, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 23:15 (thirteen years ago) link
Btw, there is an emeralds thread that this discussion should be in and not this horseshit thread.
― Bilderbooger (van smack), Wednesday, June 9, 2010 10:12 AM (32 seconds ago)
― ksh, Wednesday, 9 June 2010 14:13 (thirteen years ago) link
Thumbs up
― Bilderbooger (van smack), Wednesday, 9 June 2010 14:15 (thirteen years ago) link
this is some of the most gorgeous music that i have heard in a long time. really loving the new album
― gman59, Wednesday, 9 June 2010 15:21 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah, it's top notch.
I love how they condensed their sound into mini epics. first track is like a statement of purpose.
I'm still down for the side-length stuff as well, obv.
― original bgm, Wednesday, 9 June 2010 17:12 (thirteen years ago) link
this new one is Harald Grosskopf's album Synthesist minus the drums.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ggdnTzSVD3E/RxO-gBnNOHI/AAAAAAAAACY/JBrYw8NSVDE/s320/synthesist.jpg
― van smack, Thursday, 1 July 2010 21:20 (thirteen years ago) link
too much harmonic consonance in this record. needs more dissonance
― Palpatean Mists (Lowell N. Behold'n), Thursday, 1 July 2010 21:53 (thirteen years ago) link
Great band
― life behind bras (admrl), Friday, 13 August 2010 05:11 (thirteen years ago) link
Great post
― ilxor has truly been got at and become an ILXor (ilxor), Friday, 13 August 2010 05:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Thanks, ilxor
― life behind bras (admrl), Friday, 13 August 2010 06:07 (thirteen years ago) link
I thought these guys would break out last year on the strength of What Happened? and the opening slots for TG, but I guess the big ol' Mego 2xLP has them really hitting the big time. More power to them. FWIW, every side project/solo project involving these guys I've heard has been of merit (to varying degrees). John Elliot seems to be the most prolific (check out Mist, Outer Space, and the epic Infinity Window material) but Mark Mcguire's stuff is mind-boggling good (2xLP re-ish of the pieces "Tidings" and "Amethyst Waves" on Weird Forest is epic and the "Off In The Distance" cassette was just re-released on a tasty LP). The full Emeralds complement is heading out on a fairly extensive North American tour opening for Caribou in late Sept/early Oct.
― FRESH MEAT (MFB), Friday, 13 August 2010 08:48 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah I saw that. Would be interested to see them live but am not a fan of Caribou =/
― life behind bras (admrl), Friday, 13 August 2010 15:08 (thirteen years ago) link
in MOM there are vocals but they're much more interpretive and djong yun-like than songwriter-with-words type of vocalsstrong pulse, good vibe, enjoyable every time i see them (which is every chance i get, lol)
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Friday, 6 July 2018 15:10 (five years ago) link
listening to bellowing sun right now, thank you! i like this a lot
― marcos, Friday, 6 July 2018 15:20 (five years ago) link
I’ll check both out
― Scam jam, thank you ma’am (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 6 July 2018 15:36 (five years ago) link
Anyway I will never tire of Does It Look Like I’m Here.
― Scam jam, thank you ma’am (Sparkle Motion), Friday, July 6, 2018 5:00 PM (thirty-seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Same. Stone cold classic.
― lbi's life of limitless european glamour (Le Bateau Ivre), Friday, 6 July 2018 15:39 (five years ago) link
solo-wise i think Hauschildt has been the one i've gravitated to the most. I like Mark McGuire's stuff as well but after awhile i stopped keeping up with him.
― omar little, Friday, 6 July 2018 16:05 (five years ago) link
New Steve Hauschildt album is absolutely lovely in a "I listened to Selected Ambient Works 85-92 and 76:14 and decided everything should just stop right at that moment" kind of way.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 00:26 (five years ago) link
Works for me
― calstars, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 00:37 (five years ago) link
Their 'moment' seemed to be a relatively short one. I saw them at ATP in, I think, 2010; I know their sound had changed quite dramatically by then, but there was already a sense that they had moved beyond anything transgressive and were a bit daft and jock-ish - particularly John Elliott's (ironic or otherwise) sky-punching. Maybe that was always the case.
Anyway, Does It Look Like I'm Here? sounding great right now. Of the other stuff I find McGuire's output bewildering but like Beyond Belief and the VDSQ album and always had a soft spot for the Skyramps record.
― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 11:05 (five years ago) link
i think i like strands and where all is fled a little more but dissolvi is still quite good
― marcos, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 11:20 (five years ago) link
xp God, that sounded pompous! That murky, transgressive scene from the early 00s seems a world away.
― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 11:21 (five years ago) link
Not feeling the new Hauschildt - sounds like Synkro from about 5 years ago. ‘Ketracel” off Stands is an utter masterpiece, though.
― the article don, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 21:14 (five years ago) link
They're reuniting to play Primavera Sound next year! Hopefully more shows to follow...
After a decade in the aether, Emeralds are back to perform live @Primavera_Sound in June 2023. Thanks to all the believers out there 💚 pic.twitter.com/frhFtpLHAS— John Elliott (@MineralDisk) November 29, 2022
― J. Sam, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 18:37 (one year ago) link
ahhh great news! i don't think any other band has been able to capture the synced-by-ear swirl of sequencers and delays quite like they did. bitchin bajas comes pretty close, but different vibe
― diamonddave85 (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 29 November 2022 18:42 (one year ago) link
Y E S
― death generator (lukas), Tuesday, 29 November 2022 20:02 (one year ago) link
"Just To Feel Anything" didn't grab me at all but still
Just to Feel Anything made my top ten that year. Here's hoping there's a tour. Mark McGuire's solo albums on Editions Mego and Dead Oceans have all been pretty good listens.
― ilxor, Wednesday, 30 November 2022 04:24 (one year ago) link
I really liked the Outer Space album and a couple of those Mist records, as far as solo projects go
― sleeve, Wednesday, 30 November 2022 15:30 (one year ago) link
I liked Steve Hauschildt's run of solo albums from about 2009 to 2018 too, realized I missed one in 2019.
Hoping this leads to more shows and maybe some new studio material.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 15:44 (one year ago) link
yes those are good too, I forgot abt them!
― sleeve, Wednesday, 30 November 2022 15:54 (one year ago) link
Remastered version of Does It Look Like I'm Here? out today with 7 bonus tracks
― groovypanda, Friday, 1 September 2023 12:28 (eight months ago) link
Listening to the bonus tracks. Goodly stuff. The long version of Genetic is quite a thing.
― (picnic, lightning) very very frightening (Chinaski), Monday, 4 September 2023 19:47 (eight months ago) link
whoa 28 minutes!!
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Monday, 4 September 2023 19:49 (eight months ago) link
It *goes*.
I was intrigued by the Pitchfork review of the re-release. I liked the piece just found the idea that the band wanted to 'determined to melt behind their instruments' kinda funny. My signature memory of seeing them live was of John Elliott punching the air and roaring with glee from behind his keyboards.
― (picnic, lightning) very very frightening (Chinaski), Monday, 4 September 2023 20:13 (eight months ago) link
*were determined to melt...
― (picnic, lightning) very very frightening (Chinaski), Monday, 4 September 2023 20:14 (eight months ago) link
I saw them open for Throbbing Gristle in Chicago, 2009, but I don't remember much other than "surprisingly good", I had not heard the records at the time but started picking them up afterwards, "What Happened" was my gateway
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Monday, 4 September 2023 20:15 (eight months ago) link
*Allegory of Allergies* was the first thing I heard, which I think I yoinked from what.cd (RIP). I saw them live at an ATP event and thought they were great.
― (picnic, lightning) very very frightening (Chinaski), Monday, 4 September 2023 20:20 (eight months ago) link
Allegory is prob still my favorite, there is a newer Bandcamp version that restores most of the cassette material missing from the 2LP, but (frustratingly) not quite all of it
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Monday, 4 September 2023 20:22 (eight months ago) link
Oh! Didn't know about that - will have to go and investigate.
― (picnic, lightning) very very frightening (Chinaski), Monday, 4 September 2023 20:25 (eight months ago) link
extended versions! so good
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Monday, 4 September 2023 20:26 (eight months ago) link
it was originally a 120-minute tape
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Monday, 4 September 2023 20:27 (eight months ago) link
I think I have the whole thing buried on a hard drive somewhere but will go the Bandcamp route for sure.
― (picnic, lightning) very very frightening (Chinaski), Monday, 4 September 2023 20:30 (eight months ago) link
Read somewhere that they are prepping a reunion, which !!!
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Monday, 18 December 2023 22:48 (four months ago) link
ooh!!
― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Monday, 18 December 2023 22:54 (four months ago) link
excellent
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Monday, 18 December 2023 22:59 (four months ago) link
with Yellow Swans and Emeralds reuniting, next thing you know NNCK and Tan As Fuck will be touring by end of next year. (an aging noiser can hope)
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Monday, 18 December 2023 23:30 (four months ago) link
If those four toured as a unit, OMFG
― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Tuesday, 19 December 2023 20:58 (four months ago) link
Okay wtf just found out Solar Bridge is improvised with no dubs or edits??????
― H.P, Tuesday, 19 December 2023 23:58 (four months ago) link