Emeralds-Classic or Dud?

Thanks for the tip - have just signed up. I keep finding out about stuff (like the Outer Space - Lost Vaccuum Demos LP thing) way after it's all sold out - and that's within a 2 or 3 day period!

Do you suspect these guys oppose digital releases from an artistic standpoint? I'm all for physical and vinyl whenever possible (and have all the Emeralds/McGuire stuff this way, plus the Spectrum Spools stuff), but I'm also happy to buy MP3s - and they never seem to go that route for any of the side project stuff. They'd make a nice chunk of change from suckers like me who snap it all up.

(Side note - that Experimedia site has some fascinating (and amusing) stuff. I like the remote control containing a 24-hour .MP3 album on a USB circuit board: http://www.experimedia.net/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&cPath=1&products_id=3941&zenid=iqnkogq5tej8c4h3k1tjdg1ku4)

Reminiscent of some of the www.twitter.com/fauxzones gags

idk if they have some artistic opposition to digital releases, but this stuff sounds SO much better on vinyl that it's not even funny (in large part thanks to D+M kicking a gigantic volume of ass).

Has ayone else heard the Jurgen Muller LP (it came into and out of print instantly)? It fits right in with this stuff based on the tracks I've heard on Altered Zones and shit. Hopefully someone will make it available again.

btw, I've been keeping tabs on this record since its mention upthread and noticed today that it's getting another pressing:

http://www.experimedia.net/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&cPath=1&products_id=3493

I continue to be aggravated that this stuff is so hard to track down (Outer Space/Imaginary Softwoods/etc.). The limited LPs and Cassettes thing (which all sell out almost immediately) is such a bummer!

― She Got the Shakes, Monday, August 22, 2011

I find Twitter really useful for keeping up with this stuff...

John Elliot: http://twitter.com/coloredmushroom
Steve Hauschildt: http://twitter.com/gneissthings

These guys alerted me to the Outer Space LP: http://twitter.com/dscrmnt

I also subscribe to Boomkat's new vinyl arrivals, http://www.omgvinyl.com, http://mcguiremusic.blogspot.com and http://clevelandwagon.blogspot.com amongst others in Google Reader and tend to catch a lot of stuff that way.

Oh, and these forums too...

http://bit.ly/pZpOSK

http://bit.ly/onZE2D

idk if they have some artistic opposition to digital releases, but this stuff sounds SO much better on vinyl that it's not even funny (in large part thanks to D+M kicking a gigantic volume of ass).

OTM... No comparison!

Co-sign on Experimedia. Fabulous distro, very well run, and one of the best sources for this stuff.

yea i was bummed when i saw the outer space demos lp sold out at the label site but thanks to this thread, i picked it up on experimedia!

yeah, I'll rep for experimedia as well. very nice dude that runs a great store.

EP of unreleased Mark McGuire tracks released on Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/mark-mcguire/sets/another-dead-end-ep

Really lookin forward to Get Lost LP.

thanks to this thread, i picked it up on experimedia!

seeing these guys in a couple of weeks. how do they cut it live?

A+++++

Never seen them myself, but I've dug on this live video (with obligatory YouTube Comment of No one paid to heard this, did they? OMG):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfVq_BP-37E

Some clips from Get Lost on Boomkat now:
http://boomkat.com/vinyl/437670-mark-mcguire-get-lost

Bummed to be missing these guys w/ Fennesz @ the Union Chapel

Get Lost is nice, a bit understated but sinks in nicely on repeated listens. last track "Firefly Constellations" 20 min of unadulterated shimmery gorgeous bliss

not sure how i feel about the low-bitrate mp3 texture on firefly constellations

man i want this record bad

anyone looking for more stuff in this vein would be well served to check out either Sam Goldberg's (as Radio People) "Hazel" album on Mexican Summer or Ricardo Donoso's new album "Progress Chance" on Digitalis.

so 'get lost' is p fanatastic although im sorta hesitant to decide too quickly since the lost lp was such a sleeper

Somewhat curmudgeonly review of it in the Wire. Bland and overdocumented Göttsching rip-off who doesn't warrant Mego's attention or words to that effect.

yeah its a lost less ambitious or structured than 'living with yourself' which i took some time to come around to but ended up really loving. im not really sure what 'overdocumented' even means (undercomposed?) but it is p derivative and slight and yet it works really well as mood music and the textures and movement are p gorgeous

i also ordered a vinyl copy of 'progress chance' cobo

'Overdocumented' refers to McGuire himself rather than the record.

idk if I'd go as far as the Wire went but I'm definitely on Team John Elliott w/r/t where all the talent in Emeralds lives

Steve Hauschildt finally has some solo vinyl out, on Kranky no less: http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=14826

Does anyone happen to have an extra ticket for sale to see these guys tomorrow night in London at Union Chapel? It sold out super fast!
(maybe because of Fennesz, who I don't know very well)...

loving this 1st (?) Outer Space LP, the repress. never been grabbed this way by McGuire, although I've only heard two of his recs I think.

it's sort of rad to watch the anti-emeralds backlash gather speed

(a) What's the backlash about, and (b) why is that rad? Has it turned out they're dicks, or did you always think they were fakers or no good or something? That seems weird.

Is there really a backlash?

idk i havent really heard any

the backlash is about "OMG these guys are just hippies" and "mark mcguire is a soulless copy of gottsching" ... it is only "rad" in the sense that it is amusing to watch the hipster hivemind slosh back and forth on the issue. i've always enjoyed their music myself and i don't have any particular desire for them to be torn down, but it seems to be happening nonetheless.

Related news: I think the new double LP from Mist (Elliott + Goldberg) on Spectrum Spools is phenomenal. These guys work well together. Goldberg brings the hazy, indie warmth, while Elliott sends it into outer space with his sublime force.

xp - can you make good kosmische and not be considered a soulless copy of gottsching? i don't think those criticisms are nec new btw, from what i can tell most ppl in the community they started out in jumped ship with 'does it look like i'm here'

this happens anytime a noisy/droney/experimental artist reigns it in and makes something more accessible, right?

my perception has been that the tide of acclaim rose steadily through "what happened?", peaked with "does it look like i'm here?" and started to die down with the mark mcguire box set. in the last couple months it seems like people have been getting progressively nastier about emeralds.

Is that really anti-Emeralds nastiness, or simply "oh god not another Mark McGuire release" fatigue?

yeah

i mean, it's both

It's gotta at least partly be fatigue... Who can keep up with it all? Monetarily or attention-span-wise? I know of few artists who give off the impression that they feel everything they lay to tape is worth us paying money for more than these guys (and they're like 17 years old). I don't think this is what the phrase "this band could be your life" was originally intended to mean...

AMT syndrome

well, this is kind of what most 'noise' bands all do. they're hardly unique in that respect and they've actually slowed official emeralds material down significantly.

I suppose you're right... It feels different somehow given that all the new stuff seems to be on immaculately-packaged and mastered expensive and weighty vinyl.

Mark Mcguire is the noise Bob Pollard. Think about it.

xpost yeah, I hear you. but again, I can't say I wouldn't do the same if mego asked me to curate a label and put out my friends records.

it's all pretty harmless and fodder for ADD collector types imo.

Is there really a backlash?

sure, for this thread

that album -- the one that got all the attention last year -- was good.

this band inspired a bunch of scintillating new attempted genre names, e.g., sophistorock or elegant-o-pop or something like that.

i don't think anyone in this thread is hating? just talking about a perceived backlash, which is (again) a given anytime a diy drone band with a community of supporters breaks through

well compared to this thread last year things have soured a bit i mean its not all the same posters nec but yknow this used 2 b a lovefest

they probably do release too much stuff, what can u do tho, gotta d/l em all