Old and New

This has been floating within my radar as various limited edition vinyl and cd reissues - along with blog hype) throughout 07 and 08, but I hadn't listened to it because I wanted to snag it on vinyl if i had the chance. Unfortunately, that opportunity has passed for now, so I downloaded it and it lives up to the hype. These guys sound like a garage rock version of the Jimi Hendrix Experience with a tinge of more spacey, guru guru guitar sounds. Totally freaked out, bordering on funky, and definitely worth the half hour of your time. Comparable to The Peace and W.I.T.C.H.

Chico Magnetic Band - self titled CD from 1973

Emeralds - What Happened - 2009 (No Fun)

I guess I am coming to Emeralds a little late, seeing as how they have released a billion cassettes and cdrs, but their latest release validates all the references to the analog drone, space, and ambient oscillation that very directly responds and alludes to the German minimal synthesizer work of the 70s. This latest album spans from Cluster to early Kraftwerk and Klaus Schulze. Albeit those signposts could signify a lot, and are definitely used abundantly in every album review ever these days, I do not think it is redundant or uncalled for here. However, most of the ambient or drone acts that receive krautrock genre pinning hardly resemble the true heritage of electronic music pioneers and ignores staple visionaries outside of Germany like Morton Subotnik's tape work or Henry Poussier's harsh microtonal electronics.

Anyways, Emeralds are a trio from Ohio that use analog equipment to produce serious ambient sounds that are tranquil and warm but stir up some demanding guitar solos along with voluminously building drone. The improvised quality to the music both adds to the edge that makes this worth listening to but provides a real reminder of the good old days when ambient music was always loud, ambitious, and zealously groundbreaking.