Emeralds released Does It Look Like I’m Here? (TMT Review) back in 2010, and it got plenty of acclaim, even from people who normally only listen to The Avett Brothers. In spite of the publicity boost, the synth/guitar trio has remained unusually silent in the following years — though “silent” for them means the release of Living With Yourself, Get Lost, Trouble Books & Mark McGuire, Certain Circumstances, Nightshade, A Young Person’s Guide to Mark McGuire, Inner Tube, Tragedy & Geometry, Sunshine Units, House, The Path of Spectrolite, Last Vacuum Demos, Vol. 1, II, Akashic Record (Events: 1986 - 1990), some splits, and 18 other albums picked by John Elliott for the Mego imprint Spectrum Spools. Enough Emeralds-related vinyl to crush a toddler, sure, but not nearly enough to slash deep into the heart of a full-sized human.
So Emeralds are back with the announcement of (and preorder link for) a new group album called Just to Feel Anything, out on vinyl and CD November 5 via Editions Mego. The album was written, recorded, mixed, and gently cradled late at night in Akron, Ohio this past June, with mastering by James Plotkin (the man), artwork by Mark Fell (the myth), and vinyl cutting by Rashad Becker (the mensch). Mego describes the album as “a sophisticated progression in both sound and structure,” managing to “shine a laser-sharp light into the future, while preserving their uniquely intelligent historical perspective,” much like Seth and Scott Avett shine a sepia-dull light into the past, while preserving their uniquely ahistorical old-timey vests and washboards and stuff. Head to the album page if you want a track-by-track rundown on what to expect. I can already say I’m surprised at the way the sounds on this album jump out of the speakers.
Just to Feel Anything tracklist:
01. Before Your Eyes
02. Adrenochrome
03. Through & Through
04. Everything Is Inverted
05. The Loser Keeps America Clean
06. Just to Feel Anything
07. Search For Me in the Wasteland
• Emeralds: http://clevelandwagon.blogspot.com
• Editions Mego: http://editionsmego.com