I post of lot of dirty punk music, but that's not my only aural love. I have also been smitten by a number of the acts working the ambient, experimental circuit -- acts like the now-defunct Raccoo-oo-oon, the previously-reported-but-not-actually-defunct Pocahaunted, the brilliant Peter F., the challenging Circuit Des Yeux, and the ascending Sun Araw. Also on this list is Emeralds.
Emeralds is an ambiet trio out of Cleveland, Ohio, and each member is a tremendous musician, yet my eyes get star-filled when I think of their guitarist Mark McGuire. The song attached to this post is from one of his many solo efforts titled The Garden of Eternal Life. It's pretty much impossible to find any of his catalogue (to purchase), but he is making new music all the time, and you can find out about new releases on his blog.
There is an incredible sense of beauty and peace in this song; it makes me long for tranquility, for a quiet life where the trees always sway and the sun is always half-hidden by a cloud. A place where it has always rained the day before. A place where I -- where you, where we -- can finally be happy. Finally be rid of our physical delusions, and just be content. The guitar floats out and around and paints all of this for me; but eventually it ends and leaves me empty, unfulfilled, depressed. That fantasy is gone, yet another delusion. Luckily, I can put the song on repeat.
McGuire is busy not only with his solo work and Emeralds, but with collaborative acts like Sunwatcher, Skyramps, and Silver Futures. He does the occasional live performance but there's little way to track that. Maybe he'll mention dates on his blog in the future. He has a lot of stuff coming out later this year (including a follow-up to Skyramps), which you can read about in detail in this interview McGuire did a few months ago.
The amount of material that this guy puts out into the world inspires me every day. I hope that you can find a similar sense of illumination and charm, of full-bore creativity, in his humble music.
Mark McGuire - Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi
