Emeralds

Cleveland-based trio Emeralds rank among the most productive acts within a rapidly expanding noise and avant-garde scene while standing out for their relative approachability. Their sound centers on the collective improvisations of John Elliott, Mark McGuire, and Steve Hauschildt, anchored by McGuire’s compact, shimmering guitar figures that yield music simultaneously inviting, densely layered, and intricate. In 2005 and 2006 the three musicians, with McGuire still a teenager, issued several CD-Rs under the name Fancelions that employed acoustic guitars, vocals, and samples routed through delay pedals, generating a swirling effect reminiscent of Animal Collective’s initial recordings; this drone-oriented work gradually shifted toward the cleaner sonic focus that defined Emeralds.

Their recorded activity expanded rapidly. Within the group’s first twelve months they produced five CD-Rs, one mini CD-R, two cassettes, and one split cassette. Although frequently likened to German kosmische ensembles, Emeralds function primarily as an improvising unit whose lengthy performances—many exceeding fifteen minutes—appear on small-run, essentially private editions. The following year brought sixteen additional releases across thirteen labels, among them the double-cassette Christmas Tape 2007, paving the way for the band’s debut full-length album, Solar Bridge, in 2008. Output continued steadily through 2009, highlighted by the warmly received What Happened on Carlos Giffoni’s No Fun imprint. McGuire and Elliott maintained even higher solo productivity, issuing their own cassettes and LPs.

The 2010 release Does It Look Like I’m Here? marked a breakthrough, presenting the trio’s most streamlined and approachable material to date and drawing broader attention through positive critical response. In 2012 they followed with Just to Feel Anything, introducing drum machines and additional elements to a sound previously dominated by drones. Several months after that album’s appearance, McGuire stated he would depart for personal reasons. Elliott and Hauschildt initially declared their intention to continue as a duo, yet soon reversed course, resulting in the complete dissolution of Emeralds in early 2013.