EMERALDS - Does It Look Like I'm Here? (Editions Mego)

Emeralds have been a presence on the avant-ambient scene for a while. Since their inception five years ago, the Cleveland trio have produced numerous cd-rs and cassettes along with the critically lauded albums "Solar Bridge" and "What Happened."

While the band has enjoyed a dedicated fan base and critical praise, I have always found that as solid as it may be, the band's work sorely lacks in the originality department. "Solar Bridge" kind of sounded like Stars of the Lid performed by a 70s avant artist, and "What Happened" featured extended workouts heavily influenced by German kosmische music. Now the band has returned for their fourth major release and first for the esteemed Editions Mego label. "Does It Look Like I'm Here?" finds the band offering up another round of komische revivalism this time in smaller, more concise packages. In many ways it feels and sounds like one of Tangerine Dream's groundbreaking soundtracks, except that it isn't groundbreaking anymore.

Ultimately your love of this album is going to directly parallel your love of 70s avant artists like Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Jean Michel Jarre and Fripp & Eno. Many of the tracks here sound like an artifact from that time. Songs like "Double Helix," and album centerpiece "Genetic," could have been made in a vacuum circa 1978. Listening to these tracks, its as if time has stood still, since there is nary a single influence or idea in either piece that exists past the heady experimentalism of the 70s. In some regard it is quite an accomplishment to be able to disregard over thirty years of sounds to replicate that eras music. At the same time, the songs sound as instantly dated as any album by the aforementioned artists.

Where the band succeeds is when they stray from the pre-ordained script, loosen up their sound and inject some of their own personality into the music. Album opener "Candy Shoope" clearly wears its influences on its sleeve, but it also sounds warm, fresh and invigorating. The piece builds and cascades organically in a manner similar to ambient music from the past decade, and unlike anything from the 1970s. "The Cycle of Abuse," calls to mind Labradford more than it does German kosmische. It's these type of tracks that find me returning to "Does It Look Like I'm Here" in spite of the band's overly respectful homages to 70s experimentalism.

The real treasures are to be found in the album's second half. "Summerdata" with its shimmering drones, the Terry Riley infected "Shade," the hauntingly beautiful electro-acoustic closers "Now You See Me," and "Access Granted" find the band at their peak, both creatively and emotionally. The tracks save the album from becoming a clinical recitation of the band's influences. By injecting a beating heart into these songs which pay tribute, without simply repeating what has already been done, Emeralds saves "Does It Look Like I'm Here?" from becoming the museum piece it threatens to be.

"Candy Shoope"


"Now You See Me"


"Genetic" Pt. 1


"Genetic" Pt. 2