Emeralds — Just to Feel Anything
Electronica is a pretty expansive genre. It ranges from soft minimalism and ambient to bone rattling, bass thumbing club tracks. Just to Feel Anything falls somewhere in the middle, but closer to soft end. Emeralds fill their tracks with lush, atmospheric synth work and nice, well thought guitar riffs. The drums are a tad on the generic/cheesy side, but I'm not expecting Keith Moon here. The opener, "Before Your Eyes," makes me think of riding my futuristic motorcycle in an 80's movie. "Adenochrome" picks up the pace a bit and should definitely get your head moving. "Through & Through" changes the tone quite a bit. Soft, sustained synths play in the background while the guitar noodles out a heartfelt ditty. "Everything Is Inverted" almost lifts a page out of Tommy Tallarico's playbook. It's upbeat and very videogamey. "The Loser Keeps America Clean" is a definite oddball on this record. It's low, atmospheric, and haunting. It sounds like they dropped a microphone down to try and hear what goes on in R'lyeh. They don't get down there, but they do pick up some strange noises. "Just To Feel Anything" is a longer track (8+) that seems to take too long to get where it's going, and I don't know where that is. The closer, "Search For Me In the Wasteland," goes back into the territory explored by "Through & Through." The synths have a Pink Floyd feel and this one leads to a nice climax. Very solid closing number.
Emeralds' second album is very solid from start to finish. There's nothing mindblowing on here, but there's nothing disappointing. With one exception, the songs don't overstay their welcome. The general tone on the album allows it to be nice background music to a good day of cleaning or staring out the window looking at stuff in your yard.