DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M HERE?

On Does it Look Like I'm Here?, electronic trio Emeralds give a bit of a makeover to the sounds of classic Berlin school electronic music and, unlike many of their contemporaries, they pull it off quite well. The classic "fuzzy" analog synth sound is still intact, and spacey drones and distant melodies still fade in and out as usual, cascading electronic shimmers still temporarily pass through the soundscape; this album has all of the ingredients of the classics we all know and love.

However, what makes this album different is the momentum this album has that doesn't let up until it finishes. There is a 21st century kind of density in the music and persistent activity, constantly adding new layers to each song until it finally ends on a subtle climax, and this makes for a very engaging album. The title track on this album is especially dense, almost reaching a kind of hypnotizing harshness, but this actually works well considering that many of the tracks here are particularly dreamy in the most lucid way possible.

Though the synths have the retro analog sound, the production on this album is very clean, which definitely enhances the sheer density of the music that I mentioned before. It's nice to know that some artists understand that mixing retro sounds and modern technology can yield very positive results when done correctly, and Does it Look Like I'm Here? is the perfect example of this.

If you're into the classics of this type of electronic music but are looking for something with tastefully added modern elements, I wouldn't second guess recommending this album.

Its virtues:

Finds new approaches to well traveled electronic music roads by modifying the emotional tone in their structures and blending different influences simultaneously with their own perspectives, in doing so they sometimes fall prey of excesses, but the solid focus to their melody lines counterpoints and balances it to an even Krautrockk/P.E. mix.

Even when their musical influences are obvious, in some of its tracks, they hold on to their own way of expression. They show no fear in experimenting which is always welcomed. Best of all, in between 12 tracks, there are a couple of amazing as memorable ones. (The Cycle of Abuse, It Doesn't Arrive) and some sections truly worth listening to.

Its flaws:

They spoil good compositions with the over abuse of the (quiet retro and not in a good way) sequenced twinkling electronic noises way beyond a reasonable amount to at least be tolerable, up to the point, I repeat, of disgracing many otherwise good tracks. There is also a quiet naive approach in some tracks which does not raise above their own self impossed challenges.

So of course far from masterpiece & not really essential, it prefigures what could turn out to be their future personal prog-electronic, ambient and minimal electronica musical language.

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