The hyperboles about the current crop of effects-heavy music emerging from all corners of the globe are getting increasingly thicker. Compound adjectives and over-hyphenated clauses dot reviews like holes in Swiss cheese. This phenomenon is not a plague, but a gift; much like the vivid pursuits of their subjects, critics chase new methods of translating mutated sounds into language. While this symbiotic relationship finds the adventurous musician winning against the wordsmiths, it’s a battle that the latter should be more willing to lose.
But no one can conjure enough tactical verbosity to cover the ever-growing canon of Mark McGuire. Tireless member of Emeralds and the larger non-stop Cleveland underground, McGuire’s work is far more elastic than most journalists’ vocabulary. His pedal set-ups rival The Edge’s stockade, showcased on nearly 30 solo releases on top of an insurmountable load of Emeralds releases and other collaborations, all with a varying degree of new musicality that is as pleasing as it is baffling. How can one put these careful plucks, strokes, and manipulations into words when the works of McGuire leaves one speechless?
Combining two out-of-print cassettes, Tidings/Amethyst Waves looks to give us another shot at discovering the Holy Grail buried within the talents of McGuire. Comprising four lengthy compositions, it unfurls majestically as heaps of melodic ideas pile upon each other like Tetris pieces. Look no further than the album’s first two offerings, “A Matter of Time” and “Along the Coral Reef,” with each showcasing McGuire’s unique style from two completely different angles. “A Matter of Time” is often chaotic, beginning with borrowed dialogue before descending into a distorted mess. McGuire spends the width of the track peeling away the layers one by one, casting aside repetition for delicate noodling. The various melodies swim past as if deep sea diving, with more revealed by Poseidon as one makes one’s way closer to the ocean floor. Ironically, “Along the Coral Reef” isn’t heavy with the watery effects of “A Matter of Time.” Rather, McGuire boasts an impressive grasp of continuity, building the song around three distinct patterns that flow seamlessly into one another, as is a trademark of McGuire’s early guitar style. Yet the idea of peeling away the layers remains intact. McGuire is not afraid to be discovered as the Wizard behind the curtain, infusing his early works with a fearlessness that is now paying huge dividends.
This is how Tidings/Amethyst Waves is best taken. Comparing McGuire’s initial solo forays to his current releases not only asserts how far McGuire’s craft has come in three years of heavy recording, but it also bolsters how far ahead of the curve he was when he began taking such large leaps of faith. It crystallizes a few moments in the past for those who weren’t in on the ground floor. Talent this robust and inventive needs to be shared if McGuire is to get his due, and Tidings/Amethyst Waves stands as the first widespread testament to the flexibility of McGuire’s talents, as it leaves many lost for words once more.
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