Mark McGuire - Tidings/Amethyst Waves (Weird Forest, 2010)

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Mark McGuire is a guitarist from Cleveland, Ohio whom you may recognize from the dual-synth and guitar outfit Emeralds. Alongside wrapping listeners in an electronic haze, Mark McGuire creates a more rhythmic sound with his solo output. His compositions are very minimal in terms of instrumentation: a guitar and a few pedals. However, Mark McGuire's fantastic guitar playing is enough to make great music without the compensation of additional instruments.

Tidings and Amethyst Waves are two releases that came out on Emeralds' Wagon imprint in 2007 and 2008 on cassette. Both of which were limited releases that are both out of print: Tidings was limited to 50 copies and Amethyst Waves was limited to 50 as well and its second edition was limited to 75 copies. Now, Sacramento-based label (have to give them credit for that!) Weird Forest has reissued these two cassettes onto CD and double-LP with partially reused and neatly-designed artwork to accompany it.

For two different releases, separated by a year even, compiling these was a perfect idea and this release is extremely consistent. If not given the title Tidings/Amethyst Waves, I would've inferred that Mark McGuire had the mindset of making a full-length album. But alas, you may have already heard this if you were one of the 50 people that have purchased both cassettes years ago. If you haven't, this release will provide you with some of McGuire's prime recordings and an almost perfect introduction to his music.

"A Matter Of Time" and "Along The Coral Reef" both follow the same structure, in that they both begin with a tapestry of rhythmically layered guitars that give of a very pleasant aura with their melodies, and gradually fade into a frenzy of distorted and synthesized chords. "The Passing Of The Road Chief" and "Trips Through The Park" are almost in the exact same vein, however their patterns are backwards in comparison: the synthetic cacophony, then fading into calming, melodic guitars. These four tracks are spread out over an hour of length, however never overstay their welcome or gain monotony. Tidings/Amethyst Waves is a fantastic compilation of two releases that may have easily been forgotten due to their limited releases.

[Mark McGuire Blog]
[Buy Tidings/Amethyst Waves from Weird Forest]