![eMEGO123 350x350 [review] Mark McGuire // Get Lost](http://editionsmego.com/media/release/124/primary/eMEGO123-350x350.jpg "[review] Mark McGuire // Get Lost")
It may come as a bit of a surprise to folks that follow the blog, but I am actually going to write about current music. My new tendency to write about older releases opened up the door for me to just shoot from the hip about some lesser-known albums that I have come to love through the years. That said, the real value for me was that it allowed me to stay away from “real work” and actually having to listen and think about a release. So surely our fearless leaders, Andy and Dave, will smile as they see me pulling some weight on the blog and not just gushing about an album that no one really cares about anymore…
Mark McGuire caught my attention in 2010 with a string of great releases. As part of the Cleveland-based Emeralds, he produced the fantastic Does It Look Like I’m Here? along with two solo releases, Living With Yourself and Tidings/Amethyst Waves.
Does It Look Like I’m Here? was easily one of my favorite records from last year, so I worked backwards and found the back catalog of Emeralds and McGuire’s solo work to be a rich musical node to mine through my headphones. This year McGuire has put out a career retrospective (A Young Person’s Guide to Mark McGuire), a split release with the Akron-based Trouble Books and his new solo release Get Lost, which dropped in September on Editions Mego.
Get Lost sounds brighter and lighter than most of his previous releases. The pedal work and effects are still central to the sound, but McGuire’s guitar seems less buried in the haze of guitar treatment. He even adds vocals to two of the tracks (“Alma” and “Alma (Reprise)/Chances Are”); Get Lost goes a long way to demystify McGuire’s persona, which is very much in line with other solo experimental guitarists like Christian Fennesz, John Fahey, Derek Bailey, Robbie Basho, Jack Rose and the like. It’s definitely nice to see him step out further on this release and define his musical identity.
The first half of the record is a very nice song suite highlighted by loops and repeating motifs. The title track inches forward and builds to a shimmering crescendo. “When You’re Somewhere” sounds a bit like a piece by John Fahey or Jim O’Rourke. My favorite track (“Another Dead End”) has a bit of an aggressive edge to it, as he belts out the guitar lick over the first part of the song. The 20-minute “Firefly Constellations” takes up the entire second half of the record, and it is a real treat to hear his guitar fade in and out of the wall of electronic chirps and drones.
You can order Get Lost from Editions Mego in either CD or vinyl form. More information on Mark McGuire can be found on his blog.
Mark McGuire – Get Lost
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