Emeralds

There are two bands called "Emeralds" from the state of Ohio alone. The first, if you dare to listen, list AC/DC and Cheap Trick as top MySpace friends. The other Emeralds, more down my alley, are a synth and guitar trio who have released more than 40 LP's, cassettes, CD-R's, and CD's in only four years. This year's What Happened falls somewhere between the realms of Popol Vuh, Beaches & Canyons-era Black Dice, and Growing; that means it's melodic, drony, weird, and really beautiful.

Emeralds - Disappearing Ink (from What Happened, 2009)

Woods

Prolific Brooklyn duo Woods have just released another album of psych jams and lo-fi pop on their attention-grabbing Woodsist label (home to releases by Wavves, Blank Dogs, Kurt Vile, Vivian Girls...). The formula is much the same as their three previous full-lengths, although it sounds like they've started to clean up the production a little bit. Here's a little chronology:

Woods - Holes (from How To Survive In/In The Woods, 2006)

Woods - Don't Pass On Me (from At Rear House, 2007)

Woods - Twisted Tongue (from Woods Family Creeps, 2008)

Woods - The Number (from Songs of Shame, 2009)

New Grouper Track

Portland, Oregon native Grouper (Liz Harris) has been putting out excellent tracks for several years now, and her newest piece of recorded material maintains this level of high quality. "Rising Height" comes from a split 7" released to coincide with her recent tour of New Zealand alongside Pumice. It was released on Soft Abuse Records.

Grouper - Rising Height