Records of the Week

EMERALDS ON LAST.FM
EDITIONS MEGO RECORD LABEL

It’s the nature of treasure: at once tauntingly pretty and very hard to get your hands on.  The same goes for the latest bucket of jewels from Emeralds, Does it Look Like I’m Here? The twelve compositions twinkle and glitter from the trio’s digital wizardry, like on album opener “Candy Shoppe,” a song that is as addictive as colorful bon bons.  Although cradled in a sugary-sweet vehicle, many of the tracks feature droning synths that are harder to swallow.  “Summerdata” is one such song; the relentless, buzzing tones made me imagine I was inside a desktop computer tower in the middle of summer–and the fan is about to quit.  Electronic drone may be fashionable in hipsterdom, but Emeralds are timeless.