Emeralds

One of the most prolific bands in an increasingly prolific noise/avant-garde underground, the Cleveland-based trio Emeralds were also one of the most accessible. Based around the improvisations of John Elliott, Mark McGuire, and Steve Hauschildt, Emeralds grounded themselves in McGuire's small, shimmering guitar patterns, creating music that was at once pleasant, texturally rich, and teeming with complexity. Elliott, Hauschildt, and the still-teenaged McGuire released several CD-Rs together as Fancelions in 2005 and 2006, using slightly more traditional instrumentation, running acoustic guitars, vocals, and samples through delay pedals to create a swirl not entirely unlike Animal Collective's earliest efforts. The drone-heavy music naturally evolved into the more sonically pure approach of Emeralds.

The group's output grew quickly. Before their first year was out, they'd released five CD-Rs, one mini CD-R, two cassettes, and one split cassette. Often compared to German komische outfits, Emeralds, in a more real sense, were simply a trio of improvising musicians, releasing essentially private press documentation of their jams, which often topped the 15-minute mark. Another 16 releases from 13 different labels followed the next year (including the double cassette Christmas Tape 2007) as they built toward their first proper album, 2008's Solar Bridge. Their output remained steady in 2009, including the well-received What Happened on Carlos Giffoni's No Fun label. McGuire and Elliot were even more prolific on their own, releasing solo cassettes and LPs.