Mark McGuire - “A Pocket Full Of Rain” [Pizza Night, 2009]
Tracklisting:
A: ”Forecast”
B: ”The Marfalights”
C1: “A Pocket Full of Rain”
C2: “Radioflyer”
C3: “The Lonesome Fog Horn Blows”
D1: “Aquaduct”
D2: “Sick Chemistry”
Many of you are probably already very familiar with Mr. McGuire’s output in groups such as Skyramps, Emeralds, and Sun Watcher. To these people, you need no introduction to the mesmerizing worlds he conjures with each cascading waterfall of delay loops and plucked strings.
For those of you who have never heard of him, McGuire creates ambient music that effortlessly achieves that which 99% of ambient musicians never come close to. His music draws you in, instead of simply giving you an excuse to zone out.
“A Pocket Full of Rain,” a double cassette limited to 130 copies, is a great starting point for those interested in becoming familiar with his works. In my opinion, it’s the most seamless of his efforts to date. Using nothing more than a guitar and a stack of effects pedals, McGuire wades through shimmering walls of arpeggios with obvious thought and precision. This music has nearly nothing in common with the scene’s more ‘fluid’ movement, and yet doesn’t fall into the trap of aimless repetition as many do. Mark is a guitar virtuoso, but he holds back. Not a note is ever wasted, and upon each new listen I grow more amazed at how much forethought must have gone into each added layer of complexity.
