It’s become fashionable of late for bands to release powerful new albums after extended absences. My Bloody Valentine did it, Slowdive did it and Boards of Canada will be doing it later this year. The fallow period falls somewhere in the middle for Christopher Barnes’ project Gem Club.
They last released an album 12 years ago, but Emerald Press picks up where they left off, albeit with an improved sense of how to use empty space and minimalist arrangements to fill out bedroom pop songs to massive proportions. There are no left turns here, only the same rainy day recordings writ larger.
Barnes has noted in the lead-up to the release of the album that even though Emerald Press is the first Gem Club record since 2014’s…