Mark McGuire, not to be confused with infamous 'roid-filled slugger, Mark McGwire, is a member of Cleveland-based cosmic masters, Emeralds. Language Barrier features similar epic landscapes with guitar loops building into harmonious rhythms. All the standard droning effects are here plus some: delay, reverb, a multi-layered blanket of riffs to warm up to when looking at the chilly album artwork. The sun still shines onto the melting snow -- there are rejuvenating aspects of the sound here too. Galloping delay riffs like in "Mind Games" drive the snowdrifts through the tundra of arpeggiators. Admittedly, the electronic drone scene is overrun, and like the ballplayer, a little too synthetic to form a whole lot of respect for. But it's about making a name for one's self, and both McGuire and McGwire have earned enough fans and have impressive enough stats/releases to realize that whatever they do in their respective focuses deserves some kind of attention.
