Emancipator – Soon It Will Be Cold Enough To Build Fires

Wow, this “writing a first post” thing is a lot harder than it seemed. Here I was thinking that I would be as good at writing as Lester Bangs, but instead my writing skills parallel those of the guys that continue to write Rob Schneider into movies. My lackluster writing skills aside, I do know good music when I hear it and hope to be sharing it with you.

As summer transitions into fall, I have been thinking a lot about my own musical taste transitions. Please allow me to introduce you to an artist that served as a catalyst into broadening my musical spectrum and is one that I respect immensely. Emancipator is one of those artists that can open entire genres for the listener because I find myself trying to discover music that sounds close to what he records. He meshes elements of trip-hop, jazz and electronica to create soundscapes that transplant the listener to another place. For proof, check out his first album Soon it Will be Cold Enough to Build Fires, a 2006 release. This album is full of powerful tracks that make me think of the majesty of the Pacific Northwest (quite fitting because Emancipator lives in Portland, Oregon).

Soon it Will be Cold Enough to Build Fires is the one consistent album that I have listened to all year, mainly because of how it always brings me back to transitions in life. For example, songs that invoke the transition from summer to fall are With Rainy Eyes or for the fall to winter transition Soon it Will be Cold Enough to Build Fires. Tracks like First Snow always remind me of cold winter nights after a massive snowfall. Tracks like Wolf Drawn and Anthem remind me of the transition from winter to spring. Listening to Soon it Will be Cold Enough to Build Fires is a cinematic experience for the mind and soul.

If you enjoyed Soon it Will be Cold Enough to Build Fires, Emancipator also just released an album earlier this year titled Safe in the Steep Cliffs, a sophomore effort which builds on the successes of the first album. I have not devoted enough time to the second album as I have to the first, but it is definitely worth checking out as Emancipator is an artist who transcends the genre and broadens musical tastes. I know he did for me.