Mark McGuire Get Lost

Mark McGuire makes absolutely gorgeous music. It winds in and out of itself, slowly building layers to a gloriously well planned frenzy. It’s easy to imagine him all by himself with an array of effects pedals, gleefully adding loop after loop with reckless abandon, but it all sounds too well timed to be spontaneous. It’s built to stir emotions, and it does just that. It’s like a musical painting.

His previous outing, Living With Yourself, was like flipping through a stranger's photo album. It made me nostalgic for events I never experienced. It’s an extraordinary record, and is shockingly dense for an album made only with a guitar and the occasional vocal sample. Get Lost explores similar musical styles, and has a warm and welcoming tone. It may lack the specific feel of its predecessor, but it still has the same chill inducing highs. The opener and title track ranks among his best songs, steadily building and swirling into a wall of sound.

Get Lost is a less expansive record than Living¸ but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It feels tighter and smaller, and is an easier listen. Sitting down and finishing it is no problem, it’s a light album, and feels far shorter than its forty minutes would suggest. The only time it drags is at the very end, during the seventeen minute closing track.

Get Lost may not be the incredible experience that Living was, but it’s still a very enjoyable listen. It’s pleasant and rarely dull. It still manages to take the listener to another place, and that’s what this music is meant for.