FORMATIONS by Emerald Bluff's Debut Alternative/Indie Album Builds a Rich Emotionally Charged Soundscape (Interview)

FORMATIONS is the alternative/indie debut album by Emerald Bluffs that takes its listeners on a journey of love, loss and the natural order of things. Its 10 track moody soundscape first builds an emotionally charged mood before crystalising into one solid ethos by the last track.

Rivers, Rain and Autumn Eves

The first song ‘Merced River’ sounds like a dark, bittersweet homecoming after a long journey. On first listen, it seems to set the stage for the album’s overall mood, while on subsequent listens it becomes a starting point for the over-arching story of the album as well. A dark reminisciece.

‘Rains on the Roof’ maintains this mood, with its ambient sounds of rain. Itslyrics that evoke the memory of being wrapped up in a lover’s embrace on a rainy day. The song evokes rich imagery, allowing the listener to immerse themselves in the world being formed. The rich imagery here is reflected throughout the album.

There’s also a sense of time flowing by, with lyrics like “…Oh rainy days followed by flowers…” indicating such. In this memory, there seems to be a bit of foreboding for the story that lays ahead.

‘Autumn Eves’ functions to begin forming an emotion over the dark, nostalgic mood the songs before it had established. The ambient sounds clatter in the background while loud guitars and drums attempt to drown those sounds out. The lyrics loudly proclaim a love for life, while there’s a bit of infectious joy that attempts to override the slightly dark mood from before.

“…Baby, don’t you know that I love life?…”

The ‘Perfect Day’ is ‘All I Need’

‘Perfect Day’ take on this lighter mood with a sort of offbeat optimism. Its lyrics describe perfect blue skies before proclaiming; “…any day with you is a perfect day…”/ “…You’re my perfect day…” It captures the brightness of spending a sunny day with someone you love before winding back down to something bitter but sweet.

“…Walking through the streets in the middle of the night…Guess we’re waiting for the light…”

‘All I Need’ further builds on the mood of the last, “…i don’t need no other lovers…all I need is her…”/“…Once I found my baby, I found my shine…”. Its a song that feels like the tale-end of the honeymoon phase, ending on a note that foreshadows what could be coming next.

‘Cor Caroli’ & ‘Magnolia’

‘Cor Caroli’ and ‘Magnolia’ are two songs that seem to be in dialogue with eachother. These songs feel at the core of the album’s narrative, a story about two people who love eachother but need to separate because of certain circumstances. ‘Cor Caroli is from the perspective of the one “…left behind in New Orleans…”(Magnolia) while ‘Magnolia’ is from the perspective of the one being “mourned” to in ‘Cor Caroli’.

Both songs bring back the sad, dark mood from the beginning and deal with the heartache of being left behind and being left behind. ‘Magnolia’, especially feels rich in its emotion and tone. “…i’m coming home to you babe…I’ll be there soon…”

‘Destined’ ‘Darlin”

‘Darlin’’ is a compelling duet that features Cassie Schwartz. Its story seems different though its mood feels the same.It narrates the story of a girl who runs away from home after a lover’s spat. While her lover hopes that she can “…outrun the monsters in her head…”, she hopes for the same.

“…Sunsets in you eyes while they rest on mine…”

The penultimate track ‘Destined’ sounds like a drunken rant at a bar. It starts a beat earlier than you’d expect and seems to point out the hypocrisy it observes. Its a politically charged song that tells a clear message. It also reflects the clear ethos the album has been heading towards with its clear, lyrical honesty.

‘Trauma Castles’ and Conclusions

The final track on the album, ‘Trauma Castles’ is the most emotionally vulnerable song on the album. The lyrics lay the narrator’s vulnerability bear as they describe a place where “…regrets run through my head like children running in the sand…” The track holds imagery of sand-castles filled with people from their past and present. The lyrics beg “…don’t go…”, finally crytalising the emotions that have been building for the last half-hour.

‘FORMATIONS’ by Emerald Bluffs is a vulnerable body of work, that highlights the artist’s seemingly signature style. It boasts of rich imagery in its lyrics as its soundscape guides the listener through a slideshow of bittersweet memories that evoke a deep, sad nostalgia. The album is a compelling must-listen!

The Artist

Emerald Bluffs is a project that was started by Isaac Harris in 2020. Harris tells stories of love, loss and nature through his art. He was inspired by his own mental health struggles and desire to share his music with the world.

I had the chance to interview the artist. You’ll find our correspondence below, where Harris tells us more about the album, his inspiration, influences, musical journey and how Emerald Bluffs came about.

FORMATIONS: Feelings, Process and the Songs

Congratulations on the release of your album ‘FORMATIONS’! How does it feel now that the album’s out?

Thanks so much! It feels like a huge accomplishment, and I am super proud of myself! I am also so grateful that my friends, family, and supporters have taken the time to listen to my project. The only tough part is knowing I can’t keep working on my album. It has been a constant in my life for the last 3 years and now I have way too much free time.

The album felt like it was being built (or formed) from something abstract into emotions that were crystalised and concrete. Could you tell us a bit about your process while working on the album?

I think the basis of my process was discovery. I had very limited musical ability when I started Emerald Bluffs, and I had a feeling that my songs would most likely grow and change as my skills improved. So, as I discovered new chords or wrote better riffs, I would find ways to incorporate them into songs I had been working on for anywhere between 2 weeks and 3 years (nothing was getting finished overnight). This process of discovery continued until I finished writing the album.

The album was selected from some 50+ songs I have pieced together over the past 4 years and at first, I had no idea what it would “be about”. In this sense the album was quite abstract, but after some time it became very clear that the album had cohesive themes and a cohesive sound.

I love how the songs ‘Cor Caroli’ and ‘Magnolia’ seem to speak to eachother. Almost like they were two parts of duet. Could you speak to that perceived link a bit more?

That’s a great observation! It is nothing I was ever conscious of while making the album. “Magnolia” was originally written and performed by JJ Cale and “Cor” was the first song I ever wrote! I think the only link that Cale and I share in this instance is that we both loved a woman so much we wrote a song about her. I will add that it is so fun to see that those songs are able to write their own stories when placed side by side!

Themes in the Music and a Tease to Look Forward to

Could you tell us about the stories and themes (love, life and nature) you choose to write about in your music? What draws you to these themes?

I’ll get the simple one out of the way, life. I want to be relatable in my writing and I want to share feelings and experiences that are part of the overall human experience. Something that we can all understand and appreciate.

Next is nature. I am deeply inspired by nature and have spent my whole life engulfed in it. I enjoyed a lot of time traveling the US after college and a lot of those experiences and views were shared on this album, particularly in the song “Merced River”. I also utilized ambient sounds from nature on the album. I love the feeling of being in nature and wanted to convey that in my music. I also felt that the ambient sounds would allow the listener to be teleported into the outdoors.

Love is the tricky one. I’d say most of the album tells my personal stories of love and loss. I focused on this theme and these stories because, more than anything, I needed to get them off my chest. A lot of them are dark and carry a lot of weight and I think I have managed to turn them into something beautiful. I also have a big heart and can give a lot of love so writing happy go lucky love songs comes easy to me. I am sure you’ll be hearing more in the future!

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Does the flow of the album speak to the tone and mood of these themes?

The flow and mood of the album speak to a life of love and loss that is backdropped the beauty of nature from start to finish, no question about it.

Emerald Bluffs’ Nascent Evolution and Advice

How did Emerald Bluffs come about? Could you tell us a bit more about your journey as an artist so far?

Emerald Bluffs began in Carbondale, Illinois during COVID as a creative outlet and as a way for me to cope with my mental health struggles. It quickly ballooned into a full-on musical obsession, and I set out to make an album. That was 3 years ago, and I have been honing my skills since. My friends are also an integral part of the band and I utilize their talents anytime I can! I wouldn’t be at this point without them.

How has your sound evolved over the years?

As someone who is still just finding his sound, I would say that my sound hasn’t evolved but it sure has improved.

Is there anything else about your journey that you would like to share? Perhaps advice for other artists like yourself?

I’ve loved every second of this journey and I am stoked to keep the ball rolling. If you’re just getting started like me, keep going. There are a lot of hard days but if you love it, it will all be worth it.

Thank you for taking the time out to answer my questions!

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Listen to ‘FORMATIONS’ here: