| What Happened | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 19, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2007–2008 | |||
| Studio | Home studio | |||
| Length | 57:20 | |||
| Label | No Fun Productions Editions Mego (2010 reissue) | |||
| Emeralds chronology | ||||
| ||||
What Happened is a studio album by the American drone trio Emeralds. The album was released through No Fun Productions on January 19, 2009.
The album's tracks were recorded between 2007 and 2008. [1] All tracks were recorded in Cleveland, Ohio, except for "Up in the Air", which was recorded in Delaware, Ohio. [1]
Critics have described the album as drone [2] [3] and harsh ambient, [3] with influence from krautrock, [2] electroacoustic music, [2] and minimalism. [2] The album uses a sounds rooted in electronic music of the 1970s and 80s. [3] There is a focus on melody instead of excessive experimentation. [3]
The album was released as a limited edition CD via No Fun Productions on January 19, 2009. [1] [4] In October 2010, it was reissued by Editions Mego as a double LP record, [1] due to the success of 2010's Does It Look Like I'm Here?. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| PopMatters | 7 / 10 [6] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [3] |
The album was given an honorable mention by Pitchfork for its list of "The Top 50 Albums of 2009". [2] Writing for the site, Philip Sherburne said the album sounded like "nothing else" with a "sound that's always in motion and impossible to pin down". [2] Jspicer of Tiny Mix Tapes gave a favorable review, praising the album's composition and the band's "desire for a new direction". [3]
Adapted from the album's liner notes, which do not list specific instruments. [1] [5]
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