Earlier today, Emeralds member Steve Hauschildt announced via Twitter that the outfit’s guitarist, Mark McGuire, has officially left the band. While no specific reason was said to account for the departure, Hauschildt did reveal that John Elliot and himself will continue on with the Emeralds moniker, and are planning to tour the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan as a duo. While the group’s latest effort, Just to Feel Anything has been met with less fanfare than the trio may have hoped, we still found plenty to enjoy about it, choosing it as our 17th favorite record of 2012 and chronicling the concept and process behind the LP in our Polishing Gems feature. (via Pitchfork)