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Portland Profile: Grouper
By TG | October 25, 2011
Grouper’s Liz Harris, creates a world of ambient noise and eerily beautiful melodies with acoustic guitar in hand and her delicate and somber vocals. Downward strums and subtle electronics, usually in the form of reverb and loop pedals, make Grouper’s songs a patient listen, but one well worth the affect. Headlining the night this Thursday at Mississippi Studios, Liz Harris will be joined by Danielle Menche and Port St. Willow.
History:
Liz Harris’ solo career, existing under the Grouper moniker, began in 2005 with the release of her self-titled and self-released album of experimental sounds centered around layered tracks of her ghostly vocals and phantom electronics. Grouper’s most notable breakthrough came with the release of Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill in 2008. Named as one of the top albums of 2008 on Pitchfork, Stereogum, and even ranking in as #2 on Gorilla vs Bear’s “favorite albums of 2008.” That very next year, Grouper was opening up for Animal Collective on their sold out national tour, a highly coveted slot for an independent artist from Portland, OR. The most prominent single, ”Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping,” touches on Harris’ most accessible side, playing like a heavily slowed version of the most mellow of Lush songs.
Five full-length albums later and the influence of those introductory albums can still be heard on her latest, “A I A,” a two part vinyl release comprised of the Dream Loss 12″ and Alien Observer 12″. Containing thirteen tracks bathed in ethereal noise, A I A, offers an undercurrent of vocals and atmospherics that would settle in quite nicely in any David Lynch score. A month after the release of A I A this past April, Animal Collective called on Grouper yet again, offering her a spot on their hand picked lineup for All Tomorrow’s Parties. As she stands now, Grouper’s Liz Harris is probably one of the most unique and critically acclaimed indie artists that you’ve never heard of, that is, until now.
Website: http://www.myspace.com/
Topics: Local Profile, PORTLAND |