Liz Harris is the one-woman dreamer that makes up Grouper. Through Grouper’s haunting Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill, Harris swoons in and out of consciousness and allows listeners to sleepwalk inside of the beautiful world that she has created.
I must admit that I did not find myself drawn to this record upon first listens. It felt boring and the tracks sounded redundant. Thankfully, I gave this amazing album another shot a couple of months later.
The record is most likely an ode to sleep, where the stresses of the world don’t have to follow us, and we can dream of happier places. Similar to dreams, the album is built upon hazy imagery while Harris surrounds the listener with her beautiful melodies. ”Wind And Snow” is a great example of Harris’ wondrous melodies, which drive the song for the first part. If “Wind And Snow” was completely a-capella, I would love it the same amount as I do now.
Harris’ whisper vocal and faded guitar drives the album. Listen to “We’ve All Gone to Sleep” or “When We Fall” in the dark and you will literally lose yourself in Grouper and become blanketed with her foggy brilliance. If you haven’t heard Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill yet, please do. It is a rewarding, comforting and worthwhile journey and is one of the best albums from last year.
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