Grouper’s Ghostly Maritime Explorations

Reviews for Grouper’s The Man Who Died in His Boat (recorded in the same sessions as my favourite work of hers, Dragging a Dead Deer up a Hill) have had a bit of a tendency to focus on the concept behind the album. Liz Harris (Grouper) has said that it’s based on a teenage memory of peering inside the cabin of a wrecked ship, with the previous occupant’s belongings still strewn around inside. I had intended not to dwell on this too much but the evocation of the scene is really incredible; from the off Harris treats us to tape-echoed ambience that resembles whispering winds over a blustering sea, and the whole album has a reflective melancholy to its sound.

Whilst it all really falls under pop ambient, Grouper has managed to explore a fairly wide range of soundscapes in her time, and all are dutifully represented here: from the completely delayed-out pieces, where a handful of chords and vocal tones are extended and faded into nothing, to the pop tracks with prominent, distinct melodies and lyrical vocals. This release certainly seems stronger than most of the recent offerings – I felt violet replacement was a little lacking – which is perhaps not surprising considering the era it was pulled from, and provides some fantastic examples of the haunting simplicity and droned out sounds that have made Grouper a pop ambient hero in recent years.

The Man Who Died in His Boat is being released by Kranky on the 4th of February 2013 alongside a reissue of Dragging a Dead Deer up a Hill.