Grouper (musician)
| Grouper | |
|---|---|
 Harris performing at St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow, April 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Elizabeth Harris |
| Born |
1981 West Marin, California, U.S.[1] |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Genres | Ambient, dream pop, drone, psychedelic folk, experimental |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Kranky |
| Associated acts | Mirrorring, Slow Walkers, Raum, Xiu Xiu, Inca Ore, Roy Montgomery |
| Notable instruments | |
| Epiphone Wilshire | |
Grouper is the solo project of musician and artist Liz Harris. After releasing material independently beginning in 2005, Harris released the critically acclaimed Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (2008), followed by four more records, including a two-part concept album, A I A. Her tenth studio album, Ruins, was released on October 31, 2014.[2]
Harris' music, described as "ethereal" and "hazy," often consists of guitar layered with vocals and tape loops.[3] She has collaborated with a number of other artists, including Xiu Xiu, Lawrence English, and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. She resides on the Oregon coast.
History
Harris was born in Northern California and grew up around the San Francisco Bay area and in Oregon.[4] Harris’ first album was 2005’s Grouper, a self-released full-length CD-R, followed later that year by Way Their Crept on Free Porcupine (re-released in 2007 on Type Records). In 2006 she released a single (He Knows), one album, called Wide, and a collaboration with Xiu Xiu entitled Creepshow. Harris made available new material steadily through the years, and continued to collaborate with various artists such as Roy Montgomery and Xela.
Early in 2012, Grouper performed Violet Replacement in the UK and Europe, a pair of longform tape collage pieces which originally took shape for commissioned performances in New York and Berkeley.
At Berlin's Club Transmediale festival in early February of 2012 Harris premiered a new work called Circular Veil in collaboration with Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, which consisted of seven hours of music, designed to mimic one full sleep cycle.[4]
In 2013, Harris released a compilation album, The Man Who Died in His Boat, consisting of outtakes from the previous several years.
Grouper's newest studio album, titled Ruins, was released on October 31, 2014. The majority of the album was recorded in Aljezur, Portugal in 2011, while Harris was on a residency set up by Galeria Zé dos Bois.[2]
Discography
Albums
- Grouper, CD-R (2005)
- Way Their Crept, CD (2005), reissued on 12" Vinyl (2007)
- Wide, CD and 12" Vinyl (2006)
- Cover the Windows and the Walls, 12" Vinyl (2007), reissued on CD and Limited Edition Vinyl (2009)
- Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill, CD and 12" Vinyl (2008), reissued on CD and Vinyl by Kranky Records (2013)
- A I A: Dream Loss and Alien Observer, two 12" Vinyl (2011)
- Violet Replacement (2012)
- The Man Who Died in His Boat (2013)
- Ruins (2014)
EPs/Singles
- He Knows, CD-R (2006), reissued on 7" Vinyl (2009)
- Tried, 7" Vinyl (2007)
- Hold/Sick, 7" Vinyl (2010)
- Water People, 7" Vinyl (2011)
Collaborations
- Creepshow, CD and LP. Collaboration with the band Xiu Xiu under the artist name "Xiu Xiu vs. Grouper" (2006)
- Eckords. Collaboration with Jorge Behringer under the artist name "Flash Lights" (2006)
- Visitor, , 10" vinyl. Collaboration with Ilyas Ahmed
- Foreign Body, vinyl and CD. Collaboration with Tiny Vipers under the artist name "Mirrorring" (2012)
- Slow Walkers, vinyl. Collaboration with Lawrence English under the artist name "Slow Walkers" (2013)
- The Event of Your Leaving, vinyl. Collaboration with Jefre Cantu-Ledesma under the artist name "Raum" (2013)
- Void and Black Wasp (taken from Exit EP), vinyl. Collaboration with The Bug (2014)
Split Releases
- w/Inca Ore, Cassette (2007), reissued on CD and 12" Vinyl (2008)
- w/City Center, 7" Tour Vinyl (2008)
- w/Pumice, 7" Tour Vinyl (2009)
- w/Roy Montgomery, 12" Vinyl (2009)
- Tsuki No Seika: Volume One w/Xela, 7" Vinyl (2009) [5]
References
- ↑ "Albums by Grouper". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 2014-09-08.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gordon, Jeremy (2014-08-14). "Grouper Announces New Album Ruins". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2014-09-08.
- ↑ McGonigal, Mike (2008-08-25). "Grouper: Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2014-09-08.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Myers, Owen (2013). "Grouper". Dazed. Retrieved 2014-09-08.
- ↑ "Tsuki No Seika: Volume One". Boomkat.com. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
External links
Further reading
- Segal, Dave (April 16, 2009). "Through the Pastoral, Darkly". The Stranger.
- Bevan, David (October 15, 2008). "Grouper: Hymns from a Nor-Cal Loner". XLR8R.
- "Questions of Doom with Liz Harris of Grouper". Bad Vibes.