REVIEW: Grouper - The Man Who Died In His Boat

When I was a teenager the wreckage of a sailboat washed up on the shore of Agate Beach. The remains of the vessel weren't removed for several days. I walked down with my father to peer inside the boat cabin. Maps, coffee cups and clothing were strewn around inside.

I remember looking only briefly, wilted by the feeling that I was violating some remnant of this man's presence by witnessing the evidence of its failure. Later I read a story about him in the paper. It was impossible to know what had happened. The boat had never crashed or capsized. He had simply slipped off somehow, and the boat, like a riderless horse, eventually came back home. 

Many were excited hearing about a new Grouper album was to be released this year, since the Portland based singer songwriter had kept relatively quiet ever since her breakout album Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill, aside from a small EP dropped in 2011. Digging deeper to find more info about the album, we soon discovered that the new LP is 2013 was not to be filled with entirely new material at all, but instead b-sides and unreleased tracks from 2008's album. The mood of Dragging a Dead Deer has succesfully been transferred into these recordings and it's obvious that these tracks came directly from past sessions. Each track is filled with the same eerie and haunting mood that made Grouper so popular, and sad, I would imagine.

Each and every track on The Man Who Died In His Boat is extremely sad. Much is each and every track she has ever recorded. I mean, jesus, just look at her album titles. Although it is hard to make out what Liz Harris (aka Grouper) is saying in the songs, it doesn't really seem to matter here. The sound alone of this entire record is enough to make something think deep about their own self and just feel lifeless, dull and empty. Specifically, track and single "Vital" once again follows the strumming 'n' drone style that makes Grouper what it is, the lyrics paint a very disturbing and dark picture, but are separated in a strange fashion. Lyrically, Harris must enjoy keeping an ominous distance between herself and the listener, with the broken up lyrics mostly muffled and hushed in the mix. While instrumentally, she manages to keep us fully engulfed in the sound, while it may seem disorienting at times, it can also make one feel at rest and tranquil. Although her music doesn't draw much attention lyrically, the combination of the two create an interesting experience.

Unfortunately, listening to this album in one full swing is apparently ideal, but it comes off as not. I don't kid when i say every track on this album sounds exactly the same. This is most likely the case for most drone music, and it definitely shows here. From beginning to end, the album is simply Harris strumming weeping, reverb soaked chords on her guitar, and a mellow drone takes control of the track, and it never really seems to stop until the very end. There isn't much distinction between each track, which can drive a listener like myself absolutely mad. Personally, I would enjoy something of the nature more if she focused more on drawing emotion lyrically, while still having the strong atmosphere present.

Harris does a fantastic job creating a dark atmosphere in her music, and that is ever so apparent on the album, but each track on the album lacks personality and distinction which makes revisiting the album rather frustrating. Still, the music continues to make me feel like shit. Great Job.

4/10