As a reviewer of music, one tries to avoid—as much as possible—the influence of outside opinion. After dozens of listens to Grouper’s new album, Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill, I was certain my opinion of it was solidified. The following Saturday, as my Manhattan apartment supported hungover houseguests nursing themselves to health by sprawling upon the floor, I pushed play on the album. Shortly thereafter, I heard someone utter, "This is great Halloween music". Now, this was very similar to my assessment, and it irked me. So I will choose the words spooky and dark, yet relatable and melancholy instead of “great Halloween music.” But the underlying soft dread of this record is undeniable. Yet it treks further.
You cannot avoid its ethereal value. It floats like a dream—a dream on a dark, dismal ocean.
But hope lines this ship as well.
The opening track, titled "Disengage," begins with a mounting roar, similar to that of a low flying aircraft. It prepares your ears for something loud to follow, perhaps a crunching electric guitar or booming drums. But this never comes. As if being rescued, the noise finds itself hidden behind the soft keys and repetitious, haunting vocals of Portland’s Liz Harris. Harris is Grouper—literally. And Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill is her finest work. As four listens quickly turn to twelve and you move deeper into the record, you’ll find it also may be one of 2008’s best.
The album swells from frighteningly dark to devastatingly sad as the standout second song, “Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping,” begins with a stammering acoustic guitar and Hill’s gorgeous vocals that have, by track two, put you at ease. Her voice is the album’s safety net, though not in the manner that they don’t challenge, that they do. But they comfort the listener, for there is much in which to be hiding from deep within this album, and Harris astoundingly pulls you closer. And you let her.
The truth in the lyrics typically lies subtly below the surface. But the melodies pull them above. On “Fishing Bird (Empty Gutted In The Evening Breeze)” she sings audibly “Fishing bird / coming down from the sky / through the top of the ocean / pushing hard / dive beneath the waves / dive beneath the oceans.” The perceptible words reveal that optimism lies beneath the fear. The lyrics prove Harris is not just about being spooky. Musically, the song feels crowded, as most tracks do, but there is much simplicity here.
The dynamics are succinct. You may believe at times that the intimacy you share is between you and the artist alone. And that is what music, at its best, should do. You should thank them for that.
Grouper, like the floating world they present is simple, yet perplexing and complex. The album’s final song, “We’ve All Gone to Sleep,” is a rewarding reminder that we can find hope lying in the darkest and scariest places. And this album finds it often with a treasure of songs that slip into the unconscious like a dream.
And yeah, maybe it is appropriate for the upcoming Halloween season.
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