Grouper, Liz Harris’ ambient/drone project who I have written about previously, is readying two records for release on the 4th of February. One will be a CD/LP re-release of what’s widely regarded as her masterpiece – Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill – which was first released back in 2008 and has been out of print for the last few years. The second will be an album entitled The Man Who Died In His Boat, which is made up of previously unreleased material from around the same period. The several tracks from this album which are floating around the internet suggest that this album is far more than just a collection of off cuts and B-sides. Listen to Vital in the player below:
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/71970306″]
The label’s blurb contains a few words by Harris on her inspiration for the album and indicates where she got the title from:
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.
You can pre-order both albums now from Kranky (look for Grouper on the catalogue page and then click on the little flags to order via paypal).
P.S. If you are unfamiliar with Grouper’s work then I highly suggest checking it out. You can hear Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill on Soundcloud and can purchase her releases from most good music shops.