Grouper: Cover the Windows and the Walls (Root Strata LP)
Liz Harris is the driving force behind the sonic haze of Grouper. Previous efforts have been a bit of a mixed bag, but this highly limited vinyl-only release on San Francisco experimental label Root Strata is more focused and while doing less in terms of variety and dynamics, it is far superior. Grouper's music is buried in the obscurity of lo-fi hiss, sounding generally somewhere in between the most crude and droning albums of Flying Saucer Attack and the wall of sound of My Bloody Valentine, 2 or 3 miles removed. It's the runoff of shoegazer pop, where all that remains is a grimy decay of source sounds.
That description may be unfair, though: there are some more distinct actual songs on here, and Harris's voice is lovely when it comes through more clearly. The title track and "Heart Current" are the closest to "normal" songs, though they still reside in a fog of reverb... despite all the effects, these are quite tender in their hushed tones and gentle glide. But the winners for me are "Opened Space" and "Down to the Ocean," two songs that sound as if they were accidentally captured by someone in the neighboring apartment. Any lyrics or distinct sounds are lost in a sea of murky hiss, but the musicality and chord progressions come through, however far removed from the source. It's this dynamic of proximity that gives Cover the Windows and the Walls its needed range, a variety that is subtle at first but more obvious with repeated listens - the volume isn't so much going up and down, it's going near and far.
Hopefully Grouper's usual musical outlet Type Records will be able to reissue this on CD, as the 300 copies from Root Strata appear to be long gone. If this LP is any sign, Harris's next release is likely to be a showstopper.
mp3s: Cover the Windows and the Walls | Opened Space
more information: Official home page | Myspace | Root Strata