GutterPutter

Picture a storm at night, when you are in your little cabin taking a hot cup of coffee as the rain keeps on beating the roof. All the company you may have is none other than the whispers in the wind, a voice that you could barely make imagined words out of like a spectre from a 70s’ forgotten popstar. Such is the beginning of Elizabeth Anne Harris’s latest album as Grouper in Shade titled ‘Followed the Ocean’; it’s the most recent addition to the psychedelic folk artist’s career since 2005. Most would recognise her for her ethereal production that marks her breakout record in Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill a beloved hit within the underground scene. Since then, she continues to hover well throughout the 2010s with much of her output always hovering just around an 80 average in Metacritic. Suffice to say, she’s doing quite well in keeping hold of both critical adoration & her indie fandom.

& why not? Many of her cues in creating a folk record comes from ambient sounds & the certain enchantment of dream pop which leads to an identifiable sort of aesthetic that is both mellow & fantastical in a low-key manner. There are some discerning issues that I do found in Shade that doesn’t mean to imply that such style has gone on for too long. It’s perfectly fine for one to develop their own musical characteristics in a way to stand out from many others which is how Grouper manage to make her stand out from so many other indie folk artists. The problem lies mostly in how in this record, much of the traits that make her beloved can find itself a bit misplaced.

Remember the description I’ve made on ‘Followed the Ocean’ at the beginning? What I like about the very first track is how it fully lures you in to a nocturnal comfort where you feel like you’re in a limbo of timelessness. The whole album doesn’t carry these aspects together which only means that bits of them may crop up every now & then with the ghastly production value from Grouper’s lo-fi vocals. The question mark however is on where it lands & even then, wherever it lands a bit too. Take ‘Disordered Mind’ as an example. The droning aspect, while a common motif in much of her discography, falls short of its execution in this instance as far as what my impression tells me. It distracts more than it does delicate the fading echo of the singing & the ending can come off as being rather unsuitable with the drumming as the track comes to the close.

Much of the tracks in the album can come off as having a ramshackle quality to it for better or for worse on an individual basis. ‘The Way Her Hair Falls’ for instance has Grouper retake her fingerpicking on her guitar which adds a nice instance of humanity to it. Yet, the hushed vocal performance pulls you away from giving into the homely intimacy. ‘Promise’, ‘Pale Interior’, & ‘Ode to the Blue’ shares an ambiguous allure of affection to an unknown addressee only for its quiet bout of sentimentality to be delayed purely by the previously mentioned singing. It’s like listening to a tranquil nursery story only to find the voice to come off as a murmur to a child’s ear. Once again, it’s not the style which is the inherent problem but rather in the way in which it conceive itself in the album. The ringing from the guitar strums in ‘Unclean Mind’ is another example that I quite like for how organic it makes the listening feel. Once again, the whispering vocal performance only hinders the otherwise lovely melody in the track.

If the tracks do bounce back to the wintery atmosphere of ‘Followed the Ocean’ with a few adjustments, then there are some highlights to keep to heart. ‘Basement Mix’ carries on Harris’s singing & guitar playing as per usual, yet the production makes a world of difference in the overall atmosphere. Not only are her voice made up of strong, echoing reverberations, but even the guitar notes carries a certain fickleness to the point where the most distinguished sound is the sliding from one chord to the next. ‘Kelso (Blue Sky)’ conveys a bittersweet conclusion to the album in a 6-minute run as the lyricism deals with reconnecting to a loved one in a tone that feels forlorn. Perhaps even indicative of a depressive trip based on a barely recognisable memory that holds a kind of spiritual catharsis in a final meeting. The guitar is clearer, the voice is cleaner, there is only the dotted crackle of the recording process but it stands in contrast to the ambience of my favourite tracks in this record. Needless to say, it’s an outro that I most welcome for its tale of holding one last look before a separation.

Shade is in a weird spot overall as its flaws isn’t to do with how overused the traits of Grouper’s folk music is. I have mentioned several times that it’s more to do with how it can end up coming off as being slightly overproduced. Not to an exaggerated degree, but the whispering singing can hinder more than it does reward. As a result, one must buy into the emotion that the tracks present which lies in the risky realm of complete subjectivity. Fans of Grouper won’t feel disappointed for sure that this record carries on the musician’s artistic career as it has everything that they could’ve asked for. For others like me who either enjoys a bit more clarity or literary framework into the creative process, this can be a bit of a hurdle to listen to in a bid to see if there’s a grower’s potential. As a final result, you might wish more for the vocal performance to have a bit more priority in the mixing stage as does a bit more reference to the comfortableness of the first track. I can hope for certain that Shade is a prelude to some of Grouper’s strongest set of songs.