Grouper – Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill

Dreamy pop about love, despair and the very last hope.

Portland, Oregon-based Liz Harris, aka Grouper, has earned herself a not-insignificant fan base in terms of numbers with the whispered, almost ambient-like vocal excursions of Grouper's debut album "Way Their Crept" and its follow-up "Wide." "Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill" marks a departure from the fuzz experiments that have become a sorry trademark, taking Harris' voice to new heights and into the world of dream pop à la Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil. But instead of being in awe of the references, Harris takes her luck in both hands and creates near-perfect pop songs. Set to stripped-down guitar figures and noise loops, Grouper's song structures seem both familiar and otherworldly. Harmonies and vocals nestle in the consciousness, making "Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill" an irresistible experience. A future soundtrack for love, despair and the very last hope.

Reviews

 "​Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill offers moments that are just as memorable as the entire album, and all of them are subtly, but stunningly, beautiful."​ Allmusic

"​There's a deeply meditative, almost spiritual beauty to these tracks; a melancholy that's simultaneously strangely hopeful."​ DrownedInSound

"​There's no doubting this is a record with a human force behind it. It's more than just an album of droning guitar music because someone speaks to us."​ Pop Matters