It’s that time of the year where summer fades away and autumn (or fall) enters. The playlists for those sunny months are archived away until next year, and out come the sombre indie tracks. The scene of rain against the windows whilst cradling a tea, with acoustic chords drifting through the headphones. Grouper’s newest album, Shade, now looks to accompany these autumn days ahead.
Shade is an album of time, recorded over a 15-year period, in locations such as Mount Tamalpais, Portland, and, most recently, Astoria. Opening track “Followed the Ocean” embraces the distorted ambience that was present on Harris’ 2013 AIA work. An ocean sound, vocals layered as if they are rising up from the soul of the track yet never quite loud enough to fully reach the surface. “Unclean Mind” sees the return of the acoustic guitar which was so notably absent from the previous two releases, Ruins and Grid of Points. The rawness of the album becomes quickly noticeable, the squeak of the guitar clear as Harris strums the opening chords. Her vocal melodies harmonise in such a way that they flutter soothingly around the ear.
The tonal shift seen in “Unclean Mind” further sets in on tracks “Ode to the Blue” and “Pale Interior“, the former being one of the gentler tracks Grouper has penned. With a peaceful chord progression over softly sung verses, the track has the air of Harris working through her own thoughts while she plucks away at her instrument. “I’ve thinking about the way, the light gets lost in your hair” is the final lyric before Harris departs to quietly humming out the remainder of this touching track. “Pale Interior” reaches for the lower chords on the guitar, which sits higher in the mix to give the track a distinct character. The breathed vocals and guitar melodies come together like a sweet lullaby.
A congregation of sounds and sampling offers up an extended interlude in “Distorted Mind“, the displaced nature of each element invoking a strange anxiety. Distorted guitars and drumming patterns echo in the background as Harris’ obfuscated vocals float around the ear. After the abrupt turn of the interlude, the strums of the guitar soon returns to the fore. “The Way Her Hair Falls” is almost a ballad, ruminating on the simple subject matter the title presents. Harris moves between the trio of chords on the guitar, at times pausing to begin again, in what is the most drawn back track on the album. “Promise” continues is a similar fashion, with the tape hiss more audible in this mix. This duo of love songs have a daydream-like quality to them, touching on the simplicities that romance can offer. Despite possibly being too similar to be positioned back-to-back, the short and sweet nature of the tracks are like a ray of sunshine shining through the curtains.
Shade’s closing tracks combine as the longest tracks on the album, with both “Basement Mix” and “Kelso (Blue Sky)” clocking in at just under a third of Shade’s runtime. The guitar and vocals echo around the track in “Basement Mix“, as if calling out from a tunnel. A lonely feeling fills up the tracks as each note bounces off the metaphorical walls, the long runtime ensuring that the feeling is sat with. In contrast, “Kelso (Blue Sky)” offers up beautiful vocal melodies filled with gentle humming, with the high tuning and mix of the guitar carrying the serenity of the closer. A quiet comfort is present here, a contrast to the penultimate track.
Grouper’s twelfth full-length is a collection of tracks to heal the spirit. The imperfect nature of Shade lends it much of its charm, with each squeak of the guitar and hiss of the tape adding to the raw musical atmosphere that can be lost in the clean production of many albums. Each flaw and frail moment can be forgiven, as they add to the human element that Shade offers up, giving a place to find refuge and solace in one’s emotions.
8/10