Years pass by, but Grouper keeps those moments in place on 'Shade'.
In almost two decades, Liz Harris has been making in the realms of ambient music with her earlier albums bringing in acoustic strums, solemn whispers, and pristine atmosphere that came with the curtains of reverb and delay effects. It was until AIA: Alien Observer that her exploration has truly escalated to another level, while the usual elements are there, it was that added touch of vocal harmonies and brighter synths that made that album a personal favorite of mine. She has continued her usual style a couple of albums later, but with a focus on piano on albums like Ruins and Grid of Points.
Shade, while doesn’t drastically change the simple yet effective formula of Grouper’s past albums, is Grouper’s most straightforward and plainspoken record to date. Her signature crackles of noisy and echo-y backdrops drape on a few tracks, but the rest are nothing more but raw acoustic strums and discernible singing that speaks about abstract, but clear snippets of the past. Abstract and vague lyrics have unsurprisingly been a part of Grouper for a long time, but it is also a surprise factor when these songs were written 15 years of time in Grouper's career and recorded in different spaces and eras. Each song can fit in one of Grouper's past albums, especially if you are familiarized with her work. Compiling those past recordings to the now makes for a cohesive and comfy listen, but it can be a muted listen. Reliance on the atmosphere from the bare guitar and effects was done efficiently, but there are moments that stifle or mildly add to the experience and do not portray a natural respite tone even if it was recorded in the shroud of time.
Ignoring the mist that may be unnatural, Shade presents Grouper's work in the traditionalist but still quiet album. It blows off the dust of past unknown and faces them out the shade, finally seen and heard every time, everywhere.
Favorite Track: Unclean mind, Ode to the blue, Pale Interior, Basement mix, Kelso (Blue sky)
Least Favorite Track: Disordered Minds