Ruins (Grouper album) explained

Ruins
Type:studio
Artist:Grouper
Cover:Grouper_-_Ruins_album_art.jpeg
Released:October 31, 2014
Length:39:41
Label:Kranky
Producer:Liz Harris
Prev Title:The Man Who Died in His Boat
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Ruins is the tenth studio album by American musician Liz Harris under the stage name Grouper. It was released in the United States on October 31, 2014 on Kranky.

Recording

In a statement accompanying the announcement of the album's release, Liz Harris described its recording process:

While in Portugal, where she stayed in a house owned by the aunt of music director Sérgio Hydalgo, Harris listened to records by Carlos Paredes, Nina Simone and Leonard Cohen.[1]

Regarding "Call Across Rooms", Harris stated that "the song is on one level very plain and literal, about a letter I wrote for someone I loved and could not get along with. On a more subconscious, poetic level, it is a letter to myself, as aspiration to love better."[2]

The "microwave beep" occurs at the end of "Labyrinth".

Release

On August 14, 2014, Harris announced the album's title. Prior to the album's October 31 release, the tracks "Call Across Rooms" and "Holding" were released, both of which were awarded Pitchforks "Best New Track" status.[3] [4]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Ruins received critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album holds an average score of 80, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 19 reviews. Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork awarded Ruins the site's "Best New Music" title and dubbed it "achingly beautiful and, given the intensely private nature of most of Grouper's work... almost unnervingly direct." Ruins was later named the fifth best album of 2014 on Pitchfork. The album also placed 13th in The Wires annual critics' poll.[5]

In 2018, Pitchfork ranked Ruins at number 18 on its list of the 30 best dream pop albums.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Finlayson. Angus. "I felt incapable of finding love": Grouper opens up about isolation and her stunning new album Ruins. Fact. October 30, 2014. March 27, 2016.
  2. Web site: Alex. Frank. Listen to Grouper's Lullaby of a New Song, "Call Across Rooms". Vogue. May 12, 2015.
  3. Web site: Geffen. Sasha. Grouper: "Call Across Rooms". Pitchfork. September 10, 2014. October 28, 2014.
  4. Web site: Minsker. Evan. Grouper: "Holding". Pitchfork. October 24, 2014. October 28, 2014.
  5. 2014 Rewind: Releases of the Year 1–50 . January 2015 . . 371 . 32 . London . subscription . Exact Editions.
  6. Web site: The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums. Pitchfork. April 16, 2018. April 24, 2018. 2.