grouper - dragging a dead dear up a hill

this is my first post in a long time, gosh. but i've decided that it is summer and now that i have more free time on my hands i should probably try to update this at the very least once a week, cause i mean... what else do i have to do?

so anyway, grouper. i found out about this project maybe a few days ago and it is perfect for late nights and long drive through the woods with the windows of your car down and a light fog covering the streetlights. it's a solo project of this girl liz harris from portland, oregon. some of these songs have this eerie feel to them while she lightly strums her guitar and sings real soft over it. the second song on this album "heavy water/i'd rather be sleeping" is so quiet and dreamy sounding. as a whole, this album is pretty hazy sounding, but i don't think she overdoes it. this was her third album, released in 2008. this album is pretty, but not pretentious. it's sleepy, but not asleep. and pitchfork gave it an 8.2, so it must be pretty good (hardy har harrrrrrr....) (....but really, it's good!).

listen to it

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this mess is mine - sign the drafts ep

i absolutely can not get enough of this album right now. chances are this is probably one of the cutest things you will ever hear. it's a solo project of this guy, lars, from germany, he mixes a lot of soft guitar strums with some soft strings here and there. really great stuff if you're riding on a lot of trains or walking around in the fall. you should listen to this album and drive through the woods or sit in a coffee shop alone or with your friends or whatever and hear these folky, pretty much acoustic tunes. the lyrics are really cute and the ending song is this piano instrumental, which is really lovely. this is a gorgeous album, i definitely recommend it, especially for this time of year when the leaves are changing and you can still roll down the windows in your car. but maybe turn the heat on juuuust a little. 

overall: 8/10

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julie doiron - will you still love me e.p

oh julie. so sticking up that mount eerie album made me want to dig out my julie doiron cds; this is the first, and my favourite, that i bought. pretty much just guitar, some vibes, bass, and voice. i wouldn't recommend listening to this as a pick-me-up, or to get a party started, but julie writes some tremendously pretty songs. maybe it's because we're getting into september now, but all i want to listen too is what i can only describe as 'autumn music'. this is a great example. this is the days getting shorter. putting away the hammock. realising you're gonna need to start clearing leaves. gathering nuts and seeds etc..., ya know? this album is very peaceful. so peaceful you'll forget what you're doing, how many times you've listened, and probably who you're listening too, as well. but that doesn't matter when something is this pretty. will you still love me in decemeber? is absolutely crushing and will increase your sad level by 10 fold.
overall: too pretty.

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