Ruinsis the tenthstudio albumby American musician Liz Harris under the stage nameGrouper.It was released in the United States on October 31, 2014 onKranky.
| Ruins | ||||
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| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | October 31, 2014 | |||
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| Length | 39:41 | |||
| Label | Kranky | |||
| Producer | Liz Harris | |||
| Grouperchronology | ||||
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| SinglesfromRuins | ||||
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Recording
editIn a statement accompanying the announcement of the album's release, Liz Harris described its recording process:
Ruinswas made inAljezur,Portugal in 2011 on a residency set up by Galeria Zé dos Bois. I recorded everything there except the last song, which I did at mother's house in 2004. Iʼm still surprised by what I wound up with. It was the first time Iʼd sat still for a few years; processed a lot of political anger and emotional garbage. Recorded pretty simply, with a portable 4-track,Sonystereo mic and an upright piano. When I wasnʼt recording songs I was hiking several miles to the beach. The path wound through the ruins of several old estates and a small village. The album is a document. A nod to that daily walk. Failed structures. Living in the remains of love. I left the songs the way they came (microwave beep from when power went out after a storm); I hope that the album bears some resemblance to the place that I was in.[2]
While in Portugal, where she stayed in a house owned by the aunt of music director Sérgio Hydalgo, Harris listened to records byCarlos Paredes,Nina SimoneandLeonard Cohen.[3]
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."[4]
The "microwave beep" occurs at the end of "Labyrinth".
Release
editOn August 14, 2014, Harris announced the album's title.[2]Prior to the album's October 31 release, the tracks "Call Across Rooms" and "Holding" were released, both of which were awardedPitchfork's "Best New Track" status.[5][6]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.0/10[7] |
| Metacritic | 80/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Clash | 9/10[10] |
| Consequence of Sound | B[11] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[12] |
| Fact | 4.5/5[13] |
| Mojo | [14] |
| NME | 8/10[15] |
| Pitchfork | 8.8/10[16] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[17] |
| Uncut | 6/10[18] |
Upon its release,Ruinsreceived critical acclaim. AtMetacritic,which assigns anormalisedrating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album holds anaveragescore of 80, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 19 reviews.[8]Philip SherburneofPitchforkawardedRuinsthe 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."[16]Ruinswas later named the fifth best album of 2014 onPitchfork.The album also placed 13th inThe Wire's annual critics' poll.[19]
In 2018,PitchforkrankedRuinsat number 18 on its list of the 30 bestdream popalbums.[20]
Track listing
editAll music is composed byLiz Harris
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Made of Metal" | 1:39 |
| 2. | "Clearing" | 4:42 |
| 3. | "Call Across Rooms" | 2:59 |
| 4. | "Labyrinth" | 3:48 |
| 5. | "Lighthouse" | 5:44 |
| 6. | "Holofernes" | 1:33 |
| 7. | "Holding" | 7:57 |
| 8. | "Made of Air" | 11:24 |
| Total length: | 39:41 | |
References
edit- ^Minsker, Evan."Tracks:" Holding "- Grouper".Pitchfork.Retrieved19 November2022.
- ^abGordon, Jeremy (August 14, 2014)."Grouper Announces New Album Ruins".Pitchfork.RetrievedOctober 28,2014.
- ^Finlayson, Angus (October 30, 2014).""I felt incapable of finding love": Grouper opens up about isolation and her stunning new album Ruins ".Fact.RetrievedMarch 27,2016.
- ^Alex, Frank."Listen to Grouper's Lullaby of a New Song," Call Across Rooms "".Vogue.RetrievedMay 12,2015.
- ^Geffen, Sasha (September 10, 2014)."Grouper:" Call Across Rooms "".Pitchfork.RetrievedOctober 28,2014.
- ^Minsker, Evan (October 24, 2014)."Grouper:" Holding "".Pitchfork.RetrievedOctober 28,2014.
- ^"Ruins by Grouper reviews".AnyDecentMusic?.RetrievedDecember 19,2019.
- ^ab"Reviews for Ruins by Grouper".Metacritic.RetrievedOctober 29,2014.
- ^Phares, Heather."Ruins – Grouper".AllMusic.RetrievedOctober 29,2014.
- ^Diver, Mike (October 13, 2014)."Grouper – Ruins".Clash.RetrievedOctober 29,2014.
- ^Corcoran, Nina (October 28, 2014)."Grouper – Ruins".Consequence of Sound.RetrievedMay 8,2019.
- ^Lewis, Sam (October 28, 2014)."Album Review: Grouper – Ruins".Drowned in Sound.Archived fromthe originalon October 28, 2014.RetrievedOctober 29,2014.
- ^Kalev, Maya (November 10, 2014)."Ruins".Fact.Archived fromthe originalon September 8, 2018.RetrievedMarch 31,2018.
- ^"Grouper: Ruins".Mojo(253): 92. December 2014.
- ^Levine, Nick (November 9, 2014)."Grouper – 'Ruins'".NME.Archived fromthe originalon November 10, 2014.RetrievedMarch 31,2018.
- ^abSherburne, Philip(October 28, 2014)."Grouper: Ruins".Pitchfork.RetrievedOctober 28,2014.
- ^Heaton, Dave (November 5, 2014)."Grouper: Ruins".PopMatters.RetrievedMarch 31,2018.
- ^"Grouper: Ruins".Uncut(212): 71. January 2015.
- ^"2014 Rewind: Releases of the Year 1–50".The Wire.No. 371. London. January 2015. p. 32 – viaExact Editions.(subscription required)
- ^"The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums".Pitchfork.April 16, 2018. p. 2.RetrievedApril 24,2018.