Harris was born July 15, 1980, in Northern California and grew up around the San Francisco Bay area.[3] She grew up in a Fourth Way commune there which was inspired by the philosophy of George Gurdjieff. The community was known as "The Group", which would later serve as some inspiration for the moniker Grouper. According to Harris, the kids called each other and the parents 'groupers' sort of as a defiance. She says: "It was us making our own identities inside a pretty controlled environment, and sort of lashing back maybe... When I had to think of a name I felt annoyed at nothing sounding right. I wanted something that referenced me without referencing 'Me.'" According to her, she "felt like the music was at its barest just a grouping of sounds, and I was just the grouper."[4]"
After finishing college, Harris briefly moved to Los Angeles, where she worked with Mayo Thompson at Patrick Painter.[5] Harris is now based in Oregon. Harris’ first album was 2005’s Grouper, a self-released full-length CD-R, followed later that year by Way Their Crept on Free Porcupine (re-released in 2007 on Type Records). In 2006 she released a single (He Knows), one album, called Wide, and a collaboration with Xiu Xiu entitled Creepshow. Harris made available new material steadily through the years and continued to collaborate with various artists such as Roy Montgomery and Xela.
In 2008 she released Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill. An AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares praised the album for showing more musical range than Harris' previous work and for "letting more melody, more structured songs, and even a few phrases emerge from the ether."[6] Pitchfork gave it 8.2 stars calling the work "an arresting album of pastoral psychedelic pop".[7]
In 2011, Grouper released an album consisting of two parts: A I A: Dream Loss and A I A: Alien Observer, which was critically acclaimed by Pitchfork, while the latter part was noted for being more accessible of the two discs.[8]
Early in 2012, Grouper performed Violet Replacement in the UK and Europe, a pair of longform tape collage pieces which originally took shape for commissioned performances in New York and Berkeley. Besides, she collaborated with Jesy Fortino of Tiny Vipers to release an album Foreign Body under their common moniker Mirrorring.
At Berlin's Club Transmediale festival in early February 2012 Harris performed Circular Veil in collaboration with Jefre Cantu-Ledesma.[3] Somewhere between an installation and a performance, it found her extending her more concise music outward into eight hours of music, designed to mimic one full sleep cycle.
In 2013, Harris released an album, The Man Who Died in His Boat.
Grouper's studio album titled Ruins was released on October 31, 2014. The album is relatively stripped-down; piano, voice and field recordings.[9] The majority of the album was recorded in Aljezur, Portugal in 2011, while Harris was on a residency set up by Galeria Zé dos Bois.[10] That same year she appeared on The Bug's album providing vocals for the track "Void".[11]
In 2015, Grouper collaborated with independent filmmaker Paul Clipson on the film Hypnosis Display, commissioned by Leeds Opera North.[12]
In 2016, Grouper released a 7" entitled "Paradise Valley".[13]
In 2017, Grouper was one of the curators for the 11th edition of the Dutch Le Guess Who? festival. Her curated program included films La Double Vie de Véronique by Krzysztof Kieślowski and Lighthouse by Paul Clipson and music performances from artists Marisa Anderson, William Basinski, Marcia Bassett & Samara Lubelski duo, Brötzmann/Leigh, Ekin Fil, Keiji Haino, Roy Montgomery, Coby Sey, Tiny Vipers, Wolfgang Voigt and Richard Youngs.[14]
On March 8, 2018, Grouper announced her new album Grid of Points and released the first single "Parking Lot" from the album.[15] The album was released on April 27 via Kranky.
During her days as a part of a Fourth Way commune, Harris' primary sources for discovering music were limited. With a little help from her parents, whose musical tastes were eccentric and divergent, she discovered Eastern European folk and American avant-pop. Through her father, who himself was a composer, she would later discover contemporary classical and early music.[16] In 2008, when she released Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill, Pitchfork compared it to classic ethereal releases from the British label 4AD, drawing comparisons to Cocteau Twins[7] and early His Name Is Alive.[17] The Portland Mercury described some songs from the album, such as "Wind and Snow" and "Stuck", sonically reminiscent of the Renaissance period composers Gesualdo and Monteverdi.[16]
Mary On the Wall
Grouper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She looks up
The Mary on the wall
She never understands me
She always brings me down
She′s always there to help me
Being across
As I lay me down
Watching over us
Why won't you help me?
Your eyes to your toes
And you still watch
Where I am, you′re watching
Laying your eyes on me
Mary's haunting
Watching over us
Wanting, watching us
She laughs for us
She laughs for us
The lyrics of Grouper's song "Mary on the Wall" portray a complex relationship between the singer and Mary, who is depicted as a figure on a wall. The singer seems to have a complicated relationship with Mary, as she never understands them and always brings them down. However, even as Mary stands watch from across the room, she is still there to help the singer. The line "As I lay me down" suggests a feeling of vulnerability or powerlessness, while the question "why won't you help me?" hints at a sense of betrayal or ambivalence towards Mary's presence.
Throughout the song, Mary is portrayed as both haunting and watchful, simultaneously laughing and watching over the singer. This creates a sense of ambiguity about Mary's intentions, leaving the listener to wonder whether Mary is a guardian or a source of fear. The line "Your eyes to your toes and you still watch" emphasizes Mary's vigilance, while also hinting at a sense of detachment or dispassion.
Overall, the lyrics of "Mary on the Wall" create a fascinating interplay between fear and comfort, detachment and watchfulness, leaving the listener with questions about the nature of Mary's presence and her relationship with the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Mary, on the wall
A picture or statue of Mary is situated on the wall
She looks up
The singer gives attention to the picture or statue
The Mary on the wall
Referring to the picture or statue of Mary
She never understands me
The artist feels like the picture or statue is unable to empathize with them
She always brings me down
The artist feels like the picture or statue has a negative effect on them
She's always there to help me
Despite the negative impact, the singer still looks to the picture or statue for aid
Being across
The picture or statue is situated at a distance from the singer
Yet she still stands watch
The artist feels like the picture or statue still watches over them
As I lay me down
The artist is going to bed
Watching over us
The artist believes the picture or statue is keeping them safe while they sleep
Why won't you help me?
The singer is questioning why the picture or statue hasn't provided them with the help they need
Your eyes to your toes
A description of the entire picture or statue, with emphasis on its complete presence
And you still watch
Despite being an object, the singer feels like the picture or statue is still keeping a vigilant eye over them
Where I am, you're watching
The singer feels like the picture or statue is constantly surveying their whereabouts
Laying your eyes on me
The singer feels like the picture or statue is gazing directly at them
Mary's haunting
The artist feels like the picture or statue of Mary has a haunting effect
Watching over us
The artist maintains the belief that the picture or statue is still keeping them safe and secure
Wanting, watching us
The singer feels like the picture or statue wants to watch over them, almost as if it desires to do so
She laughs for us
The singer imagines the picture or statue of Mary is laughing on their behalf
She laughs for us
The artist again asserts that the picture or statue is laughing on their behalf
Contributed by Owen G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.