Grouper is one of those “band’s bands” that I mentioned on yesterday’s post. A band or artist that is not well known for the general public, but plenty of artists and many music fans will recognise and probably will tell you all about them.

I found Grouper during a terrible time in my life. It was my last year in Sheffield, things weren’t going ok neither with my (unfinished) PhD and with this website. I used to walk anywhere whenever I felt bad, but that year, I just couldn’t.

Many labels stopped sending promos because the output was slowing down. That’s business and I understand it. Kranky never stopped and I always appreciated the lovely stuff they sent. When I listened to the promo for The Man Who Died in his boat by Grouper, I thought about an old Spanish tv show called Verano Azul, where one character, Chanquete, dispensed advise and life stories to the young protagonists.

In the next to last episode, he is found dead at his boat, which doubled as his house. It was one of those formative moments on tv people in Spain (and some abroad) talked about for years, when TV spoilers REALLY meant something.

Grouper’s minimalistic music always seems to soothe me when I feel sad. It’s odd, I know, listening to slocore music actually improves my mood, and the reverb-heavy, spacey sounds of Grouper always seem otherworldly, like that type of music I would love to be able to create. But I won’t, because Grouper already made it for all of us to enjoy.

-Sam J. Valdés López