Grouper (Liz Harris) hails from Portland, Oregon and release a really killer LP, Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill, and a wonderful split 7″ with City Center in 2008.   Both of these releases are beautiful, and deserve your attention (they sure got mine…see my best of lists: LPs & singles). Mary Pearson, of High Places, I think put it put it best:

If I were better at controlling my dreams, I would make them sound like this album.

It’s 2009 now,  and Grouper is on her way back to NYC this weekend to play two shows,  Australia, New Zealand, and a couple other scattered US dates. (All tour dates via Grouper’s myspace.)

Listen to Grouper:

mp3- “A Cover Over” – from Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (one of my favorites off the album… courtesy of Raven Sings the Blues)

Grouper – “Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping” (also from Dragging a Dead Deer…)

Buy Grouper’s Dragging a Dead Dead Up a Hill from insound.

Photo via City Center’s blog.

UPDATE: It looks like a dead deer was actually dragged into NYC to promote the show at the New Museum.

UPDATE II: I’m sorry if my original update implied that the Liz Harris/someone related to Grouper was responsible for the prank (I’ll be more careful with my wording next time).  Liz Harris clears this up below. Thanks Liz.

This list has taken much longer than expected.  There were a bunch of albums that I liked in 2008, but I feel that this is pretty comprehensive, but the ones that made this list I truly liked from beginning to end…in my opinion solid records.

For example, I really loved the No Kids record (Come into My House), but I was much more into the R&B songs versus the world music songs…and for that reason it didn’t make my list.

Some things got left off because I didn’t get them til early 2009 (examples are Wavves- s/t and Castanets – City of Refuge), but somethings that I didn’t get into until the end of 2008 shot up to the top ten (mainly Grouper).  I was going to do a top 10, but I have been into the blogging and I wanted to do something bigger (also see my best of 7″ and 12″ singles of 2008).

Welcome to my Top 25 albums of 2008:

25. Vivian Girls – Vivian Girls (Mauled By Tigers Records / In the Red)

24. Eat Skull- Sick to Death (Siltbreeze)

23. Abe Vigoda – Skeleton (Post Present Medium)

22. Desolation Wilderness- White Light Strobing (K Records)

21. Matmos – Supreme Balloon (Matador)

20. Arthur Russell – Love is Overtaking Me (Audika)

19.  The Dodos – Visitor (French Kiss)

18.  Xiu Xiu – Women as Lovers (Kill Rock Stars)

17. David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything that Happens Will Happen Today (self released)

16. Beach House – Devotion (Carpark)

15. The Magnetic Fields- Distortion (Nonesuch)

14. Titus Andronicus – Airing of Grievances (Troubleman Unlimited)

13. Bonnie Prince Billy- Lie Down in The Light (Drag City)

12. Lord Dog Bird - s/t (Jagjaguwar)

11. Burning Star Core – Challenger (Hospital Productions/ Plastic Records)

10. No Age – Nouns (Sub Pop)

9. Thee Oh Sees- The Master’s Bedroom is Worth Spending a Night In (Tom Lab)

8. Times NewViking- Rip it Off (Matador)

7. High Places- High Places (Thrill Jockey)

6. Karl Blau- Nature’s Got Away / AM (K Records / Whistler)

5. Grouper- Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill (Type)

4. Deerhunter – Microcastle / Weird Era Cont. (Kranky)

3. Mount Eerie- Dawn / Lost Wisdom / Black Wooden Ceiling Opening (P.W. Elverum and Suns)

2. The Music Tapes- For Clouds and Tornadoes (Merge)

1. Los Campesinos! - Hold on Now, Youngster / We are Beautiful, We are Doomed (Wichita/Arts & Crafts)

Here is my big Friday Post for you!  My Top 10 7″ singles and eps of 2008!

1. City Center- s/t 7″ (Invisible Friend)

2. Thee Oh Sees- Peanut Butter Oven 12″ (Awesome Vistas) (this blog seems to have a download of the hard to find ep)

3. Grouper/City Center- split 7″ (No Label)

4.  Times New Viking- Stay Awake 7″ (Matador)

5. Mount Eerie/ No Kids – Spilt 7″ (Caff/Flick)

6. Atlas Sounds – Atlas Shrugged/Dub Narcotic Disco Plate 7″ (K records)

7. Desolation Wilderness-Until Forever 7″ (K Records)

8. High Places/ Xiu Xiu – Split 7″ (Aagoo)

9. OM – Sub Pop Singles Club 7″ (Sub Pop)

10. Mountain Goats – Satanic Messiah 2×7″ (Click thru for pay what you want digital download)

something that was totally awesome, but slightly holiday themed that didn’t make my top ten was:

Blues Control- December Sup Pop Singles Club 7″ (someone seems to have posted a download…follow the link)