Sled Island presents: Grouper

Grouper 

There are few experimental artists who can compete with the breadth of Grouper’s Liz Harris. Since appearing on the scene with her self-titled debut in 2005, Harris’ prolific solo output is only rivaled by her collaborations with acts like Xiu Xiu and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma.

Grouper’s sound lingers on a purgatorial plane, roaming through a great beyond of folky acoustic drones and piano-driven requiems. There’s a stillness in the tonality of the songs, but a great deal of movement in her lyricism.

Finding ever-growing acclaim from fans and critics alike, Grouper’s album Ruins perhaps best exemplifies the tumultuous and sometimes eerie world Harris creates. Its encroaching swells give way to scattered piano keys with whispered lyrics fitting snugly in between each note. 

Harris played Sled Island in 2018 in support of follow-up Grid of Points, with a new set of tales wrapped up in her delicate songcraft, before releasing a nearly wordless ambient electronic album under the name Nivhek in 2019. She returns to the festival this year with a new album in tow, 2021’s Shade. Named Best New Music and the 18th best album of the year by Pitchfork, Shade delineates Grouper’s sonic tendencies into two extremes: clean, spare tracks with minimal accompaniment and noise-riddled bursts of obfuscations. Harris has never sounded so much like herself.

Much like her albums, Grouper’s live sets are intensely personal, aimed to evoke the deepest responses from both longtime fans and first-time witnesses. Performances often feature monochromatic projections to complement the ethereal atmosphere; they’re a place to be introspective or simply just to sway.

Mighloe

Alternative R&B act Mighloe makes some of the smoothest, most serene music you’ll hear at Sled Island this year. Nothing but clean, spare guitar and Mighloe’s powerhouse vocals are needed to create songs that float over you like mist but still demand your full attention. Start with “Little Lies” or “Cruel” for a taste of her subtle-but-mighty majesty.

NUM

Originally formed in Iran by Maryam Sirvan and Milad Bagheri, Calgary duo NUM use electro-acoustic production to create expansive sonic landscapes that traverse between ambient music and noise. Both members contribute production and visuals while Sirvan sings on some songs, like on the excellent Trilogy for the Light, a great entry point to the duo’s sound.

 

About Sled Island

The Sled Island Music & Arts Festival is a five-day, multi-venue festival taking place June 22 - 26, 2022. The full lineup and schedule is available at SledIsland.com. 

Everyone has the right to feel safe and included at Sled Island. All festival attendees agree to abide by Sled Island's safer spaces and inclusion policy, which can be found here.

Sled Island acknowledges Calgary as the traditional territory of the Blackfoot and the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Ĩyãħé Nakoda First Nations, including the Chiniki, Bearspaw and Wesley First Nations. Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

Please note: This is an all ages event.