Hot Jam of the Day: Grouper, “Call Across Rooms”

Grouper
“Call Across Rooms”
Ruins (out October 31 on Kranky)

Any day Liz Harris announces a new album is a good day to be alive; and when that announcement comes with a new song, life is just the best. “Call Across Rooms,” the first single from the Portlander’s forthcoming 10th LP, is a slab of trademark Harris gorgeosity of the highest order. Her delicate vocal creeps over a weary piano line, sounding simultaneously present and a million miles away. Many ambient artists struggle to let the listener in, due to the roots of the shutters closed, otherworldly genre. However, Harris has always been able to tiptoe that line, drawing the blinds just enough to let cracks of light illuminate the overwhelming beauty of the shrouded interior. Listen up, because this is the sound of a genius at the peak of her powers.