Vapor Trails

Nine minutes of echoing guitar and soft slides, the longest and one of the darkest pieces on Alien Observer.
Grouper, from A I A: Alien Observer (2011)

Written by
Liz Harris
Released
2011
Length
9:05
Album
A I A: Alien Observer

Play on hypersongs

The longest track on A I A: Alien Observer drifts for nine minutes on minimal guitar figures, slide and echo, with keyboards glinting through and Harris's voice receding into the wash. Pitchfork heard the record turn a few shades darker here; others have called it a lullaby. The title belongs to the album's sky imagery, the evaporation and hovering clouds Harris used to describe the record. It has rarely been played live: the only logged performance is from October 2010 at Fukugonji, a temple in Hamamatsu, Japan, months before the album came out.

More songs by Grouper

Alien Observer, Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping, Lighthouse, Pale Interior

Sources

  1. A I A: Alien Observer, Wikipedia
  2. A I A: Alien Observer / Dream Loss review, Pitchfork (2011-04-18)
  3. Vapor Trails: song statistics, setlist.fm