The Man Who Died in His Boat

The Man Who Died in His Boat
Studio album by Grouper
Released	February 4, 2013
Recorded	2007-2008
Genre	Ambient, psychedelic folk, dream pop
Length	47:07
Label	Kranky
Producer	Liz Harris
Grouper chronology
Violet Replacement (2012) The Man Who Died in His Boat (2013) Ruins (2014)

The Man Who Died in His Boat is the ninth studio album from ambient musician Grouper, released February 4, 2013 on Kranky. A photograph of Harris' mother is featured on the cover art.^[1]

The album consists of outtakes from the previous several years, when she was in the process of recording Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill.^[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(81/100)[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Pitchfork Media	(8.3/10)[5]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[6]
NME	(7/10)[7]
Drowned In Sound	(9/10)[8]
Consequence of Sound	(B)[9]
PopMatters	(7/10)[10]
No Ripcord	(8/10)[11]
The Austin Chronicle	[12]
FACT	[13]

The aggregate review site Metacritic assigned an average score of 81 to the album based on 17 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."

The song, "Vital" was chosen as a Best New Track on Pitchfork Media on December 20, 2012,^[14] and also was placed at #88 on Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks of 2013.^[15]

Recording

In a press release, Harris explained the title The Man Who Died in His Boat:

“

When I was a teenager the wreckage of a sailboat washed up on the shore of Agate Beach. The remains of the vessel weren't removed for several days. I walked down with my father to peer inside the boat cabin. Maps, coffee cups and clothing were strewn around inside. I remember looking only briefly, wilted by the feeling that I was violating some remnant of this man's presence by witnessing the evidence of its failure. Later I read a story about him in the paper. It was impossible to know what had happened.[16]

”

Speaking of the main protagonist implied in the title of the album, Drowned In Sound collumnist Tim Peyton said:

“

The titular ...Man was a sailor whose boat was wrecked on the shore of Harris's hometown when she was a teenager. The mysterious pathos of this incident suits Grouper well. As Harris explains, 'the boat never crashed or capsized....(it) just slipped off somehow. And the boat, like a riderless horse, eventually came back home.' This haunting return of an unmanned vessel is spooky in a similar way to Harris's ethereal, multi tracked vocals.[17]

”

Track listing

All songs written and performed by Liz Harris.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"6"	1:49
2.	"Vital"	4:14
3.	"Cloud in Places"	4:05
4.	"Being Her Shadow"	4:45
5.	"Cover the Long Way"	4:06
6.	"Difference (Voices)"	5:48
7.	"Vanishing Point"	3:32
8.	"The Man Who Died in His Boat"	5:01
9.	"Towers"	5:19
10.	"STS"	6:06
11.	"Living Room"	2:22
Total length:		47:07

References

1. Peyton, Tim (2013-02-01). "Album Review: Grouper - The Man Who Died in his Boat". Drowned In Sound. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
2. Richardson, Mark. "Grouper: The Man Who Died In His Boat". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
3. "Grouper - The Man Who Died in His Boat". Metacritic.
4. Phares, Heather. "Grouper - The Man Who Died in His Boat". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
5. "Grouper - The Man Who Died in His Boat Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork Media.
6. "Grouper - The Man Who Died in His Boat Tiny Mix Tapes Review".
7. "Grouper - The Man Who Died in His Boat NME Review".
8. "Grouper - The Man Who Died in His Boat Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned In Sound.
9. Kivel, Adam. "Grouper – The Man Who Died In His Boat". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
10. Smith, Robin. "Grouper: The Man Who Died in His Boat". PopMatters. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
11. Wragg, Stephen. "Grouper: The Man Who Died in His Boat". No Ripcord. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
12. Winkie, Luke. "Review: Grouper - The Man Who Died in His Boat". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
13. Finlayson, Angus. "The Man Who Died in his Boat". FACT. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
14. "Grouper - Vital BNT on Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com.
15. "Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks of 2013". pitchfork.com.
16. Minsker, Evan. "New Grouper Album Coming, Plus Reissue of Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
17. Peyton, Tim. "Grouper - The Man Who Died In His Boat". Drowned In Sound. Retrieved 25 March 2016.