A I A: Alien Observer
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = A I A: Alien Observer
| type = studio
| artist = Grouper
| cover = A I A Alien Observer.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2011|04|11}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = {{hlist|Ambient|dream pop}}
| length = {{Duration|m=39|s=07}}
| label = Yellow Electric
| producer = Liz Harris
| prev_title = A I A: Dream Loss
| prev_year = 2011
| next_title = Violet Replacement
| next_year = 2012
| misc = {{Singles
| name = A I A: Alien Observer
| type = studio
| single1 = Alien Observer
| single1date = April 3rd, 2011
}}
}}
A I A: Alien Observer is the seventh studio album by American musician Liz Harris under the stage name Grouper. It is the second of her two-part album series A I A, released on April 11, 2011, on Yellow Electric. The track "Alien Observer" was issued on April 3, prior to the album's release.{{cite web |last1=Powell |first1=Mike |title=Tracks: "Alien Observer" - Grouper |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/12160-grouper-alien-observer/ |website=Pitchfork.com |access-date=19 November 2022}}
Critical reception
{{music ratings
| rev1 = Pitchfork
| rev1Score = 8.1/10{{cite web|last=Richardson|first=Mark|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15332-a-i-a-alien-observer-a-i-a-dream-loss/|title=Grouper: A I A : Alien Observer / A I A : Dream Loss|work=Pitchfork|date=April 18, 2011|access-date=April 24, 2018}}
}}
A I A: Alien Observer, along with A I A: Dream Loss, received an honorable mention on Pitchfork{{'}}s list of the best albums of 2011.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/8730-albums-of-the-year-honorable-mention/|title=Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention|work=Pitchfork|date=December 14, 2011|access-date=April 24, 2018}} In 2016, Pitchfork ranked Alien Observer at number 21 on its list of the 50 best ambient albums of all time. Staff writer Kevin Lozano wrote: "Liz Harris’ voice has the ability to leave you dumbstruck, speechless, just plain wrecked. It’s so beautiful, it’s almost mythic. Her hums, the barely audible whispers of words, the repetitions of phrases—they are often phantom presences, conjuring spooky action at a distance. [...] Harris stretches her voice into a ghostly chorus. Alien Observer feels material and visceral, but it retains her sense of mystery and emotional resonance."{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9948-the-50-best-ambient-albums-of-all-time/?page=3|title=The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time|work=Pitchfork|date=September 26, 2016|access-date=April 24, 2018|page=3}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Liz Harris
| title1 = Moon Is Sharp
| length1 = 6:49
| title2 = Alien Observer
| length2 = 3:57
| title3 = Vapor Trails
| length3 = 9:05
| title4 = She Loves Me That Way
| length4 = 8:34
| title5 = Mary, On the Wall - Second Heart Tone
| length5 = 6:08
| title6 = Come Softly - for Daniel D.
| length6 = 4:34
| total_length = 39:07
}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Grouper (musician)}}
{{Authority control}}