Although the Seattle indie folk outfit Carissa's Wierd never moved past a modest cult listenership, the ensemble's distinctive spelling and sound helped clear a path for later acoustic groups drawing from British and American folk-rock traditions of the 1960s and 1970s, among them Joanna Newsom and the Decemberists. The band dissolved without warning in 2003 after eight years together, sending its members into separate ventures: vocalist Jenn Ghetto launched the lo-fi D.I.Y. endeavor S, percussionist Sera Cahoone pursued an alt-country solo path, and guitarists Mat Brooke and Ben Bridwell established the indie rock group Band of Horses. Once that ensemble issued its Sub Pop debut Everything All the Time, Brooke departed the project—largely steered by Bridwell—to launch a fresh band. Originally billed as Archives, the group soon adopted the name Grand Archives and featured Brooke handling guitar and vocals alongside bassist Jeff Montano of the New Mexicans, guitarist Curtis Hall of the Jeunes, multi-instrumentalist Ron Lewis who records solo as Ghost Stories, and drummer Thomas Wright.
Drawing from 1970s harmony-driven acts such as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the Eagles, Grand Archives played their first show in spring 2007, supporting Cahoone at a Seattle club. The band then joined Modest Mouse on tour while finishing a self-titled album for Sub Pop that appeared in February 2008. One year afterward they delivered Keep in Mind Frankenstein, retaining the layered vocal approach of the earlier release.
