Dream-folk debut displays the beguiling talents of this Pacific Northwest singer-songwriter.
The eleven songs on “Weathervane Whale” were written and recorded during the lockdown years of the pandemic. Pacific Northwest artist Elena Loper used the enforced solace to reflect on her experiences and memories, both beautiful and tragic. Her gently flowing acoustic guitar and ethereal vocals form the backbone of Loper’s dreamy compositions. Sparse, subtle backing from piano, banjo, strings, percussion, and harmony vocals effectively fill out the sound.
One of the central themes of “Weathervane Whale” is the time Loper spent with her grandmother before her passing. The title song’s rolling melodicism is anchored by Loper’s carefully measured circular guitar motifs, supported by stately violin figures, as Loper recounts visiting art museums and going to plays while absorbing her grandmother’s wisdom. Lightly skipping guitar, piano, and vocals imbue the brief ‘Petrichor,’ which gets its name from the pleasant fragrance brought on by rain after a long dry spell. Loper compares the beauty and decay of this phenomenon to the grief felt over her loss. A haunting voicemail recording opens ‘Shirley,’ a hushed guitar and vocal soliloquy sketching the sights, sounds and emotions surrounding the night her titular loved one departed.
Many of the album’s remaining songs examine a variety of unique subjects. The mysteriously wistful ‘Get By’ is about being infatuated by a new place or person, only to slowly realise that they may not be the right fit for you. Addiction and co-dependence are addressed in ‘Temperance’, “When you explode, I pick up the rubble / And I implode, I absorb your trouble”, while violin and backing vocals deftly dance around Loper’s soaring voice. ‘Bang’ is a country folk ballad that casts Star Wars actor Carrie Fisher as the heroic protagonist battling against her addictions and society’s objectification. And the wildly imaginative ‘Eva Green Time Machine’ waltzes queer relationships back into the 1800s via a dream.
Elena Loper’s dream-folk debut presents her as a beguiling, distinctive talent, unafraid to tackle serious matters within her artfully arranged and crafted tunes. Curious listeners will find much here to love.
