Spectreview: Dravus House – Dravus House

-DEEP PINK-

For a guide to the review color rating system, click here.

Released in the spring in 2019 (and just as fitting for the spring of 2020), Dravus House’s self-titled album approaches folk with a classic sensibility – choruses must be paired with verses, minor and major chords inform their respective moods – but an ear for where the genre has traveled since the Greenwich Village glory days. Like a gently flowing river, the Seattle duo (comprised of singer-songwriter Elena Loper and multi-instrumentalist Cooper Stoulil) run through delicate, arpeggiated acoustic numbers that align most closely with the roots-folk of artists like Gillian Welch but remain stylistically varied enough to fend off staleness. Loper’s voice, clear and warm as peach blossom tea, proves to be equally varied, though her best performances are during tracks that escape the typical confines of singer-songwriter folk. The Ladies of the Canyon turn on “Oakmoss” and the unadorned declarations of love for “Meg” are immediate standouts along with the record’s opener, a bitter rumination on the familiar plight of women everywhere that’s sweetened with a twist of hope. Stoulil’s provides accompaniment in very subtle ways, fleshing out Loper’s numbers with touches of glockenspiel and organ in ways that are mostly aesthetically-driven but still inspired. Gorgeously produced for an independent record, Dravus House is an auspicious introduction to a talented pair, and while it doesn’t attempt anything wild, its pristine roots folk contents still make for compelling listening.

Recommended for cabins near the Cascades.