"The Whispering Tree manage to be extremely accessible without compromising the intelligence of their music. To say that Kleiner sounds like an edgier version of Tift Merritt, or Shelby Lynne in a pensive, cosmopolitan moment, doesn't do justice to the originality of her songwriting or her unaffected, disarmingly direct vocals. The band were amazing."
Called “one of the most talented duos to take stage in NYC” by Deli Magazine, The Whispering Tree are singer/songwriter Eleanor Kleiner and multi-instrumentalist Elie Brangbour. Together, they craft richly immersive folk-rock brimming with evocative lyrics and a panoramic musicality.
Invisible Forces, the fourth recording by the fiercely independent twosome, debuted at #1 on the International Folk DJ charts, with four songs in the top 20. The album was self-produced, fan-funded and recorded at Elie and Eleanor’s home studio in Beacon, NY and at Old Soul Studio in Catskill, NY and explores a deeply personal and political landscape, with themes of hope, despair and social consciousness.
The lead single, “Fat Cat” has antecedents in Elie’s French background and the old-time gypsy jazz tradition back in his hometown while the satirical, anti-capitalist sentiment of the lyrics is firmly rooted in the protest songs of the folk revival.
Other album highlights include the impressionistic “These Houses,” a song describing the haunting beauty of abandoned places; the revelatory “Heavy,” which with elegant grace, connects New Orleans-style jazz with the 1960s rock and pop harmony vocal tradition; the darkly foreboding environmental ballad, “Garden;” and the sweetly rousing protest song “Bells.”
Since its 2007 inception, The Whispering Tree has issued two albums and two EPs, and toured nationally and internationally. The duo has also earned prime critical acclaim from The Big Takeover Magazine and Keyboard Magazine, among others. Other marquee career moments include being Kerrville New Folk finalists; Philadelphia Songwriter’s Project winners; and Eleanor and Elie having the honor to lend their voices to Pete Seeger and Lorre Wyatt's album, A More Perfect Union.
2019 Artist of the Year, Listening Room Network
No.1 Album, No.1 Artist, No.2 Song on Folk Radio, September 2018
2017 Southwest Regional Folk Alliance Official Showcase
2017 New Folk Finalist
2017 Philadelphia Songwriter's Project Winner
Performed on Pete Seeger and Lorre Wyatt's "A More Perfect Union"
North East Regional Folk Alliance official Showcase
North East Regional Folk Alliance Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase
