Album Reviews

Album Review: Wildbirds And Peacedrums – The Snake (The Leaf Label)

By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 20 April 2009

And now for something completely different, again. Swedish husband and wife, Mariam Walletin and Andreas Werlin, return with the follow-up to their acclaimed debut ‘Heartcore’. They’ve pretty much stuck to the same gloriously simple formula of Mariam’s acrobatic vocals accompanied by genius percussion, but this time, by adding a smattering of piano, xylophone and marimba here and there, the duo have gifted upon us something very powerful indeed. ‘Snake’ creeps eerily to life with a stunningly uninhibited a capella performance of ‘Island’, showcasing an ethereal quality that sets a precedent for the rest of the album, which is pure aural escapism. Sometimes it lets out beautiful soundscapes that evoke the isolation and emptiness of frozen landscapes and hazy fogs floating on glaciers. The duo say that they never strive for perfection and like knots in wood, it’s the little flaws and chinks that make their music so spectacular. Deep down bluesy numbers like ‘Places’ exhibit the pairs ability to create grooves as deep as ravines. The intoxication of their unique blend of stripped down, organic soulful blues proves a heady brew but it’s Mariam’s feral vocals that stand out as the real spine tingling element on this album. Her unconstrained passion-fuelled primal screams are the exceptional element of this contemporary jazz-infused folk. Throughout, simplicity remains the key here. By stripping down the arrangements and eliminating distractions from Mariam’s impassioned vocals, the pair have managed to produce music containing such a cranked up intensity that even orchestra’s would struggle to emulate. MB

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