Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 4 / 5 Reviewer: Garth Paulson |
On ‘My Heart,’ the triumphant closer on the sophomore album The Snake by Swedish drums and vocal duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Mariam Wallentin sings in a soaring, cracking Janis Joplin howl “Don’t run/’Cuz you see I’m lost without your rhythm.” It’s likely safe to assume that the same is true for her husband, drummer Andreas Werliin, that he’d be lost without Wallentin’s melody.
Quite simply, Wildbirds & Peacedrums shouldn’t work. Consisting of little more than Werliin’s drumming and Wallentin’s bluesy vocals, the makeup of the band sounds like it should have hit the creative wall after a couple of songs, yet not only is The Snake a strong, and surprisingly varied album for such a necessarily minimalist group, it’s also a forceful step forward from 2007’s already strong Heartcore. It shouldn’t work. Heck, Wallentin and Werliin should be lost even with each other, but somehow the two mesh together so well and put so much of themselves into their performances that while listening to The Snake it becomes difficult to remember that all you’re hearing is a woman unhinging herself into a mad siren wail overtop of some pretty fine drumming.
The band does occasionally allow some extra elements to enter their songs. On ‘Chain of Steel’ they indulge in a peppy little piano and xylophone melody. The shape shifting ‘Great Lines’ evolves from a tribal chant to a stomping rocker with the aid of a splash of auto-harp. In addition to Werliin’s usual percussive duties, ‘My Heart’ also features some gorgeous steel drums. While all of these little flourishes offer some welcome sonic variation and certainly help to thicken Wildbirds & Peacedrums’ sound, the heart of the band clearly still lies in the wonderful and oh so primal interplay between rhythm and voice, everything else is just gravy.
The Snake shouldn’t work as well as it does and it’s anyone’s guess how long the group will be able to continue finding the map, but for now Wildbirds & Peacedrums have managed an impressive little streak despite all possible expectations. This is pop music stripped to its absolute minimum—which isn’t to say that it’s simple; Werliin is a freaking maniac behind the kit—and damn if it doesn’t sound great.
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