Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Heartcore
[The Leaf Label]

Having met at Gothenburg’s Academy of Music, husband and wife Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin formed Wildbirds & Peacedrums, self-produced a handful of CD-R releases before traveling the length and breadth of their native Sweden in a mobile studio to record 'Heartcore', their debut full-length. A whirlwind mélange of styles encapsulating everything from swampy blues, tribalistic jazz, forlorn folk and spiritual pop; this album feels right at home at the bastions of eclecticism, The Leaf Label, fitting snuggly between A Hawk and a Hacksaw’s Balkan funeral folk and Efterklang’s kaleidoscopic carnival of colour.

There’s a live, raw edge to these twelve recordings as this duo prefer to build their sound utilizing just two instruments (save for the occasional sprinkling of sitar, glockenspiel, harp and electronics) – namely Werliin’s robust, skillful percussion and Wallentin’s logic-defying voice. And what a voice it is! It fills every inch of space left by the drums, rendering the lack of ‘backing band’ instrumentation irrelevant. Press shots depict Wallentin with a frame as fragile as a small bird, yet the voice bursting from my stereo is as powerful as a lions roar.

Bjork comparisons are, of course, inevitable. After all they share the same continent and are of similar pixie-like stature. But that’s were the comparisons should end, Wallentin’s vocals are left largely free from studio trickery, save for fleeting double-tracking touches, yet remain thoroughly engaging throughout. This is no slight on Bjork, of course; she is as enigmatic as they come in this day and age. Wallentin’s vocal range is just that provocative.

“I don’t need to cover up Miriam’s voice” husband Andreas told The Guardian recently. “I can just play a simple rhythm and rely on the space/silence”. Referring to his part here as ‘simple’ is underplaying his role just a tad, as Werliin is clearly from the virtuoso school of percussionists. He rolls back the years on 'Bird' dynamically powering his way through a beat progression like a young Keith Moon or John Bonham. 'On The Way Things Go' the peculiar, juggernauting groove is pure Ginger Baker and is just another in a long line of examples of his percussion prowess.

Wallentin, though, is undoubtedly the star of the show – a fact her husband is seemingly only too happy to concede. She comes from a rare bloodline of female vocalists that can knock you sideways with one simple note. Joplin, Denny, Slick, Gibbons and Wallentin, it has a certain ring to it. Comfortable in many styles, she can do abstract, as shown on 'Bird', she can perform gentle folk standing on her head – try 'I Can’t Tell In His Eyes', she can even do harmonious duets as featured on 'The Battle In Winter' (Sonny and Cher this is not!) Rock goddess you ask? Not a problem! witness the jaw-dropping, album stand-out 'The Window'. It’s raw, jagged and completely in your face, while Wallentin’s delivery is aggressive, soulful and inherently beautiful all at the same time. It’s one of the most exciting combinations put to record this year, one of those tracks that you simply must hear.

Like a massive tidal wave, Wallentin’s voice is as powerful as a catastrophic force of nature, a phenomenon if you will. From introspective, to ‘woe-is-me’ blues, from hazy club jazz to soulful pop, she can do it all. Her vocals, along with Werliin’s adept percussive grooves thread 'Heartcore' with a unique sensibility, one that propels this captivating and exhilarating recording.

Heartcore Tracklisting:

1. Pony
2. The Way Things Go
3. Bird
4. I Can't Tell In His Eyes
5. Doubt/Hope
6. A Story From A Chair
7. The Battle In Water
8. The Ones That Should Save Me Get Me Down
9. Lost Love
10. The Window
11. Nakina
12. We Hold Each Other Song