Wildbirds & Peacedrums

Wildbirds & Peacedrums are a husband-wife duo from Sweden who have most recently been seen opening for Lykke Li.  Without hearing the music, from those pieces of information you might have a pretty good idea in your mind of what they sound like (perhaps something like Mates of State meets Peter Bjorn and John) and you’d be completely, utterly wrong.  This is a band that bucks the Swedish indie pop trend and goes for something completely unique, a sound that is composed entirely of the couple’s vocals and a variety of percussion instruments. The album, titled Heartcore, provides a mix of organic folk, soul, and pop that enthralls and engages the careful listener.

The song that drew me to the band was “I Can’t Tell In His Eyes”, its sparse instrumentation providing a lovely undertone to Mariam Wallentin’s vocals, which sound like more refined, less squeaky Joanna Newsom.  “The Battle In Water” is a gorgeous duet between the two based on a melancholy piano/glockenspiel melody.  When placed to the intimate lyrics the music becomes even more evocative and powerful.  Wildbirds & Peacedrums are not for everyone, but if you can appreciate subtlety and ambiance in your music then I very much recommend listening to them.