Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Rivers 2010

A study in contrasts, Rivers finds Wildbirds & Peacedrums exploring the conceptual possibilities of their approach. Once again, Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin limit themselves to voice and percussion, but this album -- which combines the limited-edition EPs Retina and Iris -- features some of the duo’s most ambitious and fullest-sounding music. Wallentin and Werliin ventured to Iceland to record these songs, recording the expansive Retina in Guðríðarkirkja church with cellist and arranger Hildur Guðnadóttir and the Schola Cantorum Reykjavík Chamber Choir. Trading the fiery outbursts of Heartcore and The Snake for a deeper dive into Wildbirds & Peacedrums’ wintry, introspective side, Retina feels at once sacred and avant-garde. The choir underscores Wallentin’s expressive vocals, adding to her ethereality on “Bleed Like There Was No Other Flood,” shadowing her like a battle cry on “Fight for Me” and echoing her joy on “Tiny Holes in This World.” The dark, meditative feel of these songs recalls Björk’s later work -- not a surprise, since the Schola Cantorum Reykjavík Chamber Choir worked with her on Medúlla. What is somewhat surprising is the amount of restraint the duo shows not just on Retina, but Iris as well. Recorded in Reykjavík’s Greenhouse Studios, Iris focuses on Wallentin’s voice and the watery tones of the steel pan. Though “The Wave” suggests that these songs will be more like the band’s previous work, a calmer, softer Wildbirds & Peacedrums presents itself on songs like “The Drop” and “The Lake.” While the duo’s more explosive side is missed -- they don’t really cut loose until Iris’ final track “The Well” -- a more sophisticated and soulful aspect of their music surfaces on “The Course,” where Wallentin sings, “I need a prayer to hold my course/To get a god to give me the force.” That Werliin and Wallentin recorded all of these songs within a week is impressive enough, but the new directions they hint at for Wildbirds & Peacedrums are even more exciting. Rivers isn’t as immediate as either Heartcore or The Snake, but fans should find it satisfying once they’ve had time to let it soak into their ears, brains and hearts. AMG.

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Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Rhythm 2014

If Wildbirds & Peacedrums' music had to be described with one word, it would be Rhythm, and the duo's fourth album delivers all the power and complexity suggested by its title. Following the success of 2010's expansive, experimental Rivers, Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin embarked on a long string of performances that honed their already powerful live act. Inspired, they pared Rhythm's songs down to the most vital aspects of their music: vocals and percussion. While Wildbirds & Peacedrumsalready generated more sparks than many acts with bigger lineups and fuller sounds, now they sound more self-assured and direct than ever. Thanks to Rhythm's up close and personal production, it feels like listeners are inside Wallentin's throat and Werliin's kit. Meanwhile, the duo's songwriting is equally primal and sophisticated, refining the raw power of previous standouts like "There Is No Light" just enough to give it a few more facets. The album's insistent lead single, "The Offbeat," is a fantastic example of the duo's newfound clarity: Werliin and Wallentin both have room to be as simple or elaborate as they wish, and they complement their hard-hitting moments with flourishes that nod to their jazz roots. Throughout Rhythm, they find different ways of expressing the album's focus, ranging from the way "Gold Digger" builds from slinky, bass-driven verses into something towering and imposing to "Mind Blues"' stomping beat and Wallentin's rapid-fire questioning of her very existence. Fittingly for an album that revolves around creative rebirth, songs such as this one and "Who I Was" explore identity, a quest that takes on mystical dimensions as Rhythm unfolds. Wallentin's voice is commanding on its own, but when it's multiplied on "Soft Wind, Soft Death," she sounds like a choir of beautiful but terrifying angels; meanwhile, "Keep Some Hope" and "Everything All the Time" touch on life's great questions with incantation-like intensity. Mysterious and riveting, Rhythm is one of the most stunning distillations of Wildbirds & Peacedrums' powers yet. AMG.

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