Wildbirds & Peacedrums: The Snake (The Leaf Label)

15:42 | Thursday March 5, 2009

Swedish couple Andreas Weliin and Mariam Wallentin are a force of nature live; they can hush the most boisterous of crowds to deliver a spine-tingling performance time after time.

Their commitment to the live platform is plain to see; Wallentin mesmerises with her unbridled enthusiasm, losing herself in swathes of raw emotion while Weliin displays a mastery of rhythm that fleshes out their minimal music with all manner of percussive treats.

Drawing influence from such disparate strands as rock n roll, soul, indigenous Sami music and modern folk, the pair eschew common conventions of pop craft to strip their music back to the bare essentials.

It seems that capturing this live electricity must be a monumental task, and on record, although impressive and deeply carnal, some of the energy is lost.

Having said that, this follow-up to last year’s Heartcore debut sees the duo expand their limited musical arsenal to begin layering sound and filling out their songs to offer more light and shade.

As a result, The Snake feels like a more realised album, with tracks like Chain Of Steel and So Soft So Pink clearly paving the way.

The album is preceded by single There Is No Light on March 23.