nineteen: Wildbirds And Peacedrums

Wow it's been a while. You probably think I've been trotting the globe off, eh?
Well in that case you're wrong. wrong. wrong. This far in my summer I have been sat on my arse watching some of the best athletes in the world fulfilling their dreams whilst my 12 year old sister shouts at the TV, "Run faster!". Those coaches don't know what they're up against.
I've really been hankering to spread my wings and get off to the coast, or to a buzzing city that isn't Manchester, preferably abroad.
This idea takes me to Sweden. Home to Wildbirds And Peacedrums, a stonking girl/boy, two-piece that are gonna blow all other minimalists out of the water.
The members Andreas Wallentin and Mariam Wallentin are a married couple who met at Gothenburg's Academy of Music and Drama in 2004. They share a love for that stripped down sound that they seem to master so easily.
Mariam's vocal power and capacity gives them a razor-sharp edge that can vary from songs such as The Way Things Go, which just pound through your eardrums at a cataclismic speed, to the softer side of the blade in songs like, personal favourite, The Battle In Water.
Their debut album Heartcore has already received glittering reviews in The Guardian and Pitchfork Magazine, surefire proof that they've got what it takes to send it up to the bigtime.
The duet rely on the combination of silence left by simple rhythms and Mariam's revved-up singing to support the songs, and boy do they ever. Andreas also believes there's a certain element of imagination that can be used in those silences. Hear what you like basically.
This becomes evident in songs like I Can't Tell In His Eyes, a shattering love song that arches up to a brilliant, opera-esque climax with a fantastic, wholesome atmosphere.
The two components of Andreas and Mariam go together like a horse and carriage. They both benefit equally from each other. Some of the cacophanies that come from Andreas' percussion could be shunted straight into the dreaded "experimental" file, and Mariam could easily tumble into the ever-increasing abyss of female singer-songwriters.
They're on tour in the UK in September, Manchester's the 8th of September at The Deaf Institute.
Listen to I Can't Tell In His Eyes here.