Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Heartcore

Hailing from Sweden, Wildbirds & Peacedrums are the unusual pairing of a percussionist and vocalist. Their stripped down sound treads that thin line between experimental and unlistenable. For the most part, the weight of the latter is greater than the former. With a small armoury of sound sources, the key can surely only lie in keeping it simple or going hogwild to see what a sole drumkit and a voice can achieve. They try plan B and indeed, some of the sounds created are interesting at best, though the vocals too often grate for the most part; moments of emotion are overwhelmed by earth mother wailing. The Battle In Water stands out, as those unruly vocals are reined in while simple piano chords and percussion are enough to make for a gorgeous duet. This album, from the normally reliable Leaf Label, is a classic example of why, sometimes, less is so much more. [Matt Gollock]