Thursday, January 14, 2010

Wildbirds & Peacedrums

I've been in need of some playlist refreshment from over-saturating myself with good stuff. Not to mention I need to recharge myself in the way that only an excellent concert can do. So I went to Bowery Presents website, picked out the bands with upcoming shows and interesting names, and gave them a listen to plug myself in. Enter Wildbirds & Peacedrums. The name of this Swedish duet alone is music to my ears. It calls to mind images of brightly sunlit dark green forests, colorful feathers, and heavy percussive puncuation. An excellent juxtaposition of polar opposites, heavy and light, dark and bright, that blend perfectly without losing any of its flavor. This is not a melting pot, nor is it oil & water. It's chocolate covered pretzels...perfectly complimentary to bring out the best in what wouldn't exist without the other. Yes, it's wonderfully fantastical. I am correct, sir! The singer has a Feist-y thing going on (especially in the second of the tunes I posted), but somehow she makes it interesting. Maybe it's the backdrop upon which she sings her melodies, or the quirks she throws in just when you think she's too close to coffeehouse acoustic. Eitherway, it makes me want to Billy-Elliot in a less graceful, but much more fun, fashion. Have a listen or two:

Bluesy Native American chanting & drumming wonder:


This is the semi-watered down version, but it's still good.


The great thing about "My Heart" is this: all the recordings are practically the same, no matter which you choose to listen to, but still somehow they have enough variation so that if you listen to one, it's more pop, another is jazzier, and yet another is heavier blues. Whatever your mood, there's a version of the same song to please you. Unless you're looking for death metal. I don't think they swing that way, sorry.

ENJOY!