This June, Swedish avant-pop dream-weaving duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums dropped the EPs Retina and Iris as limited edition 12-inches. If you missed a shot at snagging one of each release’s 1,600 copies, they’ve now been bundled as a single CD-download — and thank goodness. Rivers is a stunner.
On Retina, singer-composer Mariam Wallentin and percussionist Andreas Werliin are joined by the Schola Cantorum Reykjavik Chamber Choir (previously heard on Björk’s Medulla), accenting Wallentin’s Kate Bush-esque vocals with dramatic flair. “Fight For Me” is the standout, with a sinister melody accented by indefinable shaker sounds at the fore.
Iris trades in the choir for the summery sound of a steel pan, though it maintains the pained emotional quality intrinsic to Wallentin’s songwriting and delivery. With badass experimental artist Ben Frost behind the boards, the EP gains a crisp and meticulous sonic quality, differing from Retina’s frayed-hem live sound. For previous fans and newcomers alike, this could be a watershed moment for Wildbirds & Peacedrums.
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