Swedish husband-and-wife duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums echo the format laid down by drummer Budgie and singer Siouxsie as the Creatures three decades ago. Andreas Werliin’s drum motifs provide the startling backdrop for Mariam Wallentin’s bird-like vocal swoops and cries. Almost five years since the duo’s last effort, they have stripped everything down even further, ditching additional layers from steel drums to pump organs for just an occasional extra bang on a cowbell, and the nine songs here were each recorded in one take. The minimalism and space in the music focus attention on the stark blues and gymnastics in Wallentin’s voice as she rampages from subtle purrs and inflections to a Patti Smith-type poetic rap monologue on Gold Digger. The format can run the risk of feeling one-dimensional, and the repetitive Mind Blues is more jarring than thrilling, but The Offbeat and Everything All the Time are giant, funky, instantly catchy collisions of voice and rhythm that will no doubt gain even more physical heft when they play them live.
