- Klara Källström & Thobias Fäldt
- Wildbirds & Peacedrums
Swedish couple Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin have to rate as one of music’s most dynamic forces, both together and on their own. Wallentin, a singer, released a fantastic solo album last year under the name Mariam the Believer, and her voice has turned up on projects and recordings by artists as disparate as art-pop singer Lykke Li, experimentalist Ben Frost, and jazz bassist Anders Jormin. Werliin, a drummer, has been busy as the percussionist in various improvisation projects including Angles 9, Time Is a Mountain, and Mats Gustafsson’s awesome Fire! and Fire! Orchestra. But I think their best work comes when they play together as Wildbirds & Peacedrums, a duo that brings a special blend of soul and experimentation to pop songs. That project hasn’t released a new record since 2010, but its silence was broken today with the release of “The Offbeat,” a fantastic stripped-down cut featuring just voice and drums. It’s the first single from the group’s forthcoming album Rhythm (due out in early November on the Leaf Label), and it’s today’s 12 O’Clock Track. After the jump you can check out Jacek Zmarz’s terrific video for the track, assembled from what appears to be an old drum-instruction video and some grainy soft-core pornography.
