Swedish spouses Wildbirds & Peacedrums’ brand of raw blues meets alt.folk may prove somewhat of an acquired taste for some, with this stripped down aching opus propelled by Andreas Werliin’s primal percussion and Mariam Wallentin piercing, wailed warbles set to off kilter beats, and steelpan drums, it proves to be immediately jarring and perplexing, but perseverance reveals the core sentiment; a heartfelt, life affirming song of praise, in the most literal of senses.
‘My Heart’ provides an ode to the vital beating organ that allows this symbiotic exchange and recognition to be declared, “Don’t run…you see I’m lost without your rhythm” the refrain repeatedly bellows as Mariam pleads with her heart not fail her, “My heart believe… that there’s no reason to increase that pulse into running horses”, “Don’t make me slip and lose that feeling, of a few seconds immortality”.
There have been myriads of songs, symphonies and sonnet dedicated to the affairs of the heart, often bypassing the beating source of their titles, rarely are both the anatomical and philosophical explored with such a heightened sense of emotion and urgency, directly bringing forth a quickening of the pulse and eliciting a flutter of the heart from within the listener’s own ribcage.