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Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

Electronica seems to have declined in popularity as of late, with the masses seemingly becoming increasingly disillusioned by the increasing blandness associated with the mass of Hi-technology, Lo enginuity acts across the media spectrum. Consequently, bred from this culture of musical complication, the Swedish spousal duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums have been quietly collecting a great deal of critical acclaim for their unadulterated, minimalist, pseudo-blues compositions. Their recent tour schedule has seen the couple take to the British festival circuit to promote their latest work, The Snake.
 

The first thing that strikes you about Wildbirds & Peacedrums, (the Wildbird being Mariam & the Peacedrum being Andreas), is their undeniable chemistry, both on-stage & off, which has been wonderfully captured on their latest release.

Andreas: Well, with (The Snake), we were a lot more concious of making a more structured album, whereas with the first there was a lot of fooling around. It was a very productive five days, with a little fooling around.
 

Mariam: We were in this huge studio, with a lot of equipment, so we just brought everything we had & put it on the floor, which really helped with the structure of the songs. We had a lot of ideas but we could use the sounds & textures to really get across the atmosphere of the record.

With such minimal instrumentation The Snake sounds surprisingly full, with a definite sense of immediacy resounding from the instinctiveness of their set-up.

Mariam: (The Snake) definitely shows a different side to us, it feels more like we have our own sound & direction which has developed through the recording process. But the recording process is still more of a documentation than a quest to create a 'perfect' record.

Andreas: It was a very quick process, the five days spent recording, then the mixing. We were able to just let go, which is where a great deal of the intimacy comes from.

A lot of the band's energy is instantly accessible through their live shows. Mariam's on-stage persona seemingly channelling something from the Mississippi delta, here impassioned vocals gut-wrenching & guttural, while Andreas' Neo-Jazz percussive stylings' providing the Terra-firma from which Mariam's storytelling can grow.

Mariam: The live show is a very emotive event, it's all about interaction and creating something that people can feel & will remember. As long as one person takes something away from it, we've done our job. The irony is as soon as we get on tour we want to be back in the studio making sounds again.

Wildbirds' infectious, almost hypnotic sound has not only been heralded by those in the commercial critical circles. Their sound has permeated to the highest echelons of the Swedish Jazz scene with them being the most recent recipients of the prestigious Jazz in Sweden award.

Andreas: It was a great accolade to be given, but it wasn't something we set out to do. Jazz has become such a definable thing that it almost rejects a lot of the original aspects of Jazz as a concept. It's about freedom, expression, a lot of the things we try to channel. So whilst we're not a Jazz band in the aural tradition, that is to a degree what Jazz is about.

With Sweden's musical heritage being primarily ABBA, it's thoroughly absorbing to hear a band such as Wildbirds. Their ability to evoke almost animalistic urgency is only rivalled by their abstinance from the banal, their compositions always underpinned by a degree of grace & elegance.

While their sound may be slightly niche for the mainstream, Wildbirds & Peacedrums are a band who will continue to challenge the musical palette of those who dare to sneak a taste. Bon appetite.