My Newest Obsession o' tha week: Peter Wolf Crier

Delectably simple--yet somehow full of melodic clamors of falsetto, loops of dusty percussion, easygoing guitar, pianos and rustic harmonies. Peter Wolf Crier may have a less than gripping band name and their orchestration may be far from heavy, yet their original and captivating collection of songs on their forthcoming May debut release, Inter-Be may very well possibly be one of 2010's best albums. Or at least, one of the best albums you never knew of. If it wasn't for my obsession with disposable albums of the week (or day, hour, minute), and hipinion, I may never have given this Minnesotan folksy duo a fair shot. I caught them briefly open up for the feminine tear-jerker Sharon Von Etten and my all-time dreamboat Owen Pallett at Schuba's a few months back and thought, ah this isn't horrible - but after my numerous bottles of pbr I had all but blanked them out. Fast forward to hipinion download forum and the constant shout-outs on Muzzle of Bees and I figured, eh, why not check em out. Listened to Inter-Be once and was like, ehhh heard it before. Bon Iver's sidekicks, pansies, I bet they have tattoos and got teased in gradeschool.

Well, after seeing them in Texas this last week I was able to at least verify the tattoo part. And the Bon Iver comparisons are all but impossible to avoid with the falsetto vocal work and gentle melodies. But once you give the record a second, third, fourth listen. . . you're drawn in. It's difficult to describe, since everyone who pays even the slightest bit of attention to today's music scene can attest that "Acoustic, harmonic Indie Folk Melodies" are just one of many's overkill formulas --but something about these dudes, it just grips at you. They're full of heart and their instrumentation is phenomenal. Even my metal-head girlfriend who normally scoffs at any of my musical suggestions agreed that the overall musicianship of each of these gentlemen was something not to ignore. The loops of vocals. The intensity of the percussion. The dual harmonies. The piano. Guitar. Such an echoic, yet orchestral vibe - something you truly have to witness live to believe that such a full sound could be created by a mere two man group.

The light hearted and easy going "Crutch and Cane" opens the record off, to an irresistably fun and optimistic start despite leadman Peter Pissano's questioning - "Where's our smiles? Where's our grace?". Transitioning into the other album gripper, "Hard as Nails," Brian Moen's brush stick light drumming opens up a haunting, yet addicting number packed full of contrasting, yet eerily, complimenting vocal harmonies.

I could go on and on about how great this album is. Maybe it's just the warmer, longer, greener spring days. All the free time on my hands. The experience and memories that were South by Southwest. This new transitional period in my life. Or perhaps I'm just a sucker for wussy harmonies and solid instrumentation. Whatever it is, I highly recommend checking out Inter-Be upon its release in May. Haunting and gripping, this 11-chapter story is one I definitely choose to share.