Peter Wolf Crier – Hard As Nails
Peter Wolf Crier – Playwright
I was a bit torn about getting this one written. On the one hand, I'm having the extremely lazy day I've needed so badly after the last few hell weeks at work. On the other hand, I've only just discovered Peter Wolf Crier's album, Inter-Be, and it's wrapped my chilly soul in a nice, warm argyle sweater. Back to the first hand, the album came out in 2009 (that's 136 B.C. in Blog Years). Then again, I'd be doing myself and most importantly our loyal readers a giant disservice if I didn't introduce you to this band. So here goes.
Peter Wolf Crier is the epically awesome name Minneapolis-based musicians Peter Pisano and Brian Moen chose for the newest project. While Pisano serves as the key songwriting force, Moen's drumming and engineering should not be underestimated.
On my first listen to Inter-be, I unintentionally pegged them as an indie-folk band. Upon further listens, I realized that I don't know what the hell I was thinking that first listen. While there are certainly folk elements infused into Peter Wolf Crier's songs, there is an underlying aggressiveness and unrest at the heart of these touching tunes. The percussion, in particular, is allowed free reign and volume to take the hand of the sweet, harmonic vocals and emotionally raw themes and lead them through a gauntlet of fire and ice into a tougher existence.
Take "Hard as Nails", for instance. You're swept through cold, empty streets in dark, shadowy towns. Love is within reach, but eludes your grasp. There are quiet and loud appeals to religion for redemption, but you're left unsure whether your needs are met. All along, somewhere in the background a train is chugging at full pace – is it carrying you to the freedom of the sun or ready to crash into your stationary car? The song is an ending and a beginning, and Inter-Be is a journey throughout.
Make sure you watch this brilliant, heartbreaking live version of "Demo 01" played in a wooden loft: