I can't say that I'm especially au fait with the contemporary German Folk / Electronica scene. This means I can only judge the debut album by Wooden Peak, a duo from the coast, on its own merits. This is probably no bad thing.
The best thing about the opener is by far its title: 'Cows Collide' has a certain hilarity about it. Sadly, the song itself is slightly less amusing, but still. 'Glockenneuigkeit' has a laid back, almost jazzy feel to it - at least for the first three and a half minutes, at which points it bursts into a synth-driven rock-out (contradiction as it sounds) that's almost as exhilarating as it is unexpected.
A ticking clock, prone to jitters and stutters, provides the backbone of the sparse yet tense 'Great Farm,' which is more electronica than folk and really rather good in a rather odd way.
'Jackie + Fils' returns to the realms of jazz-infused mukaz that 'Glockenneuigkeit' hinted at, once again changing tone in the last couple of minutes. It's not perhaps quite as successful as the earlier track not least of all because it hints at an emerging formula of sorts.
There's a strange narrative running through 'Mr Tyre,' delivered in a detached tone, the words in English but with a clear German inflection. 'Mud Princess' drags rather over the course of its six and a half minute duration, but 'Shark Song' is rather more dreamy, even though it doesn't necessarily go anywhere far. There are few surprises in the final numbers, with 'Skin + Bones' sounding like a somewhat inferior retread of 'Shark Song,' and 'Von Drausen' taking the form of a modern jazz workout with additional electro chimes.
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It's rather hard to decide exactly what to make of 'Frog.' There are some genuinely inspired and magical moments to be found, but then there are long passages which are rather dull, or, worse still, indulgent muso-music, no doubt great fun to play, but not such great fun to listen to, at least for more than a couple of minutes. Ok, so some albums have absolutely no inspired or magical moments, so Wooden Peak definitely deserve recognition for their achievements. Sadly, the less enjoyable parts weigh down and counter the great bits, rendering 'Frog' simply 'ok.'
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