The Wolfmen may not be a household name right now but the individuals involved certainly are, well they are in my household. As the photocopied blurb in front of me says, they are "ex-
Banshee and
Adam & The Ants guitarist
Marco Pirroni and ex-Adam Ant bassist/vocalist
Chris Constantinou". Knowing that 2 singles by this combo were winging their way to me has had me checking the post all week, just in case the postie decided to deliver at 3am (you never know these days).
I wasn't sure what expect from
Two Eyes when i put it on. I love listening to different types of music but know next to nothing about Indian music except for UK based artists like
Talvin Singh,
Asian Dub Foundation and
Dhol Foundation. So I decided that I really must check out this collaboration between "Multi-million selling Indian Bhangra superstar"
Daler Mehndi and The Wolfmen. This was, intentionally, the first of the 2 cds that I put on. Its now been on repeat for about an hour. This beast of a track starts off slowly and soon explodes into what can only be described as a Bhangra/Cyberpunk crossover. No wonder it has been so well recieved on the BBCs Asian Network, if there is any justice this will also find its way onto some of the mainstream shows regular playlists. Its combination of soundscapes and cultures duck, dive and swerve around each other, occasionally coming together in what can only be described as "anthemic style". The drums are hard and insistent, the guitars sound beautifully confrontational and the bass sweeps through the track like an unspoken command to dance. The selection of Indian instruments which lead the track off have no problems complimenting this sound throughout before finally pushing the rest of the music to an infectious climax and a squealing guitar solo that shows Pirroni is still on top of his game. Daler Mehndi's vocals dominate everything and even though I don't know what he is singing I don't care, this track is one that i'll still be listening to in 10 years time. This tracks rocks, and then it rocks some more. Only released as a download I am hoping this track is just a taster for Mehndi's forthcoming album
Thieves & Liars, also being produced by The Wolfmen.
Cecilie is an altogether different sound, much more mellow and laid back. The bass is almost hypnotic while the drums sound like a slowed down version of the much used "indie big beat" as heard on tracks like
Blur's
There's No Other Way and
Fools Gold by
The Stone Roses. Dreamlike guitars and the occasional addition of harmonica and flute complete the music that Chris Constantinou's vocals swagger over. It is a very catchy track but very haunting at the same time, lyrically downbeat but musically optimistic. None of their tracks sound particularly similar to each other and that, in my opinion, is the strength of a good band. Their sound owes as much to Pirroni and Constantinou's previous bands as it does to the evolved sounds of the people that they themselves influenced. Its not every band who can boast a single whose b side,
Do The Ostrich, was co-written with
Lou Reed. The Wolfmen might not be to everyones tastes but these 2 singles certainly make me want to hear more of their stuff and see them live, I'll definitely be keeping my eye on what happens next with both projects.
Daler Mehndi feat. The Wolfmen - Two Eyes (Do Naina) is available for download now.
The Wolfmen - Cecilie is released on November 19th.
For more information visit
http://www.thewolfmen.net and to hear both tracks visit
http://www.myspace.com/thewolfmen 
![<!-- google_ad_section_start -->The Wolfmen - Cecilie and Two Eyes (with Daler Mehndi) [singles]<!-- google_ad_section_end -->](/forums/geek/gars/images/6/4/3/thumb_Mehndi_2Eyes_500.jpg)
