M Ward

On That She and Him Album; It’s New

You may or may not have heard about a little musical pairing called She & Him. It’s a folk band by M. Ward and my super-crush Zooey Deschanel. This is a band that’s always maintained a place just under my radar. Volume 1 was a solid album, but I found it slow and dragging in more than a few parts. Even the album’s single “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here” kind of moseyed its way into my heart with the speed of a teenager asked to wash dishes…by hand. That’s not to say that I didn’t like the album, because I did. It just didn’t appeal to my more “pop” sensibilities.

Enter Volume 2, which dropped on the 23rd. Having seen the music video for “In the Sun” I was anxious to hear how the rest of the album played out. NPR once again had a play-through of the entire album, and I finally gave it a listen. From the get-go, I was drawn in thanks to the livelier tunes and the tighter songs. Instead of wondering when a song would end, I found myself wishing songs would go on just a little bit longer.

I realize that complaining about the pacing in a folk album is somewhat akin to bitching about Pizza Hut pizzas having too much grease, but for me it’s truly the difference between a “good” album and a “REALLY GOOD” album. And folks, it IS a REALLY GOOD album. Even if you’re not that big of a Deschanel fan, I suggest you give the band a second chance with this album. Who knows, you might even tap your toes a bit.