She and Him- Volume One

She and Him- Volume One

This is the baby of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, a very eclectic mix of pretty mix of sixties inspired vocals and folk music followings. Zooey Deschanel is an incredibly cute actress who has chosen some pretty awful box office movies to star in, such as Elf and The New Guy. M. Ward is a folk music champ, producing an array of musical sounds from cacophonic guitar tunes and sweet tunes that can melt your heart. I think the female singer has an incredibly strong typecast. She can be a folk artist with a guitar, a side member in a band or an awful rock band (I’m thinking ‘90s bombs, Liveonrelease; or Avril Lavigne). Recently there’s been a serious rise in female fronted indie acts like Feist, Amy Winehouse or the Pippettes. I love the direction that these ladies have taken it’s a classic route, filled with covers and heavy classic influences. I should probably include Chan “Cat Power” Marshall in this as well, with her recent cover album release. Classic women have a special aura to them that very few women have to day, beauty, sophistication, all that jazz.Deschanel’s voice sounds extremely similar to her speaking voice which sounds obvious enough. At times her songs sound a little Broadway sounding where it really sounds like she’s delivering a line for dialogue. Her voice is quirky though, very characteristic. At times I think a lot to Billie Holiday, others I think Mama Cass (of the Mamas and Papas). Deschanel definitely has a lot of class. M. Ward is a background, under the radar kind of guy. His solo albums have a lot of instrumental bits in them, that stray away form vocal material. Insert Deschanel and it’s the perfect outlet for M. Ward. He creates seriously beautiful music, he’s very heavily influenced by previous decades, think ranging from the ’40s all the way the late ’60s. His sound stretches from classic country all the way to the innocent sixties rock. Together these two musicians create some seriously sweet tunes. They’re very light but very easy on the ears. They sound a lot like Camera Obscura, but with a hint of country and bundles more interesting. Deschanel’s voice has the musical capability like Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) and Neko Case (of New Pornographers). Her voice can work with pop music as well as lovely ballads. “I Was Made For You” is a sweet poppy tune that sounds that sounds a ton like the Shangri-Las did it decades ago. If this was played at the Boat’s Going Steady dance offs the hipsters there wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, between genuine ‘60s material and She and Him. Upbeat Deschanel has a very Lesley Gore sound, but slower tunes reflect a Mama Cass sound. It takes a few listens but her voice is really beautiful.They do a cover of the Miracles’ tune “You Really Got A Hold On Me” (Smokey Robinson penned), which is such pretty song. It has been covered over and over again and I’m sure that you know it and just don’t know it by name. The Zombies did my favourite take of this song, but Deschanel and Ward’s version of it make for serious contenders. I screamed when I realised that this was a cover of one of favourite Zombies songs.The second cover they do is “I Should Have Known Better”, the Beatles tune. They change the lyrics, making it “I should have never known better with a GUY like you”. This song sounds very different from the original which is refreshing, and one of the few times there’s some M. Ward action, small but significant. He sings “But when I tell you that I love/You’re going to say you love me too/And when I ask you to be mine/Your gonna say you love me too”. When he said the second line there’s a slight laughter, which M. Ward does on a ton of his solo releases. It’s subtle and could never be heard upon a light listen but it evokes a spirit and life into the music, a raw feeling that makes it feel more live. This album is all over, like all M. Ward projects. They are only consistent in their influences and the renewal of older songs. I love solo projects that sound completely different from the original band’s--they really shed new light upon music that is normally left unheard. It gradually broadens the listeners ears to new sounds, in this case older sounds. I’m pretty scared that this hidden gem with explode and people will be flocking for it. M. Ward’s career will get a serious boost and as will Deschanel’s but that’s me being musically selfish.This album is to be released on M. Ward's label Merge on March 17, 2008. She and Him is obviously a grammatical bloop but it’s modest and concealing, like their music. I’m pretty jazzed for this tour, when it comes around, Toronto needs some class.9/10Please download: “You Really Got A Hold On Me” and “Take It Back”, I’m a sucker for the slow ones.Leak Leak Leak: http://www.mininova.org/tor/1184407

March 10, 2008