Okay, when I first heard about the grammatically challenged project that is She & Him, I completely and totally lost it. M. Ward, according to my Last.Fm is the artist I listen to more than anyone else, and Zooey Deschanel is, according to anyone who knows me, a point of relentless obsession.
Fast forward to now: the record is out, the press shots are available, the tour is rumored, and things are in full swing. I love this record, more than I’ve loved something in quite some time. The songs are literally from another time, sure people throw around the “70’s am pop” and “Golden-era pop” labels a lot but this is the real deal. The songs would fit easily on time life collection of Sounds of the Fifties without being noticed.
My only regret: where’d Matt go? The project was billed as a collaboration, and frankly that may be a little misleading. M’s vocals are few and far between, keeping himself busy playing and helping produce the effort. Don’t get me wrong, that’s fine! Zooey is a really great songwriter and has a wonderfully pleasing voice, but I definitely wouldn’t mind hearing a little bit more of the cigarettes & whiskey timbre of Mr. Matt Ward’s golden vocal chords. Overall I give it an awesome out of five stars.
[mp3] She & Him – I Was Made for You
Buy She & Him: Volume One now.
Sometimes songs, great songs, can be far more effective when performed with voice and minimal instrumental accompaniment. That’s the test of a truly great song, does it sound as good with one guitar in your bedroom as it does through the studio monitors?
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