By: Sophie Mirzaian
After a few years and a couple of side projects, I'm glad to have Matthew Ward, better known as M. Ward, back to doing what he does best: very intimate solo work. The "him" in She & Him released his newest album, "A Wasteland Companion," on April 10.
Although this is M. Ward alone once again, it's obvious he's taken heavy influence from his recent projects, not only from She & Him with Zooey Deschanel but from Monsters of Folk with Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes.
The album begins with a guitar melody, then vocals and lyrics that reflect Ward's recent musings. The first lyrics on "Clean Slate" pull you in and prepare you for a journey of growth, mistakes, and maturation. When he was younger, he "thought the pain of defeat would last forever," but bravely opening his heart once again has allowed him a "clean slate."
"Primitive Girl" speaks of feminine simplicity and carefreeness. Ward wants the humble, lovely girl, but she doesn't need him nearly as much as he needs her to feel free. Halfway through, the single becomes more calm and muted, only to flawlessly transition into "Me and My Shadow," a song which is easily one of the finest Zooey Deschanel-M.Ward collaborations to date.
The guitar starts off like Elliott Smith's "Almost Over" (but with significantly more verve), and then Ward's lyrics come in with Deschanel occasionally adding her vintage voice and creating a richer, more lingering and more stirring song.
If Deschanel's lyrics are appropriate anywhere, it's on M. Ward's cover of Daniel Johnston's "Sweetheart." Ward takes an already oddly charming song and amplifies it tenfold with Deschanel's help. With a little speed and a little pep, he's created a song that is a fairly large departure from the original, and also much, much better.
In "I Get Ideas," Ward sings of a somewhat fortunate yet somewhat unfortunate love. He "[cares] more than [he cares] to." He wants to "scold" the girl he loves because of this, as if it's her fault he cares so much. But even if he doesn't want to care, he hopes he's right that her eyes "[are saying] the things [she'll] never say," that "[she] could love [him], too." Ward takes a familiar adolescent longing and translates that into song.
Track six, "The First Time I Ran Away," expresses an external emptiness alongside an internal yearning. Running away in itself isn't an indication of trying to escape something, but of hoping to run towards something better.
Later in the album, you see more of "Post-War" M. Ward shining through in "Watch the Show" and especially "There's a Key." His pleasantly rough voice accompanies his guitar in "There's a Key." "Wild Goose" is also close to his older solo work due to its rough and whispery lyrics but fairly rich musical quality.
The passions characterizing "Pure Joy" can be used to describe his entire album. Ward not only acknowledges the presence of complex things in life like love, depression, hopelessness, and affection, but also packages them into something so simple. Although the album lasts roughly 36 minutes, it gives you material for hours of sober contemplation.
The sound is closer to She & Him than to Ward's previous solo work, but the quality of "A Wasteland Companion" is on par with his brilliant 2006 release "Post-War." This extremely easily-receivable album lacks exceptional musical complexity, but takes listeners through a world of emotion, emptiness to cheerfulness, different feelings for different situations song after song, all the while keeping your spirits high.
