M. Ward's new album,
A Wasteland Companion, kicks off with a soft but driving acoustic guitar pattern—the first few seconds of opening song "Clean Slate" are an intriguing mix of calm and motion. Frustratingly, then, the song slams to a creative halt: Ward begins singing an aimless melody with his lyrics that are candid but abstract.
This is, unfortunately, how most of the album goes. Of course, Ward's past discography generally consists of glowing, vintage folk rock, so A Wasteland Companion should theoretically be no different: a set of old-souled, fresh-faced, truly tuneful songs that make you feel. And some songs achieve that: The sugary, fuzzy "Sweetheart," which features vocals by long-time collaborator Zooey Deschanel, is a sunny treat of folk-pop, and the breathy harmonies, sparse strings, and confessional story of "The First Time I Ran Away" make for a truly haunting moment.
But the rest of the LP falls mostly flat. Often sounding like they were taken straight from some obscure late-1960s rock compilation, the songs here are too unoriginal to be 'simple, feel-good' music, and do not feel good enough to be this unoriginal. Literally and figuratively, the start for a great folk album is here—Ward just does not deliver.
