M. Ward – A Wasteland Companion (Merge, 2012)
I tried my best to include M. Ward in this list for many reasons: 1) the old-timey feel of his music is so seductive to my ears; 2) Ward has several music tricks up his sleeve and has exercised them throughout his career over the past 10+ years; 3) I long to play guitar and create music that sounds and feels the way that he crafts his songs to be. I considered adding an album, but had such a hard time trying to pick one from End of Amnesia to Hold Time. Each of these albums hold something this is true, beautiful, and captivating – yet I found that I loved each of these albums for different reasons. A Wasteland Companion is surely NOT something I would recommend to a new listener of M. Ward but it is just such a great consummation of all his various relationships with the guitar and songwriting that I find it hard avoiding the opportunity to introduce someone to it regardless of what I may know of the person's interests. I find it very fulfilling to have experienced each of Ward's albums before this album came out and supremely believe that this is the best of his work, for he draws water from each of the wondrous wells that he has provided over the years with his albums – including the two albums collaborating with Zooey Deschanel.
What this album are glimpses into the completion of who M. Ward has become and recognizes himself to be. He may choose to go a different direction with his next album and may never return to these dimensions. This is most likely a doubtful – and foolish – possibility to consider, but what we are given is an album that satisfies everything he has offered before in a complete light.
Three Songs to Consider
Track 6: "The First Time I Ran Away" – I saw this before the album came out and was convinced I was listening to a B-side off of Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks (Columbia, 1975). The could stand alone with acoustic and bass, but the rest of the instruments do so well to add to the dreamy retrospect of a life of journey and wonder.
Track 11: "Wild Goose" - I am fairly sure that most of my originals sound like this; since I heard it, I have been in love with it and love the lyrics. I am not sure if this is about a lost opportunity or a lost love, but I am sold on its emotive offering and can feel the aching the protagonist is trying to express. I am always in the mood for this song.
Track 9: "There's a Key" – The author is unsure of what else may be true in life other than the love he has for his music and the lover he tries to woo with it. Sweet, simple, and a dash of swing. A real treat.
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