She & Him: Volume 1 (2008)

New Wax


She & Him (uber-creative name, huh?) is a collaboration that pairs sublime Portland songwriter M. Ward with actress Zooey Deschanel, who apparently can sing like a mofo. While the general public will probably recognize Deschanel from films like Elf and The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, I recommend viewing her work in more independent fare such as All The Real Girls and Winter Passing. As far as her foray into music, Deschanel fares exceptionally on the new album Volume 1, which is scheduled for a March 18th release on Merge Records. She's got a wonderful voice that fits in well with the duo's unexpected 50's-tinged girl-group aesthetic. In fact, some of the songs on the album gave me the peculiar urge to purchase a leather jacket and a month's supply of pomade. For the most part, the album's instrumentation is pretty different than M. Ward's solo material, but my favorite moments are those that rely moreso on his acoustic guitar and backup vocals. The album's highlight is undoubtedly their sparse cover of the Miracles' "You Really Got A Hold Of Me," while the opening track "Sentimental Heart" is a nice piano-driven ditty. There are definitely moments that are a bit too Dusty Springfield for me on Volume 1, but as far as sunny throwback pop, this material is spot-on. Sidenote: Is there a little girl tweeking a giant nipple on the album cover or am I just gutter-minded? -- Capt. Obvious

Listen:
MP3: She & Him - Sentimental Heart
MP3: She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Tags: She & Him, M. Ward, Zooey Deschanel, Captain Obvious