M.Ward - A Wasteland Companion Album Review

rating: 4

Website: www.mwardmusic.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/mwardmusic Release date: April 9th, 2012 Despite having been on the scene for over ten years now, and being a contemporary of indie-folk stalwarts such as Bright Eyes and My Morning Jacket, M. Ward seems to still exist somewhere under the radar, though perhaps this can be attributed to his occasional deviations into pseudonym territory €“ his side projects She & Him and Monsters of Folk. However, a recent tour UK tour opening for Feist, which included a sold out night at the Royal Albert Hall, will surely bring him to the attention of a wider audience, and considering his 6th record A Wasteland Companion is released on 9th April through Bella Union, the timing couldn€™t be better. A Wasteland Companion reads as a who€™s who of lo-fi, high-cool, lyrically astute, melodically lush indie music, including guest appearances from Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and the She to his Him, Zooey Deschanel. In terms of production the record was recorded in studios all over America, as well as one in Bristol. Often this lack of continuity in the recording process manifests itself in the finish product, and there€™s nothing as disappointing as an album without a consistent thread running through it. However, Ward has created something really unique, the songs seamlessly flowing into one another and the production consistent throughout. Everyone who worked on this record were clearly singing from the same hymn sheet, a testament to the clarity of Ward€™s vision. There€™s something simultaneously timeless and contemporary about the songs here, as if Willie Nelson had been signed by Saddle Creek. Clean Slate rumbles along like the tumbling tumbleweed while Crawl After You is sublime in its country feel with Ward€™s piano playing sounding pleasingly juvenile. Me & My Shadow carries on in a similarly country vein, though admittedly with the amps turned up a little louder and Ward singing from the depths of the gulch rather than a whiskey stained saloon. Primitive Girl however begins with more of an old fashioned rock and roll feel before changing into something completely different halfway through, ending with the brutally poignant lyric As I fell from my place in the sky / I laughed so hard I could cry. http://youtu.be/KADgwgjCWiI The main weapon in M. Ward€™s arsenal however has never been his lyrics, unlike fellow Monster Of Folk, Conor Oberst. However, when he sings the line You are my sweetheart, sweetheart / you have a nice smile the Buddy Holly-esque pop melody lets him get away with it. In fact, each song is a lesson in melody, and more often than not these melodies sound like they€™ve been plucked straight out of the 50s and 60s, with Ward€™s vocal crackling like warm vinyl. The sad thing about listening to this beautiful, rich and textured record is that you feel if it was released 50 years ago then we€™d be talking about it as one of the seminal works of the time. However, even if this album doesn€™t break the top 10, produce a string of hits and win a sack load of grammys, it doesn€™t change the fact that M. Ward is still probably the best singer/songwriter you€™ve never heard before, and this is his finest album to date.