When M. Ward performed last week at the Henry Fonda Theater, Zooey Deschanel showed up to accompany the guitar slinger on a couple of tracks, including the recently Late Night-tested “Never Had Nobody Like You.” The Smiths fan was nowhere in sight for Ward’s rendition of Hold Time‘s “To Save Me” Friday on Craig Ferguson. Actually, Ward didn’t even have his guitar. Instead, he tapped away on a keyboard — usually with one hand, the other in a fist — while his backing band plus Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, and Carla Azar from Autolux provided the rest.
Hold Time is out via Merge.
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M. Ward is the most vanilla artist out there.
why? because he writes great songs and plays them well? have you heard the song “undertaker”? it’s one the greatest weird death-obsessed love songs ever (and that’s a huge list, btw). the production on his records is incredible, always, whether he keeps it dirty or clean. the guy is brilliant, and he managed to write a cash-in record (hold time) that overwhelmingly doesn’t suck. at all. dude’s records will last, is all i’m saying.
Because he’s bland and makes the same album every time
In one way, I suppose you’re right. But what you would call predictable, I’d call consistent. He usually doesn’t explore new textures or toy with structure – he instead focuses on writing the best song he can every time and in my opinion, almost always succeeds. His songs are the kind that I want to wrap myself in, like that old battered sweater you’ve had since high school, but are too nostalgic about to take that trip to Goodwill. It’s the musical equivalent of really good comfort food, which is more than fine for folks like me, but perhaps not enough for those like you constantly in search of the hip new Vietnamese Fusion restaurant. I love experimental Pan-Asian cuisine as much as the next guy, but every once in a while I need to dig into some delicious roasted chicken with a side of some creamy mac ‘n cheese.
I’m hungry.
i hope you fucking die
you’re totally jim james and that’s okay.
it seems the hipster community has turned it’s back on M. Ward. That can only be a good thing. The guy outclasses all their darlings in terms of songwriting and substance.
mmm hmmm keep telling yourself that
M. Ward has a love for the songs he grew up with. His music is meant to create a feeling of nostalgia. I suppose all you haters can go back to your Animal Collective album now which despite what all these blogs claim… will not be relevant in the future.
I saw M. Ward a couple days ago here in Seattle. He did an amazing rendition of “Roll over Beethoven” that was the perfect end to an amazing show. He sure can rock the shit out of a piano. Vanilla he is not.
Carla Azar has my heart forever.