If She & Him make music for an eternal springtime, as their website states, then their forthcoming sophomore album, Volume Two, couldn't be more seasonally appropriate. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward (the "She" and the "Him," respectively) have crafted a sound inspired by morning dew and sunny days, but far less cliché.
For proof, simply click here to listen to the the entire Volume Two, which will be streaming on Exclaim.ca all week.
Due out Tuesday (March 23) on Merge Records, Volume Two unapologetically commits to sounding more like a country record than the blend of upbeat indie folk one might expect given Deschanel's "it girl" status, even on "In the Sun," when fellow indie poppers Tilly and the Wall chime in on back-up vocals. "Thieves" crackles like a heartbroken hymn mended only by its nostalgic charm, and the band's cover of Skeeter Davis's "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" is a perfect fit.
There's an old-fashioned naïveté about She & Him that is both timeless and pleasant, perhaps the very reason Deschanel has referred to their latest effort as a "feel-good album." Endearing and honest, Volume Two's country origins may seem out of place amongst edgier contemporaries, but from beginning to end, it swirls about as nonchalantly as the spring breeze itself.
Volume Two is streaming on Exclaim.ca until March 29.
Stay tuned for these future full album streams on Exclaim.ca:
GBH Perfume and Piss on March 30 to April 5
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings I Learned the Hard Way on April 6 to April 12
Roky Erickson and Okkervil River True Love Cast Out All Evil on April 13 to April 19
For proof, simply click here to listen to the the entire Volume Two, which will be streaming on Exclaim.ca all week.
Due out Tuesday (March 23) on Merge Records, Volume Two unapologetically commits to sounding more like a country record than the blend of upbeat indie folk one might expect given Deschanel's "it girl" status, even on "In the Sun," when fellow indie poppers Tilly and the Wall chime in on back-up vocals. "Thieves" crackles like a heartbroken hymn mended only by its nostalgic charm, and the band's cover of Skeeter Davis's "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" is a perfect fit.
There's an old-fashioned naïveté about She & Him that is both timeless and pleasant, perhaps the very reason Deschanel has referred to their latest effort as a "feel-good album." Endearing and honest, Volume Two's country origins may seem out of place amongst edgier contemporaries, but from beginning to end, it swirls about as nonchalantly as the spring breeze itself.
Volume Two is streaming on Exclaim.ca until March 29.
Stay tuned for these future full album streams on Exclaim.ca:
GBH Perfume and Piss on March 30 to April 5
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings I Learned the Hard Way on April 6 to April 12
Roky Erickson and Okkervil River True Love Cast Out All Evil on April 13 to April 19
