M. Ward – the moniker of Oregonian folk-Americana revivalist Matthew Ward – has his toes dipped in quite a few musical projects. From his work as one half of throwback pop duo She & Him – with actress and singer Zooey Deschanel – to his place in supergroup Monsters of Folk, Ward has still managed to find time for a seventh solo record.
But what’s the point?
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making another record of folk and 1950s pop tunes, but at a certain point any discerning listener has to ask himself when a lot becomes too much. A Wasteland Companion, for all its buzzy, finger-plucked guitars and throaty vocals whispered through ’50s slap-back reverbs, is just one record too far – it’s Ward doing what he always does, and it’s nothing special.
Granted, fans of Ward are likely ecstatic about receiving another extension of the singer-songwriter’s catalogue, and not without good reason. A Wasteland Companion is a solid album of songs in Ward’s signature style, washed over in just a bit more atmospheric production than usual.
There are fantastic songs here and there, such as ethereal opener “Clean Slate,” and the fantastically depressing “Watch the Show,” a Calexico-style southwestern cowboy croon about a television producer hijacking his station because he’s unhappy with how his life turned out.
In other places, such as the cover of Daniel Johnston’s “Sweetheart,” bits of She & Him’s early 1960s pop style breaks through as well, but these are merely small inflections within A Wasteland Companion‘s greater overall tonal theme.
Aside from the few bright spots, the album begs the one question most artists would rather their audiences never ask: Is there any good reason to keep listening?
Ward’s last solo LP, 2009’s Hold Time, sounds nearly identical to the new release. It’s easy to say Ward’s musical predictability is a virtue – listening through the breadth of his work, you aren’t likely to find too many dips in quality – but an artist who repeatedly releases the same kind of record is, in a sense, wasting the audience’s time.
Even after several listens, A Wasteland Companion never feels like an album that needs to be returned to. On the other hand, fans of this kind of music, or of She & Him, who have never listened to an M. Ward record will probably enjoy A Wasteland Companion immensely, especially given its strong production value.
However, for anyone who casually listens to Ward’s music, A Wasteland Companion simply isn’t worth the 36 minutes it takes to sit through.
Ward’s fans can call it revivalism, but perhaps we’ve heard it just a few too many times before.
VERDICT: M. Ward’s seventh solo record is a solid release, but its similarity to his previous work makes the entire affair feel stale.
berman@umdbk.com
