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21 posts tagged M. Ward
M. Ward: “The First Time I Ran Away”
M. Ward returns to familiar hushed territory this morning with our first taste of his 7th solo record, A Wasteland Companion. “The First Time I Ran Away” arrives steeped in calm, nuanced instrumentation that picks up where 2009’s Hold Time left off well, complete with an animated music video by “Chinese Translation” director Joel Trussell. Enjoy the clip above, and stick around as Ward draws out his vocal on the word “storm” until it dissolves with a chilling yet nerve-settling effect.
In Other News
Carlos Forster (ft. M. Ward) – “Campfire Songs” + “I Walk I Talk”
I’ve read more than one version of the story behind Carlos Forster’s new solo LP, but the gist remains the same: She & Him/Monsters of Folk’s M. Ward first met Forster in college, leading to on-and-off recording sessions with the former For Stars leader throughout the ’00s, finally culminating in this month’s Ward-produced record, Family Trees. The result is an honorably unassuming set of relaxed folk jams, which a past description of Ward’s own music by Conor Oberst seems to fit best: “audio Xanax.” You can hear the pair duet on “Campfire Songs” above or take a dose of their subtle “I Walk I Talk” groove below.
Zooey Deschanel’s Winnie the Pooh Theme
Though a third volume to She & Him’s impressive output so far won’t be put to tape in the near future — as M. Ward is hitting the road/studio solo and Deschanel has a few number of other projects on the table — the pair are keeping busy with film soundtrack work, as well. Most recently, they premiered new tracks for an animated Winnie the Pooh flick over the weekend, including Deschanel’s original theme song featuring Ward on guitar, “So Long,” which the web today and is streaming above via YouTube.
(Thanks for the tip, Livya!)
She & Him/Monster of Folk’s M. Ward has not only been revisiting his back catalog of original solo material while on tour, but he has worked a varying list of cover songs — some of which he’s released studio versions of — into the live repertoire as well. Occasionally joined by tourmates Howe Gelb & the Band of Gypsies, Ward performed stripped-down versions of 1983 David Bowie hit “Let’s Dance,” Hold Time track Buddy Holly’s “Rave On,” Leonard Cohen’s “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye,” and more. Below, we’ve culled the best new clips floating around for a little M. Ward live cover song collection that will be updated when new tunes surface.
She & Him/Monster of Folk’s M. Ward is turning his attention back toward his solo career with a new album in the works, his follow-up to 2009’s Hold Time, and a solo tour that kicked off last week in his adopted hometown of Portland, Oregon. “I’m going back to what it was when I first started, performing, writing and recording by myself,” he told HitFix of his plans to draft LP7 at home, adding later, “I have a giant backlog of songs that… I really haven’t had time to revisit or improve upon. It’s time to finish writing those songs.”
For an interview and 4-song set at Portland radio station 101.9’s Bing Lounge recently, Ward also offered an update on his duo with Zooey Deschanel: “She & Him have been doing some recording for some soundtracks. Stuff like that and little things, here and there. We’ll have another record one of these days.” Below, you can watch the rest of that Q&A alongside last week’s acoustic performances of “Poison Cup,” “Paul’s Song,” “Chinese Translation,” and “Sad, Sad Song.”
While not formally billed as She & Him for the project, the folk-pop duo have teamed up again for a brand new tune: “So Long,” a song written by Zooey Deschanel and performed with M. Ward for the closing credits in this summer’s Winnie the Pooh animated feature film.
“Who doesn’t love Winnie the Pooh?” Deschanel asks in a short preview/promo video sent out today. “He is cuddly and adorable. He loves honey—at least that’s what I heard. But he loves his friends even more. I just want to hug him.” In addition to “So Long,” Deschanel performs the movie’s theme song, “A Very Important Thing to Do,” as well as guest vocals on “Everything is Honey” and “Pooh’s Finale” alongside cast member Jim Cummings, Avenue Q’s Robert Lopez, and others.
Winnie the Pooh hits the big screen on July 15, but in the meantime, you can watch Deschanel and Ward playing a minute of “So Long” here or after the jump.
Watch: She & Him - “Don’t Look Back” (Official Video)
She & Him explore the “sound of tomorrow” via their retro Jeremy Konner-directed video for Volume 2 ditty “Don’t Look Back.” Enjoy M. Ward as a television-trapped hologram, Zooey Deschanel with 3 cloned backup singers, and their robot keyboardist in the new clip above.
Watch: Monsters of Folk on Austin City Limits
While Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis are busy unveiling tunes off the forthcoming Bright Eyes album, The People’s Key, their last collaboration alongside M. Ward and Jim James, Monsters of Folk, has stepped into the limelight one last time with last night’s premiere broadcast of their Austin City Limits set from October. Watch the quartet (backed by drummer Will Johnson) trade off on vocals, guitar, bass, and keys in the excellent 12-song, hour-long performance above. The setlist:
- Say Please
- Right Place
- Soul Singer
- Dear God
- Man Named Truth
- Baby Boomer
- Just to Know
- Whole Lotta Losin’
- Smokin’ From Shootin’
- Sandman
- Map of the World
- Losin’ Yo Head
Hear M. Ward Cover Joanna Newsom
A few weeks ago, I mentioned the new Joanna Newsom tribute album Versions of Joanna, a 22-track compilation with covers of the singer/harpist’s songs by the likes of Billy Bragg, M. Ward, Ben Sollee, and more, benefiting Oxfam. As it turns out, Ward’s contribution was indeed the same live studio take on Milk-Eyed Mender cut “Sadie” we tracked down for that post, but now — thanks to the album’s producer — we can share the official album version. Give Ward’s rendition of my personal favorite Newsom song a spin above. You can make a donation here for an instant download of the full album.
Arriving next month, with all proceeds going to Oxfam, is the wonderfully titled (for Dylan fans, at least) Versions of Joanna, a 22-track tribute album featuring covers of our favorite singer/harpist’s tunes by M. Ward, Billy Bragg, Owen Pallett, Ben Sollee, This Is Deer Country, and many more. Other than the cover art and tracklist, details are a bit scarce, but two excellent previews are available in the form of previously recorded live takes: M. Ward’s version of “Sadie” (via Ünnecessary Ümlaut) and Bragg’s Voice Project contribution, “On a Good Day.” Enjoy both recordings below alongside the tracklist and cover art: