Hold Time

M. WardHold TimeNot sure why, but my friends and I all too often find ourselves often making fun or Portland songwriter M. Ward, sometimes referring to him as Whispers or Emma Ward. One friend teases about how Ward is the token Pacific Northwest hipster who always looks like he just woke up. Another likes to paint the image of Ward as the de facto “Like a Brother” character due to his close - yet never romantic - ties to many of today’s best looking female indie artists. Me, I just like to blast the dude for his vocal style, which never quite stacks up to his excellent writing and arrangements. You’d think this problem would heal over time, but not so much. Initial listens to Ward’s latest, Hold Time, unveil no immediate improvements.

Ward hit a career high in 2007, partnering with actress-turned-songwriter Zooey Deschanel as the musical half of She & Him’s stellar debut, Volume One. A slow burning indie hit that earned the duo Paste Magazine’s Record of the Year honors, Volume One - lauded for Ward’s diverse arrangement and Deschanel’s writing and vocals - went down as one of the indie market’s best reviewed and best selling albums. It was, without doubt, Ward’s most repeat-worthy project yet; this because, one would have to assume, Ward was not handling the vocals.

A mix of raspy, cutesy and soulful, Ward’s vocals have always arrived backed by eerie echoes and one of the most limited ranges you’ll find on record store shelves. It’s a style that does work once some familiarity is established, but when paired with arrangements and writing as good as those on Hold Time, well, it’s just a little disappointing. The more you listen, the more you’ll find that Ward’s lo-fi-friendly rasp fits well with his dirt road sound. Save for 2004’s Transistor Radio (which I haven’t heard) and the abovementioned She & Him album, Hold Time is Ward’s best sounding record yet. His style is both classic and fresh, coming off almost how we’d imagine Elliott Smith to sound had he been around in the mid 60s. Twangy. Poppy. Sometimes raucous but usually delicate, Ward takes nods from many of the 60s best pop producers - everyone from Andrew Loog Oldham to even Phil Spector. He does it all with current indie rock trends in mind, not too different from Smith’s approach.

Ward’s lyrics, too, can easily be linked to Smith, even if his image, style and artistic slant lacks the hard edge Elliot had to the end. The two both mastered the fine art of writing for both a pop and indie audience, writing mostly straight forward lyrics with heavy sides of style and personality. Nothing different on Hold Time - the music, mostly, is what stands out here. Tunes like the stomp-filled “Never Had Nobody Like You” and instantly likeable “One Hundred Million Years” play it mostly straight while the record’s title track and a strange cover “Oh Lonesome Me” (featuring Lucinda Williams) take chances.

His arrangements similar to what they’ve always been, Ward’s Hold Time stands out as a bit deeper and more diverse than his previous efforts. Unlike his first two records (which are very good, regardless of their lack of diversity), none of the 13 songs here sound too much alike, making the record feel like a fun hour or so spent listening to a mid-60s radio program that only plays slightly offbeat folk-pop nuggets. One of the best records of early 2009, even if Ward’s limited vocal abilities continue to leave much to be desired.   8/10

Written by G. William Locke