Volume Two

Actor-turned-singer Zooey Deschanel is undeniably cute. She dresses cute, she makes cutes faces, she has a cute voice and the words she sings are downright adorable. It’s almost too much to take, and there’s no way her sweetness could ever be enough to carry a career in music. Enter M. Ward, ace in the hole. 

Together Ward (who handles most of the arranging, playing and recording) and Deschanel (who writes, sings and plays piano) make dreamy and sweet pop music that could sound right at home on any late-50s or early-60s dusty AM pop station. Ward starts with layers of multiple Deschanel vocal tracks on each song, creating a one-person girl group vibe. He and Deschanel then put together often simple, always inviting arrangements built around Zooey’s dewy, dream girl voice. Trying to find something bad about the songs on Volume Two makes me feel like a bully. This is sweet, happy, friendly music. There’s nothing too complex. There’s nothing too deep. Nothing to dislike.

And, in all honesty, those first two paragraphs could also work if describing the band’s 2007 debut, Volume One, one of this writer’s favorite records of that year. There’s a Phil Spector vibe here, as was also the case with Volume One. But, like Albert Hammond, Jr. did with his sophomore record, She & Him create a near carbon copy of their first release, a record that many, many people loved. The guests are the same and the liner note design follows theme, as does the way Deschanel and Ward worked out the songs and the  formatted their record (11 originals, two covers).

And maybe that’s the only problem here. Not so much that these two cuties aren’t reinventing themselves, but more so that they seem almost uptight - or maybe just too comfortable - about their creative process. That said, the sound is slightly different, even if the approach isn’t. Ward seems more adventurous here as the Oz character, pulling more adventurous strings behind the curtain or long brown hair, drawing from not just 60s pop music, but also country, folk, soul, girl group and jazz. Even getting Zooey to leave her vocal comfort zone on a few songs.

What we end up with is a more diverse sounding record than the first, surely. Varied enough that, at first listen, it feels much less immediate. Much less approachable. Hang in there, Volume Two pays off in a major way. It’s a feel good record for listeners who don’t mind the cutesy, made perfect for summer and fall afternoons where lips pucker and smile lines dig their deepest. This is the indie version of soft rock, and damn if it’s not a fantastic listen, front to back.    8.5/10

Written by G. William Locke