You could swear this album has been in a vault since the days of AM Gold radio. Zooey Deschanel’s voice is amazing and M. Ward’s arranging and guitar work are the perfect compliment. You’ve seen her in movies like Almost Famous, Yes Man, and 500 Days of Summer. You’ve heard him on his solo albums, jamming with Monsters of Folk and making a name as a singer/songwriter. Together they have crafted wonderful pop music that gets your toes tapping.
Growing up, I listened to plenty of oldies radio, and these albums do a fine job resurrecting non-intrusive pop songs with infectious melodies. You almost would say that Roy Orbison, or The Ronettes wrote these songs, and now they are being covered. Not at all, Deschanel wrote 11 of the 13 tracks. Her voice seems to glide over the songs and whisks you away to a simpler time.
Ward has produced great arrangements to accompany each song while you float over a meadow of summer grass. He proves some backing vocals and duets briefly on ‘Ridin’ in My Car’. For the most part he is in the background making sure everything goes well.
Start with: ‘Thieves’, ‘Lingering Still’, ‘Brand New Shoes’, ‘Ridin’ in My Car’ and ‘Gonna Get Along Without You Now’. If I had to rate this album, I would tell you to own it. The great part about this style of music is how you get so swept in the song you forget there is a sad message behind the sounds.
Amid all of the pop garbage that is being churned out lately, at least some people are trying to bring back a time when music didn’t have to be over-produced to get you moving. If you need a soundtrack for a Sunday afternoon drive, you’ve just found it.
