I became an instant fan of She and Him, a duo consisting of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, the first time I heard their debut album, creatively titled “Volume One.” Any guesses for what their potential third album might be called? I’m sensing a pattern.
Anyway, after latching onto their first album, along with all the hipsters of the world, I hoped their follow-up would be equally as catchy and charming as the first. After previewing “Volume Two, I can confidently say that Ward and Deschanel have only improved.
Not only is the album completely endearing and easy to listen to, it also seems to have a much more polished sound and clearer tone compared to “Volume One,” which felt more like a fun experiment.
Each track seems to work together nicely and transition seamlessly into the next, something “Volume One” seemed to sometimes struggle with. This is potentially due to the fact that “Volume One” featured several covers of classic songs from different genres, whereas Deschanel wrote every song on “Volume Two.”
For those not familiar with She and Him’s music, I can only think to describe it as an eclectic mix of folk and pop/rock from the 50s and 60s, with some old-time country thrown in. But really, all you need to know is that it’s easy to listen to, fun to sing along with and every song has a catchy beat.
Of all the tracks on the album, my personal favorite is the first song, “Thieves.” To my ears, it definitely has a classic 1950s sound and I can picture it serving as the background music for a high school sock hop. The fifth track, titled “Lingering Still” is another favorite and almost seems to have a sort of Polynesian, beachy vibe, although it never verges on being corny.
The album takes a country turn with tracks like “I’m Gonna Make it Better” and “Gonna Get Along Without You Now,” which sounds like something you might hear on a slow cattle drive. Once again, though, Miss Deschanel’s charm pulls through and saves the song from sounding too campy.
In fact, Deschanel’s image and vocal style seem to play a big part in her success as a singer. Although I’d argue that her voice is better suited to some songs than others, she does a good job of winning the listener over in the long run.
That being said, there is almost always at least one track on every album that I simply cannot stand and “Volume Two” is no exception. The final track, titled “If You Can’t Sleep” is a strange departure from the upbeat, light tone of the rest of the album.
Instead, it is slow and drones on, sounding almost like a chant. It is definitely not the way I would choose to close out an otherwise pleasant album.
Even with that small hiccup, Zooey Deschanel remains endearing and the music she makes with M. Ward is the perfect soundtrack for driving around on a sunny day. And even though it’s sometimes hard for me to admit that I have things in common with the ever-expanding hipster population, I have come to terms with the fact that I am, and most likely always will be, a fan of “She and Him.”