M. Ward
(Merge)
Hold Time - record and concept - certainly suits an old soul like M. Ward. A more solid and nuanced effort than 2006's Post-War, Ward's sixth full-length returns to the blues-centric format that first marked him as an anachronism. It's easily Ward's most lyrically sophisticated ode to love -- and most overtly spiritual, too.
"Fisher of Men" is a Johnny Cash train shuffle infusing spirit in song as Ward sings, "He put his name in my verses and his name in the hook." "Epistemology" examines Ward's Catholic upbringing, while "Blake's View" echoes the poet's Gnosticism: "Birth is just a chorus, death is just a verse/In the great song of spring that the mockingbirds sing." There are affecting duets with She & Him collaborator Zooey Deschanel and ex-Grandaddy guru Jason Lytle, though the plodding cover "Oh, Lonesome Me" with Lucinda Williams is the record's weak link. But Ward succeeds again in making the blues sound fresh while giving his indie roots a timeless patina.
Standout Tracks: "To Save Me" "Rave On" JOHN SCHACHT
