M Ward – Hold Time
You know, I really don’t like M. Ward most of the time, but I’m enjoying this. The first album of his I ever bought was End of Amnesia, which I utterly failed to love. I tried again with Post War, and didn’t really succeed there either. I know that sounds silly, but it really does feel like failure because indie kids seem so into M. Ward that I always sort of feel that the fault is mine, and it’s actually something of a relief to find myself liking this. Phew. I can hide behind my fringe and shuffle about in bars once more.
It’s another album which is, if you ask me, just a little longer than it needs to be. I’ll confess that I do lose concentration a little bit by the end, but I don’t really mind that. For the first half of the album it licks along at a good pace, bouncing through a bluesy sort of landscape, wandering occasionally into more mysterious territory, and occasionally relaxing into some nice, familar balladry.
It’s about a million miles from groundbreaking, but it has charm, warmth and no little charisma. Maybe it’s the treatment of his voice. Maybe it’s just his actual voice. I don’t know, but this album shimmies along with much more pep than most other M.Ward stuff I’ve heard. I’m not falling all over myself to praise it, but until I doze off somewhat during the last handful of songs, I am finding this really quite enjoyable.
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you should try the transfiguration of vincent. lovely album. think post war is pretty good too but transfiguration of vincent is a great album and his cover of David Bowie’s ‘Lets Dance’ is pretty sweet. Looking forward to hearing this new one.
Post War I did quite like, just not with much conviction. I’ll give Transfiguration a go this week.
I’m only new to M. Ward. I didn’t really like the She & Him stuff but I’m not minding his new stuff.
I got a takedown request when I posted ‘Oh Lonesome Me’ though and was told I could put up ‘Never Had Nobody Like You’. Since I don’t really like that one, I now have no M. Ward songs up which to me seems like they lost out a little there – surely one mp3 up is better than none…
‘Helicopter’ is a cracking song. Great lyrics. rattlin’ acoustic pace.
never really got into m ward until transfiguration of vincent and transistor radio but i think hes been really consistent since. agree that helicopter is a fantastic song. looking forward to hearing hold time. speaking in. boring sentences. like a robot. for some reason.
I quite liked these two songs, but I’ve never heard of this act before.
I felt a bit like Steve Carell’s character in Anchorman saying that after the previous posts.
Oh well.
yeah, Transfiguration’s the one. worth checking out also is Still Looking Good To Me by The Band Of Blacky Ranchette, which features MW alongside Chan “Cat Power” Marshall, Calexico, Kurt Wagner etc etc.
Your review = pretty much my sentiments. I maybe like it a little more than you do, but I know exactly what you mean. I’ll be returning to it a good few times, for sure.