She & Him: Volume One (2008)-Ethan Smith
She & Him: Volume One (2008)
By Ethan Smith
“Old habits die hard”, croons Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy babe Zooey Deschanel over some strings and a piano and that proclamation lays down the mood for the rest of this album. This is certainly not an innovative or original album but who really cares? As long as it’s good, in fact better than a lot of the stuff it was inspired by, it deserves mad props. While other indie contemporaries like Bright Eyes have a distinctly modern feel to them She & Him offers no such pretenses. It’s like being warped back into the days before country sucked with this release.
I have very few criticisms about this album. My few problems with it really only have to do with the production. While at first glance you may wonder, “Where’s the Him?” after repeated listens you begin to wish the Him would tone it down a lot. M. Ward does an excellent job musically, creating old rootsy sounding songs but production wise I do wish he’d let Zooey’s voice have more presence because at times it seems over powered by the mass amount of instruments. At times its good, but other times you wish the music was much starker and the production a lot less warm. M. Ward does it get it very right at time and when he does the outcome is a beautiful song, like my personal favorite Change is Hard.
That aside, this album is excellent. Zooey Deschanel while not the most experienced singer in the world is a very charming and smoky vocalist. Even when she belts something slightly out of tune it doesn’t sound so bad. This album became a fast favorite for me. It’s irresistible and sweet right from the opener with “Sentimental Heart”. So let’s sit right down and let She & Him make us smile.
Copyright C. 2008 Ethan Smith