She and Him is the musical duo of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. Deschanel, an actress is probably most well known for roles in films like (500) days of summer, Elf, hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, and almost famous) and M. Ward is well known in indie music as having put out a small library of work of his own, with his band, and with others like Jenny Lewis. Together, in She and Him, they create music that sounds like you've known it your entire life, like it's those classics from the 1950's and 60's you listen to when going for a drive. But at the same time, it sounds incredibly modern and completely at home on your itunes or pandorajam. Volume 2, the duo's second album, was released yesterday and of course I had to get it.
While I'm certainly not a professional music critic, I do have a few things to say about the album. While Volume 1 was wonderfully enrapturing and was undeniably the soundtrack of summer 08 for me, I have not felt that same feeling with Volume 2 yet. This album feels more 1970's to me and features a lot more instrumentation and production than the previous. I understand this may be a natural sort of progression the band wished to explore but for me, it works against what was once a more simple and expressive style. As a whole I'm not drawn into the emotions of the songs. It is perhaps less easily accessible than Volume 1. Now, don't get me wrong the songs are all still charming. I particularly like the cover of Skeeter Davis' Get along with out you now and If you can't sleep. I'm also the kind of person prone to changing my mind. If I listen to this album several more times over the upcoming weeks, it may sneak up on me and hit me like an epiphany. I certainly hope so because I do think that She and Him make beautiful music together, and even though I'm not head over heels (yet) about this album, I will always be looking forward to hearing from them. Just like you would a friend you've known your whole life who always has the latest news.
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