She & Him, Opera House, Toronto, July 23, 2008

She & Him are M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel.

Mr. Ward you should already be familiar with. Whether it is his fine work on albums such as Post-War, Transfigurations of Vincent, and Transistor Radio or through various guest work with artists such as My Morning Jacket, Jenny Lewis, or Bright Eyes.

Zooey you may have seen in various roles on the silver screen. Whether it was in Elf, Bridge to Terabithia, or as the cool older sister you always wanted in Almost Famous. She seems to have taken the old actor's adage of "One for the studios, and one for yourself" to heart. It certainly has made for an interesting career trajectory.

A few years back while filming The Go-Getter, Zooey was introduced to M. Ward who was composing the film's score and soundtrack. They collaborated on a version of Linda and Richard Thompson's When I Get to the Border.

They got to talking about Zooey's home recording demo's she kept to herself and with some prodding her and Matt started working together on these. Via email from Zooey's home in Los Angeles to Matt's adopted city of Portland. Back and forth. Forth and back. In the interim She and Him, and their debut recording, Volume 1 was birthed.

Wednesday night at the Opera House brought the outfit to the fair streets of Toronto. Despite their moniker, leave no question, this is clearly Zooey's spotlight. Like on the album, Ward seems content to add flourishes and backing to Deschanel's vocals

The crowd was clearly putty in the hands of Ms. Deschanel, who to her credit never once offered anything aside to the fact that she was a wide-eyed ingenue. Aside from a few one-off shows, this was actually the first night of the She & Him extended tour. But even a few missed cues and confusion were not enough to put off the doe-eyed crowd. It speaks to Dechanel, whose "aw shucks" demeanor wins over even the most cynical. When faced with the chorus of groans that greeted her "last song of the night" proclamation, it only took a pluckish, "Hey, whaddya expect, we only got one album," to resign the masses.

Deschanel floated between vocals, tambourine, and piano through the set. Ward, playing to stage right quietly evoked until a short solo several songs in that brought yells of appreciation from the faithful.

The night featured a full backing band who rocked out a few numbers. As well received as they were, the highlight of the night was when the band departed mid-set leaving Ward and Deschanel alone on the stage. Through several songs they reminded the crowd of their moniker before inviting the band back on to close out the show.

Following one of the more resounding and heartfelt requests I've seen in a while, the duo returned for a pleasing version of Bring it on Home to Me, before concluding the evening with a run through of Ward's Magic Trick.

M. Ward - Magic Trick mp3 (from Post-War)
She & Him - I Was Made For You mp3

As previously mentioned they are out on tour. Check out their myspace for dates near you.

She & Him

A couple months back I heard a duet that M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel did for a still unreleased movie named The Go-Getter. Matt was soundtracking the film, and at the behest of director Martin Hynes teamed up with Zooey to take on the classic Richard & Linda Thompson tune, When I Get to the Border.

Zooey and Matt then began collaborating on a set of demos and songs she had been working on for a while. Repeat, this is not some haphazardly thrown together actress turned singer gig. Anyone who's seen Zooey on the silver screen can attest the girl is talented. For many years she used to perform in a jazz cabaret act, then there's that bit in Elf when Zooey gave us a glimpse at her voice. M. Ward isn't exactly a slouch either, 2006's Post-War is still one of my favourite records.

Word comes out that a full album of this collaboration will be coming out in March. Going under the moniker of She & Him, the album will simply be called Volume 1.

Today I'll leave you with the previously mentioned When I Get To The Border. Also, presumably to be featured off the new album, Change Is Hard. And because I'm irresistibly falling in love with this, I'll include a shortened version of Magic Trick off the aforementioned M. Ward album, Post War.

Once again, all files are sendspace links, so just click the link to get 'er.

M. Ward & Zooey Deschanel - When I Get To The Border mp3
M. Ward & Zooey Deschanel - Change Is Hard mp3
M. Ward & Zooey Deschanel - Magic Trick mp3

Year End Review Part 2

Artist: Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
Song: Honey Child What Can I Do
Album: Ballad of the Broken Seas (2006)

An unlikely album pairing, ex-Belle and Sebastien vocalist Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees fame. Beauty and the Beast, etc. It works though, especially on this track.

Artist: Lucinda Williams
Song: 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
Album: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)

Lucinda's somewhat of a perfectionist. Finally released six years after her last effort, Lucinda switched producers and cities three times before settling on the right recordings and songs. It payed off though, earning her a Grammy award and cementing her position as country music royalty. A girl I had a crush on used to sign my yearbook every year with the song title set up as a mathematical equation. I received the album as a gift this year. Beautiful and heartbreaking.

Artist: Ryan Adams
Song: Look Who's Got A Website & English Girls Approximately

Adams had a pretty good 2005, he released three studio albums to generally favourable response. No one would have held it against him if he took off 2006. Instead, he released a thousand albums (more like 11) on his website. The songs, released under various personas/ alternate personalities? walk a fine line between terribly awful and terribly genius. To my knowledge the songs are still streaming, head on over there to hear for yourself.

Artist: Sam Roberts
Song: The Gate
Album: Chemical City (2006)

Hugely popular in Canada but still relatively unknown in the States, The Sam Roberts Band, as they are known south of the 49th, released their second album this year. Largely unfulfilling though it was, the lead single was as much of a shit kicker as I heard all year.

Artist: Yo La Tengo
Song: Sugarcube

Yo La Tengo released the coolest named album of the year (possibly the longest also), I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass. I loved the new album and started warming up to some of their back catalogue. Still, my favourite track by them, all time, still has to be this one.

Artist: Syd Barrett
Song: Bob Dylan Blues

When Syd passed away this year the obits overwhelmingly mourned what could have been. It's not like Pink Floyd really suffered from his departure, hell, some of their best songs post-Syd were inspired by Syd's troubles. I guess it's just a shame he couldn't be along for the ride. I'd recommend checking out his solo material, especially if you're not a big fan of the Pink Floyd sound, which I am not. That's where this tribute to Bob Dylan comes from.

Artist: White Denim
Song: shakeshakeshake

Both the band and song sum up the kind of bands and songs you're gonna encounter in the blogosphere. Generally like fast food, that is, immediately appetizing but over time immensely unfulfilling. Still...yummy.

Artist: Dolly Parton
Song: Travellin' Thru

I'm not sure how Dolly feels about this song losing to It's Hard out Here for a Pimp for best song at the 2006 Academy Awards. I'm sure that Dolly would have a sense of humour about it. She'd even probably do that cute little giggle if asked to comment on it. Dolly wrote it for Transamerica, starring Felicity Huffman.

Artist: Be Your Own Pet
Song: Bunk Trunk Skunk
Album: Self-Titled (2006)

The full-length debut from teenage buzz band BYOP. Hard, fast, edgy, angsty, and other adjectives. Punk music by teens for everyone. Instantly charming with lyrics like, "I'm wicked rad and I'm here/To steal away your virginity."

Artist: M. Ward
Album: Post War (2006)
Songs: Magic Trick & Chinese Translation

Two great songs off an incredible album. Old time sounds, but incredibly contemporary. Ward's past records have often been steeped in a heartbreaking melancholy. On this effort though, a refreshing optimism shines through. If I were to pick a favourite for the year this would be it.