Volume Two

What began as a fascinating, no-strings-attached collaboration on 2008's Volume One has evolved into a bona fide, touring band, and She & Him are here to stay. Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward are a comfortable and complementary musical pair; hearing them again on Volume Two feels like getting together with two old friends. This time, the harmonies have grown more angelically layered, the string arrangements more dramatic, the songwriting even sharper and more confident. All songs (except 4 and 7) written by Zooey Deschanel. Produced by M. Ward. read more..

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Golden Soda Pop by Brian Quay
M. Ward's pristine production and clean unobtrusive guitar lines provide the perfect backdrop for the sensationally cool and talented singer-songwriter(and part time actress ha) Zooey Deschanel.ZD has a honeycombed singing voice than runs the gamut form cheery to droll to sultry lower registers. In some ways she reminds me of the purity of Sandra Dee and individuality of early Nilsson. She is offbeat,whimsical and has a superb ear for lilting melodies along with impeccable timing. From "Rose Garden" catchy country to pre-Beatles girl soda pop ZD has the ability to pull in infants and grandparents and everyone in between. The sun tinged hue of the songs are counterbalanced by an only the lonely melacholic undertoe giving the songs unexpected heft.

The girl from Ipanema approach and clever retro compositions are light on their feet but never cloying. On the heels of an eye opening debut this followup expands their horizons. One of the two covers "Gonna Get Along Without You", originally a near novelty like hit back when, is a momentous slice of lemon meringue pie featuring warm nimble Johhny Marresque acoustic strumming as ZD sings witty but telling throwaway lines that can't fully disguise the heartache at the core of the song. The gorgeous country twang of "Lingering Still" casts a haunting spell. Insanely catchy tracks like "Don't Look Back" and "Over It Over Again" are classic top down head to the beach summer car tunes. And "Sing" positively bubbles with optimism. The closing track "If You Can't Sleep" is an a capeella cousin to the Beach Boys' "In My Room." Memorable from beginning to end, endlessly listenable and perfectly precocious,She And Him Volume Two is quite possibly the album of the year!