Album Review: Volume Two By She & Him

My introduction to the indie duo She & Him came through Red, one of the contributors to the pop culture blog Ginger Is the Watchword. Last year she put together an awesome CD mix for me which included the She & Him track "Sweet Darlin'". I was immediately taken by the song's driving beat and throwback sound. When I found out a few months ago that She & Him's next album was due in the spring, I couldn't wait. After listening to Volume Two, I am happy to say that it was worth the wait.

If you are into pop music with a retro feel, this is the album for you! With a combination of playful lead vocals, sweeping harmonies, and sharp musicianship, lead singer/musician Zooey Deschanel and vocalist/musician/producer M. Ward have assembled a collection of gems bound to put or keep you in an “endless summer” mood. I can imagine Barry (Jack Black’s character in “High Fidelity”) including many of these tracks on his “Monday Morning Mix CD” as an antidote to Dick's "sad bastard" music. Hopefully, Barry has upgraded from cassette by now.

Many of the songs on Volume Two have a breezy groove that is hard to resist. Their remake of the NRBQ song “Ridin’In My Car” (which features Deschanel and Ward sharing lead vocals), “I’m Gonna Make It Better”, and “Don’t Look Back” are just a few of the sunshine-filled tunes perfect for cruising with the convertible top or windows down.

With Volume Two, Zooey Deschanel is primed to emerge as one of the top female voices in pop music. Although she may be best known for her roles in films such as Almost Famous, Elf, and Yes Man, Zooey’s work with She & Him doesn’t come off as a vanity project designed to cash in on her Hollywood fame. In addition to providing lead vocals and playing piano, Zooey also wrote 11 of the 13 tracks on Volume Two. The two exceptions are the previously mentioned “Ridin’In My Car” and a tune originally done by Teresa Brewer, “Gonna Get Along Without You Now”.

The album closes with “If You Can’t Sleep”, a song which I can see entering the repertoire of many adults as they try inducing young ones into a golden slumber.

On Volume Two, She & Him have created a blissful world that may not exist, but it doesn't matter to me. To quote Liz Lemon of 30 Rock, “I want to go to there!”

My grade for Volume Two: A

Side note: While looking up Zooey Deschanel's Wikipedia entry, I realized she was the actress who played Jennifer Aniston's cynical co-worker in The Good Girl. The "Fuck you very much" girl has come a long way.

Below is the video to "In the Sun", the first single from Volume Two:

Album Review: Plastic Beach by Gorillaz

Since I've been getting back into the contemporary music scene, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you the albums/artists that I'm digging at any given moment. My first review is of Plastic Beach, the latest release by the English "virtual band" Gorillaz.

Although I didn’t know much about Gorillaz outside of their performance with Madonna during the 2006 Grammys, I was intrigued to hear Plastic Beach. From the opening track (“Orchestral Intro”), I was sucked in by the album’s musical palette of sounds that are space-age, soothing, and exotic.

What struck me first about Plastic Beach is that although the album is eclectic, it flows. Even when there are stylistic changes within a song, it works. A prime example is “White Flag”, which opens with an Arabian flavor that will have the ladies belly dancing (resistance is futile). About a minute into it, guest rappers Bashy and Kano enter the mix and trade off rhymes that'll make you wanna put on a baseball cap, turn it to the back and bob your head to the beat. It then returns to the Arabian feel that allows the ladies to go back into Shakira mode. “White Flag” concludes with a string section that has a Bondian feel which fits perfectly. No, not that Bond… this Bond.

Plastic Beach also impressed me with the musical diversity of its guest roster. In addition to the aforementioned Bashy and Kano, the album also features Snoop Dogg (“Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach”), soul poet Bobby Womack (“Stylo” and “Cloud of Unknowing”), protopunk pioneer Lou Reed (“Some Kind of Nature”), and Swedish electronic band Little Dragon (“Empire Ants” and “To Binge”) among others. Not to be outdone, Gorillaz co-creator/lead vocalist Damon Albarn makes his presence felt on songs such as “Rhinestone Eyes”, “Broken”, and the title track.

The best part about Plastic Beach is that it can be listened to from beginning to end. It plays like a soundtrack to a Ralph Bakshi film that hasn’t been made. Another added bonus… Plastic Beach sounds awesome in my car’s CD player!

My grade for Plastic Beach: A

Below is a mix of some tracks from Plastic Beach: