Though his work with Monsters Of Folk and She & Him have more recently put him in a brighter spotlight, M. Ward’s greatest work has come as a solo artist, with a few classics under his belt, particularly the three album stretch of Transfiguration Of Vincent, Transistor Radio, and Post War. But, it has been more than three years since Ward delivered his last solo affair, Hold Time, and that album was less-than inspired, thus casting a bit of wonder as to what caliber his upcoming affair, titled A Wasteland Companion, will be.
At this point, we have two tunes for which to make assumptions about the upcoming Ward album, due on April 10th. The first is “The First Time I Ran Away,” a slyly intricate tune that floats in like a feather and reveals more weight with repeat listens. From a production standpoint, you can do nothing but applaud the effort, which include a lush tapestry of floor toms, pulsing bass, a backing choir, and distorted Ward secondary vocals. But, the song stops short at creating something truly memorable, keeping the listener at arm’s length rather than reaching the intimate levels that Ward thrives on when at his best.
Ward’s second single, “Primitive Girl,” explores another side of the songwriter’s catalog; the big-band mid-tempo rockers that translate best to the full-band sets he is inclined to tour with. Again the choral backing vocals appear, as does a pleasant enough piano lead, but again lacks a certain intangible element to take it from being merely good to being great. Of course, an album full of tunes with the quality as high as these two songs would hardly be something to scoff at, but still I hope that Ward opens himself up to the point he was doing in the mid-2000s. With the amount of collaborating he has done lately, making a piece of art that is more personal would only make sense.
