M. Ward’s last album - Transistor Radio - was a self-conscious homage to the long lost golden age of radio, a time when DJ’s played 45s and the dust of the grooves could be heard crackling over the airwaves. But the follow-up - Post-War - revels in a tantalisingly non-specific title which settles like a hand-knit shawl over a timeless collection of songs. Ward’s fifth album was crafted in an attic in Portland over the past two years, and it’s a sonic delight, filled with enticing nooks & crannies, radiating an innate and special grace. The songs immediately sound like you’ve known them forever; they unravel world-weary yet joyful tales of life, love and human kindness, helped in part by the talented friends who found time to drop in on the sessions - including Neko Case and Adam Selzer, as well as old “Monsters Of Folk” touring buddy Jim James (of My Morning Jacket.)
Perhaps it’s the rich and seductive voice - equal parts honey and cigarette smoke, Nina Simone and Tom Waits. Or perhaps its the guitar playing, the Appalachian folk / Delta blues finger-picking, the exuberant, off-beat solos, the exquisite timing. Either way, it’s a simple fact that M. Ward quickly becomes a favourite of almost everyone who encounters his music. The roll-call of famous friends is expanding all the time : Norah Jones requested that Matt Ward add some of his trademark vocals to her next album; Meg White personally invited Matt to open for The White Stripes on their last round of US live shows in 2005. Conor Oberst enrolled him in his acoustic “Monsters Of Folk” tours, and added him as Bright Eyes’ guitarist on the Bruce Springsteen-led leg of 2004’s Vote For Change tour. Last year, Matt co-produced Rabbit Fur Coat, the celebrated debut album from Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis, and sang on the all star hootenanny that was her cover of The Traveling Wilbury’s “Handle With Care”. No doubt acquiring a taste for fascinating side projects, in early 2006 Matt compiled and produced the John Fahey covers album I Am The Resurrection, a tribute to the legendary guitarist whose dexterity on the guitar has long been a major influence. But famous fans and extra-curricular activities aside, it’s Matt’s intoxicating, finely crafted albums and stunning live performances for which he is really celebrated and loved.
And so to Post-War, an album that pulls you into its richly-atmospheric whirlpool of melodies with almost hypnotic ease. Able, at last, to collaborate in the studio with the musicians that he’s been touring with for the past 18 months, it’s something of a breakthrough for a man over-used to crafting his records in solitude; it is, he says (with a hint of pride) his “first band record”. The two dueling percussionists (Rachel Blumberg and Jordan Hudson) give the album a robust heartbeat, and the arrangements throughout are as fully-realised and organically intertwined as a fine, mature garden. This was was also the first time that Matt had worked directly with producer Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Cursive, The Faint); for much of Post-War he was on duty at the mixing desk. The album also features the gorgeous work of string player Amanda Lawrence.
Special mention should be made of Matt’s cover of Daniel Johnston’s “To Go Home”. Matt contributed a version of “Story Of An Artist” to The Late Great Daniel Johnston tribute album a few years back; the song has since become a live favorite. Here, Matt takes “To Go Home” and turns it into a rollicking and utterly infectious honky tonk stomp.
Elsewhere, Post-War is deliciously poised between joy and regret; “Magic Trick” and “Requiem” both manage to turn farewells into rueful, rambunctious celebrations, while “Today’s Undertaking” is an aching lament which builds from nothing into a swelling, showstopping finale. The title track is a wistful, spacious and perfectly nuanced gaze into the past, while the opening “Poison Cup” combines devastatingly romantic strings and devastatingly romantic lyrics to devastatingly romantic effect.
Some praise for M.Ward:
“He’s not just another indie-rock singer-songwriter who wishes he had been born a hundred years ago, Ward has imbibed a sense of remorse and cold-eyed mortality from country blues and Appalachian mountain music, and incorporates them into his own decidedly modern songwriting.” - Rolling Stone
“eerie and astonishing” - the New York Times
“a true original” - CMJ
“phenomenally talented” - Time Out NY
“endlessly impressive” - The Washington Post
“desolate, eerie and magical” - The Guardian
“a sepia Steinbeck, a dustbowl Elliott Smith” – Uncut
“quite some auteur” – The Times
“evocative, timeless simplicity” – The Independent