Transistor Radio [Bonus CD]

by M. Ward

Overview

Listening to M. Ward's breezy ode to radio's forgotten heydays is a lot like taking in a huge breath of dust-bowl wind -- however, its charms are rooted in the hazy lemonade-sipping of summer rather than the great depression-obsession of the post-O Brother, Where Art Thou? mainstream. Ward's voice is a slap-delayed pastiche of Ron Sexsmith's easygoing croon and Andrew Bird's closed-mouth drawl, and like his front-porch fingerpicking, it's as effortless as it is effective. Transistor Radio begins with a lovely instrumental version of the Pet Sounds classic "You Still Believe in Me," then drops the needle on "One Life Away," a lo-fi shout-out to the radio towers of old that centers around the sly and condemning lines "To all the people in the ground/Listening to the sound of the living people walking up and down the graves/Well one of them is mine/I'm visiting my fraeulein/She's only one breath away." Many have used the "fake old 78" approach before, but in Ward's hands it sounds truly genuine, and his falsetto harmonizing is as spooky as the song is sweet. While the rest of Radio plays out like a sequel to 2003's excellent Transfiguration of Vincent, with standout cuts like "Sweethearts On Parade," "Hi-Fi," and "Paul's Song" echoing that record's marvelous title track ("Vincent O'Brien"), there's a subtle optimism at work here that was only hinted at on previous recordings, and by the time he wraps the whole thing up with a gorgeous rendition of J.S. Bach's "The Well-Tempered Clavier," it's become apparent which fork in the road this eccentric troubadour has chosen, and it's generously dotted with pregnant storm clouds. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	12/02/2014
Label:	Merge
UPC:	0673855026015
Rank:	34448

Tracks

1. You Still Believe in Me
2. One Life Away
3. Sweethearts on Parade
4. Hi-Fi
5. Fuel for Fire
6. Four Hours in Washington
7. Regeneration No. 1
8. Big Boat
9. Paul's Song
10. Radio Campaign
11. Here Comes the Sun Again
12. Deep Dark Well
13. Oh Take Me Back
14. I'll Be Yr Bird
15. Lullaby + Exile
16. Well-Tempered Clavier

Album Credits

Performance Credits

M. Ward   Primary Artist
Jordan Hudson   Drums
Vic Chesnutt   Vocals
Rachel Blumberg   Drums
Howe Gelb   Piano
Jim James   Guitar,Vocals
Old Joe Clarks   Bass,Percussion
Paul Brainard   Pedal Steel
Jenny Lewis   Vocals
John Parish   Drums

Technical Credits

Larry Crane   Mixing,Engineer
Adam Selzer   Mixing,Engineer
Zak Riles   Photography
John Stanley King   Artwork