M. Ward – Hold Time (released Feb. 17)
Singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen. Walk into any coffee house or bar during an open mic and you will likely find an army of introspective songsmiths, strumming heavily and singing sub-par lyrics poorly. It takes a special artist to both write and perform his or her own music without the final product coming off as pretentious.
M. Ward is a special artist.
His latest effort, “Hold Time,” finds the singer arriving at a definite plateau – a true high-water-mark type of album. These songs sound like they arrived in a time warp, either from the distant past or the distant future. “Hold Time” serves as more than simply the artist’s next album – it represents a potential career defining moment.
From the album’s opening lyric – “When you are absolute beginners/it’s a panoramic view” – to the instrumental closing track, Ward consistently raises the bar to new artistic heights.
He avoids the drab and dreary overtones that dominate many other folk-rock, strum and hum songwriters. Even when Ward delves into death on “Blake’s View” he does not wallow in pain and self-pity. It sounds like a wake rather than a funeral – a celebration of life rather than mourning.
The subdued vibe deals with more shadow than light, but that’s not to say Ward doesn’t know how to rock. “Never Had Nobody Like You” brings to mind “White Album”-era Beatles, while “Stars of Leo” bounces and explodes into a head-bobbing, toe-tapping joyful noise. “One Hundred Million Years” harkens to an old-time blues sound, almost as ancient as the song title itself.
It’s hard to pick out any one track as the centerpiece.
“Rave On” sees Ward take on the Buddy Holly classic with a mellow, kicked-back-at-the-beach tone. “Shangri-La” channels a dreamy, floating and fluttering vibe, sounding like a scene from a Wes Anderson film.
The real achievement here lies not within an individual song or lyric, but in the painfully beautiful whole. The songs draw out emotions from the listener. The tunes live and breathe, bounding along with a wistful energy.
The world is full of singer/songwriters trying to write the next great American masterpiece – M. Ward not only tries, but succeeds.