M. Ward : Hold Time

I feel a bit amateur-ish in admitting it, but I hadn’t heard of M. Ward (the initial stands for Matt, by the way) until I heard his take of “Rave On” on KUTFM. After some research I found out that I had actually heard him several times. In addition to his latest work with Zooey Deschanel in She & Him he’s performed with Bright Eyes, Cat Power, The White Stripes, My Morning Jacket, Neko Case, and Norah Jones. It’s pretty obvious that the guy works hard, so what does he have to offer his listeners on Hold Time?

Some of the songs that stand out on this record are actually covers, a detail that makes Ward’s atavistic side just a little more obvious. “Rave On” was originally written by Sonny West but is probably better known as one of Buddy Holly’s biggest hits. “Oh Lonesome Me”, which features Lucinda Williams, was originally written and recorded by Don Gibson and Chet Atkins. Even the outro, “I’m a Fool to Want You”, must predate my birth be at least a handful of years. In addition to being a prolific musician, Ward has a healthy respect for his elders and you can hear it in just about every song on this album.

“For Beginners” moves along at a quick clip, touching on some religious imagery on the way, and builds up an optimistic tone (“the kingdom is for you”). “Hold Time” is a change of pace from the rest of the album, in tempo, tone and instrumentation. It’s nostalgia swells with strings and keys while Ward remembers “the endless summer in your laugh” until he outro’s with a tasteful melody a la Marvin Gaye.

“Blake’s View” begins with a reference to a poem by William Blake (“death is just an open door, I have only slipped away into the next room”) that seems to counter any sense of pessimism in the album. My favorite moment in the record is during the pause at the fifty-nine second mark. If you listen carefully you can hear the mockingbirds he sings about (“love is just a chorus / death is just a verse / in the great song of spring / that the mockingbirds sing”).

During an interview with Melena Ryzik of the New York Times Ward says, “I know there’s great stuff out there but I don’t want to be influenced by stuff that’s going on around me. I’m more interested in consuming stuff that’s stood the test of time and the hard work of filtering has already happened.” M. Ward is more concerned with being an individual than he is with playing to contemporary sensibilities, and you can hear that clearly on his newest, Hold Time.