M. Ward

Transistor Radio

Transistor Radio. Everytime I hear those words I think of 'Brown-Eyed Girl' by Van Morrison. As good of a song as that is, that's not it at all. Transistor Radio is M. Ward's latest gift to those of the folk persuasion, and by-golly, it's a good one. This album could easily become a classic...if people knew about it. So allow me to introduce you to the magical world of M. Ward. Head to your nearest cottage on a lake, wait until evening, wrap a blanket around you, grab a cup of hot chocolate and sit on the front porch. Now you're ready.

The first time I saw this M. Ward was on Austin City Limits. He was on stage with Bright Eyes. Apparently the two are good friends, Ward with a little less political angst, and they perform together when able. So that's your first clue as to what kind of music this is. It's the snappy acoustic kind of americana featured on I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning but dare I say, M. Ward does it a bit better.

Transistor Radio opens with a purely instrumental track called 'You Still Believe In Me'. It's more like a gorgeous little prelude to the album and let me tell you, it's a pretty piece of guitar work. When you hear it, you kind of picture the sun rising on a perfectly clear morning over that lake we were sitting by a few minutes ago. This is one of my favorite songs right off the bat.

From there Ward takes us on quite a journey. In track 4, 'Hi-Fi', we're driving on a lonely highway on the California coastline, the ocean sparkling as the sun disappears over the horizon. Ward sings "Why burn your bridges when you can blow your bridges up?" Good question. In 'Four Hours In Washington' we're laying in bed, unable to fall asleep as the wolves howl close by. This is my favorite song off the album. Frantic guitar and drums pounding in the background to a beat somewhat like Benny Goodman's big band classic 'Sing Sing (With a Swing)' make it a riot to listen to. This album is most certainly a traveling album. Many of the songs have to do with being out on the road, a lonely wanderer, a wayfaring stranger, if you will.

Anyway, Ward heads many different directions on this album and they're all remarkable. Track 2, 'One Life Away', sounds like old-school Hank Williams country. He even uses this lo-fi (as opposed to hi-fi) muffled effect that gives the song a very warm feel to it. A few songs take advantage of a saucy, south-of-the-border feel which is pretty cool as well. Track 8, 'Big Boat', opens with piano and a typical rock-beat on the drums. The bass-line reminds me of the one from Dr. Mario. You all know what I'm talking about. Needless to say, it's one of my favorites.

Another thing worth mentioning is Ward's voice. It's very rich and heavy and quite enjoyable to listen to. Where Conor Oberst's voice is thin, shaky, and warbly at times, Ward's is stable and steady and you know that when those two sing together, he'll pick up the slack.

So, all-in-all, impressive instrumentation and musicianship surround this album and make it worthy of any money you're willing to dish out for it.

Ruth Pranschke

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