Pages tagged “she & him”

We just named Zooey Deschanel's venture with M. Ward, She & Him, our album of the year. If you're like us and you were won over by the actress's musical chops, you might want to pay attention to the soundtrack of her upcoming film, Yes Man.

Each year, I open a fresh Word document and initiate, once more, a war with myself. This year was no exception. Titled "An Assortment of 2008 Musical Things in a Semi-Particular Order," my list, which includes albums you may have seen previously featured here and here, is absolutely and totally subject to change until Dec. 31. That being said, take a gander at its current iteration:

1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (Beggars/XL/4AD)

Here's the list of my top albums of 2008, which I begrudgingly cobbled together after being told, no, I was not allowed to vote for last year's Everybodyfields album in all ten spots. Don't believe anyone who tells you music journalists have it easy! Life is hard.

1. She & Him - Vol. 1 (Merge)

The sound at Park City, Utah’s Sundance House is terrible, and a chunk of the crowd is more interested in chattering and munching on hors d’oeuvres than paying attention to the duo on guitar and piano, even if it is the debut performance of what will eventually be known as She & Him—the collaboration between indie-music darling M. Ward and movie star Zooey Deschanel. This 2007 Sundance Festival audience doesn’t get high points for attentiveness—they’ve already pretty much ignored Glen Hansard of The Frames playing alongside Markéta Irglová, his co-star in the buzzing film Once.

It's been a little over two years since M. Ward released his last solo album, Post War, but the singer/songwriter/producer has been anything but idle in the interim. He's released an EP, lent his guitar, voice and/or production skills to more than a few artists covered in Paste, contributed to a trio of film soundtracks, made his acting debut, and become a world-famous pronoun, alongside Zooey Deschanel.

Well, Joe Jackson, circa 1979, to answer your question, yes, she is really going out with him. Out on tour, that is. So stop moping around, all playing the victim, trying to stir up pity with your catchy hooks when we at Paste are alerting you well ahead of time to buy good tickets.

After folk opener Freakwater, as a celebrity-induced tension fell over the unnaturally hushed Variety Playhouse crowd waiting for M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel to take the stage, my skepticism abounded. I wondered whether all these people were excited about the music they were about to hear, or were they just waiting to see a movie star? I wondered if the music would hold up to "vanity project" scrutiny. (I enjoyed She & Him's recent debut, Volume One, but wasn't floored by it.) I wondered if She & Him performances were as awkward as they'd been rumored to be. I wondered what kind of contrast there would be between the veteran M. Ward's musicianship and newcomer Deschanel's.

Click above to watch "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" from She & Him's new album Volume I, out now on Merge Records.

Related Links:
News: She & Him schedule summer dates
Features: How well does M. Ward know Zooey Deschanel?
She & Him on Myspace

Vote in PasteMagazine.com's latest poll...

Our favorite pair of pronouns, apparently unsatisfied with just their own couple of sold-out April dates in New York and L.A., have announced they will take their one volume of songs on a full-fledged North American tour this summer. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward will embark from Toronto in late July and wind up in D.C. in mid August. They also recently stopped by Avatar Studios in New York to make an appearance on NPR's World Cafe, recording with Steve Lillywhite and interviewing with David Dye.

Steve Lillywhite, Grammy Award-winning music producer amongst music producers, will be joining up with World Café host David Dye for the Lillywhite Sessions at Avatar Studios on Philadephia’s WXPN. Now, before you get all huffy and complain about the City of Brotherly Love getting all the good stuff, keep in mind that WXPN is syndicated nationally, and World Café is broadcast on NPR. Which means you can hear it, regardless of where you live.

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward will be making a few appearances at both coasts, with dates in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Although the dates are few, the duo of She & Him prefer to keep their fans in suspense, announcing tour dates two and three at a time. No matter, though—for those two we would wait at least as long as it takes to savor a Whole Foods chicken salad, if not longer.

Not up for the road trip? She & Him will also be appearing on NPR’s Fresh Air this afternoon at 3 p.m. and will perform on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on April 22.

You say tomato, I say tomato:

April
21 - New York, N.Y. @ Hiro Ballroom
22 - New York, N.Y. @ Late Show with Conan O’Brien
29 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Vista Theater

May
18 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Oysterfest

Related links:
She & Him on MySpace
Zooey Deschanel on IMDb
MWardMusic.com

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

Singer/songwriter and producer M. Ward spent a lot of time with actress/musician Zooey Deschanel (Almost Famous, All the Real Girls, Elf) while working on Volume One, the first record from their delightful new project, She & Him. Let’s see how well he really knows her:

Who inspired this record for you?
What she said: Beach Boys, Phil Spector, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Neil Young, Tammy Wynette, The Carter Family.
What he guessed she'd say: Brian Wilson, Darlene Love, George Jones.

Describe the album in a word:
ZD: Sweet.
MW: Real.

How did the first performance at Sundance go?
ZD: Chaotic but fun. We had to rehearse in the hallway.
MW: Noisy.

Favorite memory from the recording sessions?
ZD: This violin player named Tom came in, and both Matt and I were by the controls, and Tom played the most beautiful part.
MW: Adding strings to a song called “Take It Back.”

Favorite M. Ward song?
ZD: I’ll go with the first one I heard, “Vincent O’Brien.”
MW: I know the first record she heard was Transfiguration of Vincent, so something off that.

Favorite actor/singer?
ZD: Judy Garland.
MW: Not Cher.

Favorite thing about Matt?
ZD: His improvisational spirit.
MW: I can’t answer this!

Biggest weakness?
ZD: I’m lacking in time-management skills.
MW: I’ve heard it’s frozen yogurt.

Hidden talent?
ZD: Mouth trumpet.
MW: Ukulele.

Favorite kind of salad to make?
ZD: A Whole Foods chicken salad.
MW: A Whole Foods chicken salad.

She & Him is not merely an annoyance for all the self-appointed grammar policemen out there. It's also the name of the new M. Ward/Zooey Deschanel music project with the forthcoming album Volume 1. The first release of the duo's work will arrive March 18 on Merge Records. We first reported on Deschanel's transition into music back in December, noting that though this was her first foray into the life of a recording artist, she has been singing for years in If All The Stars Were Pretty Babies, a cabaret act based in Los Angeles.

What we didn't mention was her performance in the film Elf (2003), where she thrilled viewers with both her shower scene (which, of course, refers to her duet with Will Ferrell, sung while Deschanel's character is showering at work—c'mon pervs!), as well as her rendition of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

But Deschanel really got her start in the music business in 1999 in The Offspring video for "She's Got Issues," in which she sports awesome super-florescent red hair and blue spandex pants under what appears to be a skort. Ah, '90's fashion...

Matt Ward is an indie darling much like Deschanel herself, and one of today's finest singer-songwriters to boot. He's collaborated with Conor Oberst, covered the reclusive Daniel Johnston's "To Go Home," and co-produced the first solo album from Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley and Troop Beverly Hills fame). Now, he's playing the part of backing musician and producer of Volume 1.

Although there's no word yet whether the duo will tour any time in the near future, they will make an appearance at both Noise Pop out in San Francisco and SXSW, where they'll play the Merge Records showcase.

And now for some Paste trivia!

Name at least 10 artists who, like M. Ward, publicly go by names that begin with an initial (that's one initial for those who were going to throw k.d. lang, et al., into the mix.) Answers after the video below.

Deschanel's Elf performance (with shower scene!):

And...a little preview of what to expect from She & Him:

Answers:
N. Lannon
B. Fleischmann
J. Tillman
R. Kelly
G. Love
P. Diddy
T. Rex
J. Geils Band
R. Carlos Nakai
B. Baker Chocolate Co.
K. Juno
J. Moss
J Stalin
J Mascis and the Fog
J. Russell Robinson
T Lavitz
J. Taylor Streiff (Pianist)

(Disclaimer: Not every artist or band in the known universe whose name begins with an initial appears on this list. If you thought of many that didn't, perhaps you should apply for a internship at Paste.)

Volume 1:
1. Sentimental Heart
2. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
3. This Is Not a Test
4. Change Is Hard
5. I Thought I Saw Your Face Today
6. Take It Back
7. I Was Made for You
8. You Really Got a Hold on Me (Miracles cover)
9. Black Hole
10. Got Me
11. I Should Have Known Better (Beatles cover)

She & Him festival dates:

March
2 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Noise Pop
14 - Austin, Texas @ The Parish (Merge Records SXSW showcase)

Related links:
M. Ward on Myspace
YouTube: Zooey Deschanel singing "Hello Dolly" in Raving
YouTube: M. Ward's "Chinese Translation"

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.