THE BLANK GENERATION

M. Ward is one suspicious fellow that I should have looked into some time ago, like, say 2003, when he released Transfiguration of Vincent. 2003 was a busy record-purchasing year for me, and despite lots of positive press, I never made it a priority to pick up Ward's album. That was a mistake.

Patrick recently swapped some digital skin with me, burning me several releases from 2003 that I didn't get a chance to hear in exchange for a mix of artists from my 2004 Best Of list. I also received some other goodies from Patrick that I'm anxious to listen to, like Grandaddy, The Handsome Family and John Cale.

But, back to M. Ward. He's a bit of an oddball, which I adore. Picking an acoustic guitar, often with miminal backing instrumentation (occasional organ, drums or lead guitar), Ward strikes me as a rootsy blend of Nick Drake and Tom Waits, with a teeny bit of Ron Sexsmith's gorgeous flair thrown in for good measure. On paper, that doesn't make much sense, as Drake and Waits are polar opposites, but it transcribes well in sound. Ward's eclecticism is obvious here, from his melancholic adaptation of Bowie's "Let's Dance" to the spooky, Cajun blues of "Sad, Sad Song" to mellow, Skip Spence-influenced tunes like "Undertaker".

Ward's personality often trumps his talented songwriting, which is what I enjoy most about him. Here's a good example:

Oh a playful little kitten met a playful little bird,
and then off with it's head, off with it's head, oh my!
And a breeze met a blossom in a winter embrace
and then off with it's head, off with it's head, oh my!

Am I outta my head, am I outta my head my love?
Am I outta my head or is this real life?

There's absolutely nothing "everyday" about Ward's perspective, which is so refreshing. Modernists might say he resembles Devendra Banhart or even Sam Coomes in this regard, but to these ears he really sounds like the second-coming of Nick Drake (possibly with a bit more of a sense of humor).

All in all, Transfiguration of Vincent was a pleasant surprise, and hopefully this year I can pick up a copy of the actual album. His new release, Transistor Radio, drops in a month on Matador.

N/P—Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney, Superwolf

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 27 at 11:11 AM.

3 Comments:

For what it's worth, Transistor Radio will be out on Merge in the USA (Matador in Europe).
If you like Transfiguration of Vincent, I'd recommend his previous record End of Amnesia on Future Farmer Records.

By  Anonymous, at 10:37 PM  

Thanks for the correction. I will try to locate a copy of that album, too. But, I also want to get his new one.

By  thenoiseboy, at 9:35 AM  

I reviewed Transfiguration for Skyscraper a while back. Thought it was okay, but didn't blow me away. Yet I keep hearing his name pop up all over the place these days. Perhaps I opined too hastily? I dunno.

By  Jonathan Wright, at 1:08 PM  

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