She & Him – Volume 2

As its title might suggest, She & Him’s Volume 2 pretty much picks up where Volume 1 left off. Those already familiar with the pairing of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel will find themselves in familiar territory here.Over its 13 tracks Volume 2 serves up a selection of 1950s, dreamboats and petticoats-inspired pop. Strings are sweeping, backing vocals are rousing and guitars curl and twang around Deschanel’s vocal ”“ always delivered with a doe-eyed smile. It’s no surprise that this album ‘sounds’ so good when you look at the roster of talent enlisted to lend a hand; M. Ward takes up the majority of the fretted instruments, with Mike Mogis, Peter Broderick and Tilly & The Wall along to fill in the gaps.As is to be expected, lyrically the album isn’t going to set the world on fire; there’s no political undercurrent or ambiguity here, and frankly it would be weird if there was. Taking nods from the likes of Bobby Vee, Adam Faith, Billy Fury the main topic covered here is some good old fashioned courting; tales from a more innocent day when folk used to take their belle to a drive-in movie followed by a trip to the diner for milkshakes. Where Deschanel ups the anti is when she hits you with lyrics like “Orpheus melted the heart of Persephone, but I never had yours.” For every mention of “cute boys” there’s always the chance of something a little deeper and more thoughtful around the corner.Volume 2 manages to ride this wave of cute without ever becoming saccharine; a debt that has to be paid by the way that M. Ward has worked with Deschanel’s songs. With Ward’s distinctive voice and guitar flourishes less prevalent than before, on first listens it feels like this record is more She than Him. However when you let the dust settle a little M. Ward’s influence reveals itself subtly. Maybe this a testament to how much Zooey Deschanel’s song writing has improved since the duo’s first outing. One thing that can’t be denied is that Deschanel knows how to pen a tune.