M. Ward

Editor's Review:

It’s difficult to know where to begin when asked to review an album soaked with such beauty. M. Ward’s smoky melodies and poignant lyrics whisper with Nick Drake’s fragility and Neil Young’s graininess. The instrumental balance leans towards melancholy acoustic guitars, while Gilmore-esque slide guitars circle the heavens and bar pianos take the musical backseat. Harmonies that appear out of nowhere on "The Color of Water" surround you, leaving the impression of a campfire sing-along. I fight the impulse to beat the dust out of my clothes and start panning for gold. His sense of major-minor and use of early 20^th century popular music samples is impeccable on "Bad Dreams." This is total saloon music — best if listened to in a deserted building, shrouded in dust-silhouetted light beams about mid-day.

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Record Label Future Farmer Recordings Released July 2001

Tracks End of Amnesia Color of Water Half Moon So Much Water Bad Dreams Archangel Tale Silverline Flaming Heart Carolina From A Pirate Radio Sermon, 1989 Psalm Ella Seashell Tale O’Brien/ O’Brien’s Nocturne