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M. Ward
Hold Time
Review By Chris Drabick
M. Ward has been riding quite the wave of momentum over the past few years. Although he started his solo career in 2001 (after serving as guitarist for unheralded trio Rodriguez), Ward didn’t really begin to gain a wider audience until 2005’s semi-concept album Transistor Radio. Tours with Conor Oberst and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James led to some high profile moments (and the oft-rumored Oberst/Ward band). Of course, last year’s collaboration with the actress Zooey Deschanel as She & Him brought Ward more visibility and notoriety than his last few records combined. Ward rides this wave through what could prove to be his commercial break-through, the solid, if mostly unspectacular (and seemingly aptly titled) Hold Time.
Put bluntly, Ward seems to be doing yeoman duty here; he’s made almost all these moves before, and practically every song on Time echoes moments from his past. That’s not to say these evocations aren’t occasionally improvements; “Never Had Nobody Like You” is a streamlined version of any number of tracks from Transistor Radio, and Ward brings lessons learned from She & Him’s covers to bear, as a re-worked “Rave On” is damn near unrecognizable. What is recognizable is “One Hundred Million Years,” which sounds like a Transfiguration of Vincent outtake, and the sorta pop move of “Jailbird” as a Post-War move. Smartly played, well written, and eminently listenable, the record just lacks either the risk-taking or slam-dunk moments that could have elevated the good to great. Ward plays it safe throughout, and this record will just have to Hold Time until he makes his great one.
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