'She and Him: Volume Two' shows off actress and singer Zooey Deschanel's voice in the group's second installment. | Wikimedia Commons
The highly anticipated prelude album, Volume Two, which was released Tuesday of last week, is charming, upbeat and full of talent. From a ubiquitous folk machine Matt Ward and the delightfully winsome actress, now turned singer, Zooey Deschanel, this album is exactly what musical talent consists of.
The match made in Indie music heaven from the soulful folk star Ward and the delightfully doe-eyed actress Deschanel introduced the world to She & Him: Volume One in March 2008. This album took a stand in proving Deschanel’s new role, as a singer was a genius idea.
With the actress recently starring in the hit indie film, 500 days of Summer, the album couldn’t have been released at a better time, creating an even bigger fan base. As National Public Radio puts it, “It’s a recipe for skepticism, before the “play” button has even been pressed”.
The pair used experiences from Volume One as a learning tool for creating Volume Two.
“We instinctually landed on this process while making Volume One, that Zooey would write and I would produce and arrange. It’s been the most natural extension of our interests and abilities,” Ward said. “Using the back and forth between voices and guitars is the main force of the music, and we both have a great love for using harmonies. I think the songs lend themselves to production styles that I love and that she loves.”
What distinguishes the second album from the first is a significant progress-never straying away from their unique sound but adding deeper more ambitious song writing and musical arrangements. Zooey seemed confident in her vocal range while Ward didn’t hesitate to enhance her wistful romanticism as well as her personality by strategically decorating her voice with his folk-country acoustics and light oldies “Beach Boys” like orchestrations.
Volume Two is a collection of thirteen tracks all written by Deschanel with the exception of innovatively designed covers: “Gonna Get Along With Out You Now” by Skeeter Davis and NRBQ’S “Riding In My Car”, produced and arranged by Ward. While “In The Sun” was the first single release, turning many heads and ears toward the humble band, the entire album will keep you listening and awaiting news for Volume Three.
