M. Ward

So far this year, no album has captivated me quite like M. Ward's new release: Post-War. Dusty guitars licks, strained vocals, tasteful harmonies, rich tones - it has everything I need in an alt-country, singer/songwriter album. The closest counterpart I can think of in my music collection would be Wilco's A Ghost Is Born. Yes, friends, that good.

Although presumably about the forgotten grandeur of the California Gold Rush or a derelict sideshow in New Mexico, I find that the title track, “Post-War”, and later on, “Rollercoaster”, embody the boomtown spirit of Calgary. Maybe not the Calgary that exists today, but the post-NEP Calgary that I grew up in.

I could probably analyse every song on the album, and may do so in the future, but for now I’ll focus on two more, “Poison Cup” and “Requiem”. “Poison Cup” is a hopeless, unlikely love song. At first it jarred me, but now I appreciate simplicity of the lyrics and the slow crescendo of the backing strings. “Requiem” has a solid blues-rock structure, and lyrically it has a macho, terse, Hemingway quality about it. I’m susceptible to this because I’m reading For Whom the Bell Tolls at the moment. Surprisingly though, it doesn’t sound political, despite the current musical trend (see Living with War, and "When The President talks to God").

Great Stuff! Don’t let it slip by. ♪