A Wasteland Companion

モギス（共にブライト・アイズ）、ジム・ジェームス（マイ・モーニング・ジャケット）と組んだスーパー・バンド、モンスターズ・オブ・フォークとしての活動も有名なM・ウォードが、ソロとしては3年振りの7thアルバムを＜Merge Records＞からリリース！シー＆ヒムでも活動を共にするズーイー・デシャネルの他、ソニック・ユースのスティーヴ・シェリーや、PJハーヴェイと共に活動するジョン・パリッシュ、デザートロック界の巨人ジャイアント・サンドのハウ・ゲルブ、そして盟友マイク・モギスがゲスト参加。シー＆ヒムを彷彿とさせるポップナンバーから暖かみのある哀愁バラードまでバラエティーに富んだ最高傑作が完成！アルバムのリリースに合わせて、先ごろリユニオンを発表したばかりのマイク・ワット率いるファイアーホースや、リー・ラナルド（ソニック・ユース）と共に、全米ツアーを回ることも決定している。

Rolling Stone (p.74) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "His seventh is his most vivid and varied yet, full of exquisite guitar work, gem-like songcraft and inspired covers..." Uncut (p.68) - "Vocally, Ward sounds like Paul Simon....Go past the tone of his voice, inhale the poetry, and you'll taste a sweeter, less mordant Leonard Cohen." Alternative Press (p.83) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "A WASTELAND COMPANION is a reminder that Ward is one of indie music's most capable singer/songwriters....A welcome return to form." Magnet (p.59) - "[With] a moodily atmospheric production, heartbreaking vocals and genius finger-picking." Billboard (p.28) - "Best of all is 'Wild Goose,' where Ward's various talents come together in a woozy rush of hushed harmonies, sparkling lap steel and Old Hollywood strings." Q (Magazine) (p.101) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he real wonder here is to be found when he drops a gear into hushed beauty and sun-dappled loveliness." Mojo (Publisher) (p.87) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[The album] revels in the layers of experience overlaid on life, building up texture, building up meaning, building up songs."

Matthew Stephen Ward's seventh studio album was recorded in eight different studios and boasts 18 guest musicians, including Rachel Cox (Oakley Hall), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes), Tom Hagerman (Devotchka), Tobey Leaman (Dr. Dog), and She & Him's X chromosome Zooey Deschanel, just to name a few. Such a heroic production itinerary should surely yield appropriately epic results, but Ward's Wasteland Companion feels as organic and understated as anything he's done thus far. Most of the 12 songs flirt with ambient textures, but they remain firmly imbued with the breezy, tape-saturated patina that permeated early works like Transfiguration of Vincent and Transistor Radio. For the most part, outside of the slight but catchy "Primitive Girl" and the driving "Sweetheart," he eschews many of the pop tics that colored 2009's Hold Time for meandering, dustbowl folk arrangements ("Clean Slate"), galloping, country-gospel motifs ("Pure Joy"), and Tin Pan Alley nostalgia ("There's a Key"). Ward's naturalistic approach and consistently retro vibe work best when he lands somewhere in the middle of it all, as is the case with the lush and timeless sounding "Wild Goose" and the bluesy title track, both of which appear in the album's spare and satisfying second half. Fans who were wondering if Ward's mainstream successes would yield a stylistic sea change can rest easy, as his signature, sepia-tone demeanor, for better or for worse, remains steadfast. ~ James Christopher Monger

ハウ・ゲルブ、スティーヴ・シェリー(ソニック・ユース)、マイク・モギス(ブライト・アイズ)ら豪華メンツを従えた3年ぶりのソロ作ですよ!シー&ヒム好きにはたまらないポップセンスが満開の、ズーイー・デシャネルとのデュエットもあれば、オールディーズ風の懐メロ曲もあり。M・ウォード節とも言える甘いヴォーカルとフィンガー・ピッキング・ギターが冴え渡った、耳触りの優しいグッド・ミュージック集です。
bounce (C)竹内幹代