[Merge, 2010]

words// taylor hebble

I’ve always been one to believe that you don’t fix something that isn’t broken; however, I wish that She & Him duo Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward had taken more risks with their sophomore effort, Volume 2. Don’t get me wrong- Volume 1 is one of my favorite albums, and Volume 2 is in no way a bad album– it’s just redundant.

While I applaud Deschanel for breaking the archetype of Hollywood actresses who try- and fail miserably- to sing, the whole act is starting to feel contrived. Once again, we see Deschanel play the indie darling, singing about unrequited love in her quirky, endearing warble. True, she may have defied the stereotype of singing actresses, but she’s willingly embracing the typecast role we’ve seen her play in all her movies.

Much like its predecessor, Volume 2 is a perfectly pleasant blend of interesting lyrics and sunny, sixties pop. I was pleased to see that once again Deschanel closes the album with a soft, a capella lullaby; “If You Can’t Sleep” is nothing short of beautiful. Anyone familiar with the music of Deschanel’s husband, Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie), may find the song vaguely familiar- Gibbard’s solo track “Farmer Chords” draws from the same theme of lovers separated by distance, and many of the lyrics are similar. When listening to the two songs back-to-back, it’s not hard to imagine Gibbard and Deschanel singing these songs into the phone while separated on tour.

Redundancy aside, Volume 2 is the perfect album for those rainy spring days when you find yourself dreaming of sunshine. M. Ward has masterfully composed an album filled with complex sounds, and it showcases Deschanel’s voice beautifully. Sophomore slump, this is not.