Portland-based songwriter creates album filled with rasp and “Pure Joy”

As evidenced by the music video for “Dream of 1890s” seen on “Portlandia” last season, Portlanders seem to be tickled by all things that look or sound old or nostalgic while still being hip.

Portland-based folk singer-songwriter M. Ward’s latest album, “A Wasteland Companion”, to be released Tuesday, fits into this category nicely, a finely constructed ode to all that is good about folk music while still maintaining a modern edge.

“A Wasteland Companion” follows Ward’s 2009 “Hold Time,” which was known for its cover “Rave On!” by Buddy Holly. Like other M. Ward albums, one can find the silky smooth tones of actress, songstress and all-around cutie-pie Zooey Deschanel, the she of music group She & Him, with Ward playing the part of him.

The album begins with the track “Clean Slate,” a slow-picked acoustic introduction to all that is M. Ward: a soft yet powerful song tinged with a melancholy and nostalgia that is ever-present in Ward’s velvety-rasp of a voice. However, it does seem to be over before one can really get into the song. This happens in the following track “Primitive Girl” as well, mostly because no song on the album is four minutes or longer, the closest being 3:42.

However, the third track, “Me and My Shadow,” kicks up the tempo a few beats and benefits from it. While most of the album has an introspective-inducing slow tempo, this track takes a more bluesy approach one might hear on a Black Keys album. Paired with Ward’s rasp, it’s a delight to hear.

Deschanel lends her particular talents on the track “Sweetheart” and the whole song fits the title nicely, a short and sweet piece that just sounds like an old happy country duet.

The following track, “I Get Ideas,” a song more or less based on infatuation and a somewhat lustful attraction, takes the country-feel of the album onward further into delight. It incorporates a female vocalist that sounds like Deschanel but could be any other of the frequent guest artists on Ward’s previous albums. Much like “Sweetheart,” it’s short and to the point and that simplicity goes a long way toward making the album fun to listen to.

“The First Time I Ran Away” takes the tempo down again and relies more on the folksy-storytelling that sounds nice but is not very dynamic. Coming after three fast and fun, albeit shorter, songs, it’s a nice transition.

The next track follows the lead of “The First Time I Ran Away,” but when one gets to “Watch The Show”, Ward gets somewhat darker, with a Jack White-esque feel on a longer song. It takes after The White Stripes’ “The Hardest Button to Button,” with a haunting wall of sound guitar backing Ward’s vocals. For variety’s sake, this song is easily the most different and one of the better songs on the album.

Ward’s rasp reaches its peak on “Crawl After You,” a piano and percussion piece with a little string accent in there for good measure. The mix makes such a pleasing steady sonic swirl as to complement the more country-infused tracks.

The album finishes with the song “Pure Joy,” a nice bookend to the album that began with a guitar-picking song that frames Ward’s voice nicely. There is a slightly more gospel feel to this song, which is nice as it adds a touch of contrast and some variety.

Overall, the album is a good one. The musicians do a good job of making an easily digestible song that serves to highlight the silky sandpaper of Ward’s voice. The only problem there is that too many of the songs are alike and therefore can lull the listener into not paying much attention to the individual songs. Sure, there are some changes when the tempo changes or Ward switches from the country feel to the bluesy feel.

The best songs on the album would end up being “Me And My Shadow,” “I Get Ideas,” “Watch The Show” and “Crawl After You.” Each track showcases the differences in the album and can sum it up nicely.

One might consider buying the full album when it comes out next week or they might choose to buy the songs. Fans of Ward ought to buy the full album, as they will not be let down if they’ve enjoyed his previous work. However, the new or casual listener ought to just stick to the four aforementioned tracks. They showcase the best of album and portray the kind of music M. Ward makes. Either way, folks, mark your calendars.

Advocate Staff