by Alex Danger Stewart

What: She & Him Vol. 2

Didn’t that come out in March? Yeah. My brain turned off for a little while.

Where did you buy it? Reckless Records on Madison

Let’s face it; every living person who exists in contemporary society has a crush on Zooey Deschanel. Not even necessarily in a sexual relations way. Most people just want to bake a batch of gluten free cookies and hug her for a few hours.

Literally, everyone. Even my mom (and she doesn’t get crushes on people who aren’t Jeff Bridges). Every time that Cotton™ commercial comes on, or she hears a She & Him song in the car, my mom will comment, “Isn’t she the most adorable thing in the world?” It’s mostly warranted too. Zooey Deschanel is really fucking adorable (feel free to take this moment to curse the existence of Ben Gibbard. I never liked the mealy mouthed, bucket of boring anyway. I once refused to buy a guitar because I saw a picture of him playing one. That’s kind of ridiculous). I don’t even have to give supporting evidence for that claim because you all know it to be true. With that inherent level of adoration, it becomes very easy to suggest that any fawning over her music is based more on looks and personality than actual quality.

Here’s why this is bullshit: 1. I don’t think anyone actually fawns over She & Him. As far as I can tell it’s generally understood that, while She & Him is very enjoyable, Deschanel and Matt Ward are more productive and artistically achieved in their primary jobs as actress and M Ward: solo artist. 2. She is a talented, affable, and engaging singer who writes fun, hooky, and often compelling songs. 3. Whether you want to kiss the singer or not, it is near impossible to not be sucked in by Ward’s production. This man knows how sound works and, after hearing the instrumentation that he wraps the various songs in, one can often be hard pressed to conceive of better, more fitting choices.

Now (300 words in) let’s get to the album itself. Vol. 2 builds on the strengths of its predecessor. The first song, “Thieves,” can easily be placed in a larger role of the song that defines the group’s entire aesthetic. Deschanel continues her songwriting persona as an endearingly cute young thing whose smarts and sense of humor don’t seem to stop her bothersome knack for falling for guys who just don’t seem to love her as much as she does them. “What’s in my pocket?” She sings, “You never knew. You didn’t know me well, so well, as I knew you.” It’s delivered with a wink and a smile. She may be crying today but the Los Angeles sun will be shining tomorrow and she may very well be back in love. Behind her, Ward’s guitar and strings swell melodramatically as we’re pulled into the happiest melancholy available without ordering from some shady Russian drug service.

I know this has been said in almost ever review out there, but the magic of She & Him lies in the way that their music is not a direct callback to past music. It acts as a synthesis of all of their influences (Tin Pan Alley, countrypolitan, ALL of the Beach Boys and Phil Spector knock offs, etc etc) that produces an entirely unique combination of sound that begins to surpass the sum of its parts; almost doing for 60s AM pop what Raiders of the Lost Ark did for 30s adventure serials (ok that’s really hyperbolic. This album isn’t as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark). Though they may sometimes remind you of others, whether during the soft, slow dances of, “Lingering Still,” and, “Me and You,” or the rollicking cover of NRBQ’s “Riding in my Car,” She & Him mostly sound like themselves.

Final Verdict: Give Vol. 2 a spin. You could use some easy fun. The new Frightened Rabbit album tends to bring you down a bit too far.