Truth about 'Hold Time' by M. Ward

M. Ward is one of those indie singer/songwriters that’s not totally acoustic and plain, filled with emotions that make you which you never turned on the album. The happy, but yet mellow M. Ward has finally after three years released a new album. After his previous hit ‘Post-War’ which I must admit is a fantastic album, M. Ward brings his game on to his new ‘Hold Time’. The album is a nice and sunshine album that starts of with the bittersweet yet happy and earthy tone. He is one of few artists that has found what I once saw in The Shins but at a slower speed and a more sentimental path.

In ‘For Beginners’ M. Ward brings on the quick acoustic play with a happy surface that give you time for reflection and just like The Shins second track ‘Mine’s Not High Horse’ on ‘Chutes To Narrow’ he gives the album a perfect start. In this album he’s done a terrific collaboration with actress Zooey Deschanel (Almost Famous, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy) for an original soundtrack song ‘Rave On’ for the upcoming film ‘The Go-Getter’. The duet is absolutely one of the highlights of this ‘feel good’ album that never really reaches up to what ‘Post-War’ did.

I hate to compare stuff and this is a creative and beautiful record that sets tone for the upcoming spring. I’m not very well familiar with M. Ward so I can’t really compare and change opinions on his earlier work (except ‘Post-War’) and I could give you full biographical background but this is about ‘Hold Time’ as a record and I guess I fall in love with the music. It’s one of those albums that has continuous linear speed, it’s a great ‘mood’ setter for a sunny day and it’s surely a very good album. A Sunshine ‘Mood’-setter that has a little charm with it and I like it. It secures his future in my library.

Highlights; 'For Beginners', 'To Save Me', 'Jailbird' and 'Rave On'.