M. Ward has long been one of alt-country's most notable figures. He rose to the top of the Portland, Oregon music scene, collaborated with actress Zooey Deschanel as part of the side project She and Him and has guested with artists like My Morning Jacket, Cat Power, Bright Eyes, and Jenny Lewis as well. He's also managed to be creepily consistent, releasing a string of solid albums in a genre where it's not uncommon for a band to release maybe one or two good albums and nothing else, or to drop off after a few releases. His latest album, Hold Time, continues that tradition of consistency - there are times when his lyrics are a bit awkward or he tries to do too much with some of the music in the background, but this is clearly an album that fits in with the rest of his library and works well enough to end up as another solid, if unspectacular, album. His unique vocal style remains, and he manages to turn out a few more catchy songs on here, most notably "Epistemology", which is one of the best songs I've heard all year so far. Be sure to check this out if you're interested in any kind of roots music, or if you've ever been interested in M. Ward or any of the other indie bands he's collaborated with.
4/5.
www.myspace.com/mward
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