Album Review: She & Him – Volume Two

I tell you what, y’all. The wait for this one sure felt like a deep, dark, black hole of oblivion. But the end result, Volume Two certainly proves that old adage that very, very good things come to those who wait. Well, in this instance anyway. She & Him's adorable Zooey and dreamy M. put their heads together once more and came up with another batch of beautiful songs, heavy with the ghosts of country and girl group greats. These two together are utterly irresistible, between Zooey’s voice and M.’s guitar play.

They really hit the ground running straight away this time. Volume Two seems more polished than the volume that preceded it. It’s shinier, newer, and even sleeker. “In The Sun” shimmies along with that big symphonic sweep of the golden olden days, full of Zooey’s inherent quirkiness and undeniable catchiness. “Don’t Look Back” calls to mind both early Beach Boys and classic Motown, with “doo doo doos” aplenty and a ravishing retro wash to the song’s production. “Ridin’ In My Car” is impeccable in its throwback sound, with Zooey and M. showing off fantastic boy-girl vocals and the whole shebang sounding like a soda fountain classic.

I love the mix of British Invasion sounds and that twangin’ guitar of M.’s on “Gonna Get Along Without You Now”, which also lets Zooey unleash some of that Baby Patsy Cline she’s got in that voice of her. “Gonna find somebody that’s twice as cute/cuz I didn’t like you anyhow,” she prettily pouts, as M. strums along. The acoustic guitar intro to “Sing” is pretty special, and the song itself is just another gem. “Over It Over Again” is one of my favorites, a classic She & Him song with girl group sashaying alongside country and pop to dazzling effect. O, how I love it.

Now friends, with an album of this length, you might expect some throwaway songs. Well, there aren’t any. Each and every song is as good as the one before and after it. I wasn’t sure if lightning could strike twice for this unlikely dynamic duo, but strike it did. I might still be slightly partial to Volume One, but with enough listens to Volume Two I very likely could soon be singing another tune. Hot damn, these two have found musical soulmates in each other, and I’d say we’re all pretty lucky these kids got together to make music. Now, the big question is, are we gonna have to wait this long for Volume Three?

mp3: In The Sun (She & Him from Volume Two)