Rather like, say, Howe Gelb's blasted, desert blues and Neil Young's brilliantly wayward career, there's something irresistibly ancient and out-of-time about enigmatic, Californian-born, Oregon-based singer/ songwriter M WARD that always appeals to this reviewer.
Ward's fourth album "Transistor Radio" is no exception, either. It's a typically out-there, otherworldly record, based on childhood memories of gathering around the radio to listen to independent stations as a family rather than sitting glued to the expected television set. How accurate it is to the sounds Ward took in at the time, we can only speculate, but if these songs are typical of the music our hero was used to hearing as he grew up, then I'm emigrating to a strategic spot on the Californian/ Mexican border and tuning in without further ado.
Because "Transistor Radio" is a fascinating album. It's broadly Americana in the best, discovery-fuelled sense of the term and is recorded primarily live and resolutely down-home (I prefer that to the accepted 'lo-fi' in this case) with special guest appearances from respected - and mostly equally maverick - characters such as Howe Gelb, Vic Chesnutt, John Parish (of PJ Harvey fame) and Jordan Hudson from The Thermals.
But for all that, "Transistor Radio" is very much Ward's concept and vision. It was recorded primarily in fellow Portland resident Mike Coykendell's attic and the captures the hiss, distance and fuzzy aspect of listening to a radio where the reception is fading in and out, especially on the earlier tracks like "One Life Away" and "Sweethearts On Parade." The former is not dissimilar to Ward's crackly conclusion to the recent "Dead Men's Shoes" OST and is an ancient moonshine-addled country love song, with high-register vocals from guest Jim James (My Morning Jacket). The latter, meanwhile, starts by cutting through a buzz of static and comes on like Green On Red being beamed in from Venus. A good thing, on this occasion.
The live, close-miked feel is pretty much all pervasive, although a number of tracks are developed further and feature more of a full band sound. "Hi-Fi", for example, features The Thermals' Jordan Hudson on drums and is croaky, Mark Lanegan-ish folk with stuttery acoustic guitars and Chris Isaak-style surf guitar surges. "Four Hours In Washington", meanwhile, is a tense, insomniac's blues featuring both John Parish and Howe Gelb and is an unpredictable (and ultimately glorious) as Giant Sand at their wayward best.
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The playfulness doesn't end there, either. "Big Boat" is even more seat-of-the-pants and ungainly, but its' manic drum'n'piano-fuelled attack is infectious, as is the creepy, drifting organ and Handsome Family-style fatalism of "Deep Dark Well" and the cheeky nods of appreciation given to George Harrison on "Here Comes The Sun Again."
Indeed, even when it sounds rickety and half-finished, like on the neo-stillborn, but strangely determined "I'll Be Yr Bird" and the ramshackle, evangelical desert blues of "Oh Take Me Back" (typically also featuring Howe Gelb), "Transistor Radio" still sounds heart-warmingly attractive. Ward, it seems, encourages a relaxed looseness from his collaborators and clearly they reciprocate. After all, there's not many people who have young Mr.Influential himself, Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes enthusing about them so vociferously, are there? Hell, Oberst even shouted "M Ward for president!" when Ward played live with him last year. What a shame we can't turn that into a reality.
Still, even if he remains a glorious enigma, it's heartening to know M Ward's out there, floating in a distant galaxy and beaming down his brilliance as and when he so desires. "Transistor Radio" brings us strange news from another star and ensures you'll want to stay tuned for this reluctant genius's next transmission.
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