M. Ward - Hold Time - The DEFINITIVE Review on the Whole Internet

by Ellis Hamburger

In Hold Time, M. Ward channels feelings from some of his earlier records, as well as something entirely new. Many of the themes he sings about remain the same, but one thing that all of his records have had in common is the amount of effort Matt pours into every single song. You'd be hard pressed to find an M. Ward track that is offensive to the ears, and Hold Time is no exception.

M. Ward's first record in three years seems to be composed of various jumbled parts of a timeline, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. The title of the album implies a sense of surrealism within the structure of the album; each song stems from a particular part of Matt's musical career from his old lo-fi days to newer pop songs with a bit more production.

Hold Time begins (naturally) with "For Beginners," a track that could've fit in anywhere on 2005's Transistor Radio. The hand claps and guitar twang are nothing but the perfect re-introduction to Ward's music after a long three years. "Never Had Nobody Like You" is the perfect example of the reinvention of Ward's music: more rock and roll, more production, and more A-List guests. Ward's pal Zooey Deschanel contributes backup vocals to this track, giving it an uplifting sing-a-long quality to it.

"Jailbird," my favorite song on the album, harkens back to the glorious days of "Vincent O'Brien". At around 50 seconds in, there is near M. Ward bliss. A soulful guitar riff joins together with background strings (also arranged by Ward) to create a moment that transcends Ward's career, binding his old desires to his new ones. In this way, "Jailbird" I think best embodies the spirit of this album.

The title track comes it at number 4 almost too predictably after 2006's "Post War". The title track of "Post War" also comes in at number 4, and the two songs might have too much in common. Fortunately for me, "Post War" is one of my favorite songs of all time. Its down-tempo rhythm and electric piano/violins (?) are mimicked on "Hold Time" in the best way possible. My only complaint about the new album's title track is that it's just a bit too short; I know Matt could've elaborated on the feelings this track evokes the way he did for "Post War". Nevertheless, the haunting melody of "Hold Time" is perfect, filling the same role "Post War" did in slowing down the album a little bit and encouraging a little introspection.

"Rave On" and "To Save Me" show that Ward has no intent of slowing down. The first track, a Buddy Holly cover, is upbeat M. Ward goodness once again, also containing abundant hand clapping and twanging guitars. Ward has a knack for covers, it seems. His cover of Daniel Johnston's "To Go Home" is flawless, and "Rave On" I think will hold a similar place in my heart. Interestingly enough, "To Save Me" channels some of the same emotions, pacing, and instruments as "To Go Home" with its piano and background vocals during parts of the chorus. The guitar on this track is also notably masterful, especially towards the end.

The second half of the album takes a little bit longer to sink in, but is almost as equally compelling as the first half. "One Hundred Millions Years" begins with a segment that could almost be named "Duet for Guitars #4" but then transforms into a more typical acoustic Ward track that could've fit right in with "Post War". "Stars of Leo" is one of the weaker tracks on the album in my opinion, but still decent. When I heard it for the first time, I thought of "Headed for a Fall" off of the "To Go Home EP". It has a rise and fall, but the arc of action in this song isn't quite up to par with the development in some of the others. "Fisher of Men," an instant classic for any M. Ward fan, finds Ward in "Transfiguration of Vincent" mode. Ward re-invents Wes King's song/tale/life-metaphor creatively, making it his own. The opening piano riff on "Oh Lonesome Me" is spot on and immediately memorable. The rest of the song plays out like a duet, Lucinda Williams chiming in (?) with her equally unique and bizarre voice. Surely, it is "heart wrenching," (as so many people are eager to call it) but I'm still not sure if I'm feeling it or not. However, the second half of the song reaches an impressive climax of vocal harmony, truly making it the second half of the album's standout.

An interesting thing about Hold Time is that it is 14 tracks long, but almost feels too short. I realized that within the album there are so many great moments that you wish would be a little longer. Ward is no stranger to short songs, but never have any songs felt like they should've been longer or required more elaboration until a few of the tracks on this new album. This is my biggest complaint with the album--each song is incredibly sweet but so many of them are a bit too short. "Oh Lonesome Me" seems to be the only song on the album that was completely fleshed out (at six minutes in length).

As a whole, Hold Time is the moment in Ward's career where he reflects on the past, but looks forward to the future with fresh ideas. The album seems to contain fragments that could've been a part of his past albums (as I referenced specifically earlier on) and add up to a whole timeline illustrating Ward's influences and mastery of music. However, this quality lends to the fact that the album is not as cohesive as some of Ward's previous works. I could sit down and listen to "Transfiguration" or "Transistor Radio" the whole way through, feeling each song as a piece to a bigger puzzle. But on Hold Time, the pieces do not make something very much bigger than the whole. Lucky for us, the whole is one sweet and enthusiastic adventure through Ward's career and potential--nostalgic, but also optimistic towards the future.