She & Him

After what UPS called 'delays due to external factors,' I've finally gotten my copy of the She & Him record. I'm usually pretty skeptical of the bands that get super-hyped by the Pitchfork machine and the indie blogosphere [cf. Vampire Weekend], but I think they've got something here. It's billed as a collaboration between Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, but I feel it's really all about Zooey and that wonderful voice of hers. She gets all the songwriting credits, except for the covers and the last track to which Jason Schwartzman contributed, and while Ward plays guitar and produced the album, the music never overshadows her vocals. Which is a good thing. I love the retro feel of the album (the covers are the Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better" and Smokey Robinson's "You Really Got A Hold On Me"). There's nothing remarkably innovative going on here; it simply sounds good.

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? [via Merge Records]