Romance Part 2!

How can you not love the Deschanel sisters? Whether you like the one digging in dirt for bones with an adoring detachment in the Bones TV show (that’s Emily), or the one threatening a mocking bird’s life with a BB gun and chanting The Smiths alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt in an elevator, I can’t decide. Due to an event back in 2006, Zooey and M. Ward decided to expand their collaboration and form a band. This time in 2010, She & Him are back with their second album entitled Volume 2.

Volume 2, as his predecessor, holds thirteen tracks that without any surprises continue to expose Zooey’s enchantingly soft voice. I always considered that characterizing two people as salt and pepper is not quite dry or foolish, but rather the ultimate condiments, musical ones of course, and the perfect combination, the heavenly match. And in music that is a real delightful feast. Is Zooey with her vocal timbre the salt and Ward the pepper, you choose. By their musical talent, both instrumental and voice, they mix it up and contribute on all levels, scoring again something completely romantic.

Acoustics is a brand for She & Him and they flaunt it continually. The percussion shows mostly brushes dancing on snare drums, on songs like Home or Thieves. And the drumsticks are used with great fragility (Lingering Still) or are just purposely left out. On tracks like Home and In The Sun, the clapping becomes an actual instrument and the piano is added just like another great spice. And In The Sun also has electric guitars here and there, sprinkled throughout the song. That same thing happening in Over It Over Again. Whether it’s only Zooey (If You Can’t Sleep) or both Zooey and Ward (Ridin’ In My Car or the amazing song Thieves), both purely enchant. Their new volume is as sweet as a sunny day in May, dancing or sinking your toes in the warmest sand running away from the waves. Now, that’s cute and romantic.