Merge Records

She & Him

She & Him
She & Him make music for an eternal springtime, when the temperature is warm enough to go riding with the top (or at least the windows) rolled down and the radio turned up. They occupy an alternate universe where the saddest of songs feel as warm as sun showers; the rain may be coming down, but somewhere nearby, everything looks bright. What began as a fascinating, no-strings attached collaboration on 2008s Volume One has evolved into a bona fide, touring band, and She & Him are here to stay. Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward are as comfortable and complementary a musical pair as Les Paul and Mary Ford; hearing them again on Volume Two feels like getting together with two old friends. This time, the harmonies have grown more angelically layered, the string arrangements more dramatic, the songwriting even sharper and more confident. But, as with Volume One, the prevailing mood is bittersweet, dreamy, and romantic.

The success of She & Him's Volume One came out of left field, as Deschanel and Wards seemingly unlikely pairingthe effervescent actress-songwriter and the sought-after yet self-effacing guitaristproved to sound absolutely right. When the record, packed full of Deschanel's wondrous songs, was finished, they didnt so much announce themselves as simply step up to the mic and start playing. Their choices of band moniker and album titles were deliberate; as Deschanel told the New York Times: I wanted a name that was very humble, modest and anonymous. Matt agrees: We wanted the music to come first, which sort of explains the band name as well as the names of the records. The songs are what we want people to remember.

They successfully got through their first gigs under the media glare of Noise Pop and South by Southwest, following those performances with a short summer tour and an appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. Critics were as smitten as their listeners. Paste named Volume One its Album of the Year. The BBC declared, All the ups and downs of young romance are faithfully recreated in loving fidelity and a variety of styles to evoke that teary-eyed yesteryear pop ambience. Spin simply decided, They both seem to be having a blast.

We instinctually landed on this process while making Volume One, explains Ward, that Zooey would write the music and the lyrics and I would produce and arrange. It's been the most natural extension of our interests and abilities. Using the back and forth between voices and guitars is the main force of the music, and we both have a great love for using harmonies. I think the songs lend themselves to production styles that I love and that she loves. Theres no need to change it now, so the process for Volume Two is exactly the same: Zooey writes everything, I produce, and we both bring our ideas to the studio.

Volume Two was recorded in Los Angeles (where She lives) and Portland, OR (where Him resides). Joining them for these sessions was engineer, bassist and occasional backing vocalist Mike Coykendall. Notes Deschanel, I do the bulk of the harmonies, then Matt will fill in some sonic space that I just cannot fill because he has that incredibly raspy, soulful voice. We cover different emotional ground. Its a cool sort of tool to use. I hear Matts voice here or my voice there. Together we can sound like a lot of people. And Coykendall is quite a good singer too.

I think we both went for it a little bit more, so to speak, says Deschanel. I definitely got more ambitious with my backing vocal arrangements. That's a real passion for me. The closing song on Volume Two illustrates her point: Thieves, for example, builds to a Roy Orbison-like grandeur and If You Can't Sleep floats on clouds of multi-tracked vocals. I think we were both more comfortable, she continues. This time we had a little more opportunity to reflect. Some of the production is extremely complex. Home, for example, is a very elaborate piece production-wise; that was the longest Matt has spent on one of our songs. Its very, very lush.

Prior to forming She & Him, Deschanel had been writing and secretly stockpiling tunes for years. She agreed to let Ward hear them after the two collaborated on a Richard and Linda Thompson cover for an indie film, The Go-Getter, that she was starring in and Ward was scoring. Like many movie fans, Ward had first heard her sing on screen in the disarmingly affecting Elf and was intrigued. As Deschanel recounts, I explored the idea of doing my own stuff with other people but hadnt found anyone who I'd really trusted. Then I met Matt. He was the perfect person, and the only person who shared my taste. Were almost always coming from the same point of view musically.

I had no idea what I was going to hear when I first got her songs, admits Ward. I think Volume One surprised a lot of people when they opened up the package and learned that she wrote all these songs. There are a lot of people who write music so that they can take their audience to a dark night of their own soul or to get something really heavy off their chest. I don't think Zooey looks at music that way, and I think that's a huge part of where her songwriting is coming from. Certain people write songs to make other people feel good. When I think about some of my favorite singers, like Sam Cooke or people of that generation, I think that they saw their gift as the ability to make people feel better, to feel happy. It's contagious to be around people like that. I would say all my influences are older, more classic songwriters, Deschanel elaborates, from Cole Porter and Gershwin to Carole King and Roy Orbison and Bobbie Gentry. People always expect you to be a fan of whats happening now, but the things I gravitate toward are older and more worn.

On Volume Two, their choice of cover songs echoes the themes in Deschanel's original material. NRBQ's Riding in My Car should have been a hit, and She & Him have been smart enough to revive it. Their other cover, Gonna Get Along Without You Now, is a country-pop shuffle made famous by Skeeter Davis. Though better known for the morose ballad End of the World, this one is a cool-headed kiss-offa downbeat subject handled in a lighthearted manner, making for the perfect balance of happy and sad, a trademark of She & Him.

I'm really interested in trying to find balance in every production, says Ward. One of my favorite amusements in the studio is to try and create as much of a contrast between dark and light as I can, to either complement or go against the lyrics in the mix. I guess I believe good production should be like a good photograph, which is a great contrast between dark and light. Fortunately, Zooey has lots of characters and songs that go back and forth quickly between these darker and lighter shades. That's half of the process in production: making sure that nothing gets too sunny or washed out or that nothing gets too dark or lopsided. Some of the best older songs had very major chord progressions and really sad lyrics.

Somehow it all evens out, creating this perfect picture of life. Because life is not always sunny, its not always darkit's somewhere in between.

Michael Hill

www.sheandhim.com
03/09/10
She & Him released a new video today from their forthcoming sophomore album, Volume Two, in stores on March 23. The video for “In the Sun,” the first single from the new album, is the perfect complement to the song’s sunshine chorus. Directed by Peyton Reed (Bring It On, Yes Man), watch the video now at Pitchfork.

She & Him will also be playing select shows around Volume Two’s release and throughout the summer, including stops at this year’s Coachella, Sasquatch and Bonnaroo festivals. Check back often as new shows are still being added!

Pre-order Volume Two on CD and LP in the Merge store and don’t forget to add the limited-edition 7″ for “In the Sun” to your shopping cart, too!

She & Him on Tour!
3/15    Los Angeles, CA @ Largo
3/18    Austin, TX @ Cedar Street Courtyard – Merge Showcase
3/19    Austin, TX @ Lustre Pearl – Dickie/Filter Party
3/20    Austin, TX @ Stubbs – Rachel Ray Party
3/20    Austin, TX @ Auditorium Shores – Ground Control Touring Showcase
3/25    Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
3/27    Savannah, GA @ Savannah Music Festival
3/29    New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
3/30    New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
4/15    Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
4/16    Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
5/28    Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre
5/29    Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
5/30    Bend, OR @ Le Schwab Amphitheatre (w/ Band of Horses)
5/31    Quincy, WA @ Sasquatch Music Festival
6/4       Milwaukee, WI @ Verge Music Festival
6/5       Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
6/6       Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Theatre
6/7       Chicago, IL @ Millennium Park – Downtown Sound Series
6/9       Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theatre
6/10    Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
6/11    Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

03/03/10
Merge will be well-represented at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin this year with eight bands and two special Our Noise events. Our bands will be playing all over the city during the festival, so if you will be in Austin, keep your eyes peeled for all of the cool daytime parties being announced daily.

Spoon are headlining the NPR show at Stubbs BBQ on Wednesday, March 17 (12:15 am) and She & Him are playing a free, open to the public show at Auditorium Shores on Saturday March 20 (8 pm).  Superchunk are playing a free Village Voice day party at La Zona Rosa on March 19 (3 pm).

Merge Showcase @ Cedar Street Courtyard
208 West 4th St b/t Colorado & Lavaca
Thursday, March 18th
7:30 PM
(from first to last)
Special Guest
Let’s Wrestle
Radar Brothers
She & Him
Wye Oak
Lou Barlow + the missingmen
The Love Language


Merge @ Homeslice Pizza’s “Music by the Slice” Party
1415 Congress Ave.
Free & Open to the public

Thursday, March 18:
1:30 pm The Love Language
2:15 pm Radar Brothers

Friday, March 19:
Noon Let’s Wrestle
3:45  Wye Oak
6:45  Lou Barlow

Also, book events!

Our Noise event @ Book People (603 N. Lamar Blvd)
Wednesday, March 17 at 6PM
Free & Open to the Public
Mac & Laura will read selections from their book, Our Noise, and will perform covers of songs from selected bands mentioned in the book. They’ll be available to sign books afterwards, too.

Our Noise panel @ SXSW Convention Center
Thursday, March 18 at 2PM
Open to convention registrants only
Michael Azerrad will moderate a Q&A-style event with Mac & Laura about Our Noise and 20 years of Merge Records.

02/10/10
Anticipation is mounting for the release of She & Him’s sophomore release Volume Two! She & Him have announced appearances at the Savannah Music Festival, SXSW, Coachella, and now Bonnaroo in addition to their album release shows.

M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel visited DJ Lauren Laverne at BBC 6 in London where they performed two songs from the new record, talked about British “nobs” and the process of making the new record. Listen to the performance at the BBC website (fast forward to around the 1hr and 20 min mark), and see photos from the session in the BBC gallery.

Pre-order Volume Two on CD, LP (with download coupon) and the limited-edition 7″ featuring “In the Sun” b/w “I Can Hear Music” now in the Merge store.

12/08/09
She & Him will release their sophomore album, Volume Two, on March 23rd. Written by Zooey Deschanel (She) and produced by M.Ward (Him), Volume Two is the follow up to the duo’s critically acclaimed debut, Volume One. The album includes eleven original tracks and two covers – “Ridin’ In My Car” by NRBQ and Skeeter Davis’ ”Gonna Get Along Without You Now”.

Described by Zooey as a “feel-good album,” Volume Two is bolstered by rich harmonies, sweet-as-sugar melodies and Brill Building choruses.  From sweeping opener “Thieves” and first single “In the Sun” (featuring guest vocals by Tilly and the Wall), to the tempo and mood shifts of “Home” and the vocals-only, hymn-like closer “If You Can’t Sleep,” Volume Two shimmers from start to finish.

Visit the newly redesigned She & Him website for updates as the release date approaches.

Volume Two track listing:
1. Thieves
2. In the Sun
3. Don’t Look Back
4. Ridin’ in My Car (NRBQ cover)
5. Lingering Still
6. Me and You
7. Gonna Get Along Without You Now (Skeeter Davis cover)
8. Home
9. I’m Gonna Make It Better
10. Sing
11. Over It Over Again
12. Brand New Shoes
13. If You Can’t Sleep

03.15.2010 Los Angeles, CA Largo at the Coronet
03.25.2010 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre SOLD OUT
03.27.2010 Savannah, GA Trustees Theatre (Savannah Music Festival) SOLD OUT!
03.29.2010 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
03.30.2010 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
04.15.2010 Pomona, CA Glass House
04.16.2010 Indio, CA Coachella Music & Arts Festival
05.28.2010 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre
05.29.2010 Oakland, CA Fox Theatre
05.30.2010 Bend, OR Les Schwab Ampitheater
05.31.2010 George, WA Sasquatch Music Festival
06.04.2010 Milwaukee, WI Verge Music Festival
06.05.2010 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
06.06.2010 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Theatre
06.07.2010 Chicago, IL Millennium Park - Downtown Sound Series
06.09.2010 Toronto, ON Phoenix Theatre
06.10.2010 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
06.11.2010 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo
Volume One - March 18, 2008 [Merge]
Volume Two - March 23, 2019 [Merge]

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? (video)


from Volume One
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Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?


from Volume One
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On Tour

Caribou [+]

April
19 Manchester Deaf Institute
20 London Corsica Studios
21 Amsterdam Paradiso
22 Brussels Beursschouwburg
23 Paris Le Point Ephemere
[see all]

The Clientele [+]

March
15 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
16 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
17 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
18 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
19 Toronto, ON The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
[see all]

The Ladybug Transistor [+]

March
19 New York, NY Bowery Electric

Let's Wrestle [+]

March
15 New York, NY The Knitting Factory
18 Austin , TX Cedar Street
21 El Paso, TX Black Market
22 Scottsdale, AZ Chyro Arts
23 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater
[see all]

The Love Language [+]

March
15 Atlanta, GA The Earl
16 Baton Rouge, LA Red Star Bar
18 Austin, TX Home Slice Pizza
18 Austin, TX Cedar Street Courtyard
April
03 Harrisonburg, VA Clementine Cafe'
[see all]

Oakley Hall [+]

April
02 Brooklyn, NY Knitting Factory

Radar Bros. [+]

March
26 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland

The Rosebuds [+]

March
19 Asheville, NC UNCA Alumni Hall in Highsmith
20 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
May
08 Beaufort, NC Beaufort Music Festival

She & Him [+]

March
15 Los Angeles, CA Largo at the Coronet
25 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
27 Savannah, GA Trustees Theatre (Savannah Music Festival)
29 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
30 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
[see all]

Shout Out Louds [+]

March
23 Rostock MAU
24 Hamburg Uebel & Gefahrlich
25 Berlin Astra
26 Dresden Reithalle
27 Munchen Backstage Werk
[see all]

Spoon [+]

March
18 New Orleans, LA Republic New Orleans
19 Birmingham, AL Workplay Soundstage
20 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
22 Washington 9:30 Club
23 Washington 9:30 Club
[see all]

Superchunk [+]

March
19 Austin, TX La Zona Rosa
April
07 Toronto, ON Royal Cinema
June
19 Denver, CO Westword Music Festival

Telekinesis [+]

May
21 Eugene, OR Sam Bond's Garage
24 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
25 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
27 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
29 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
[see all]

Wye Oak [+]

March
15 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone Cafe
24 Atlanta, GA The Earl
25 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
26 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
27 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
[see all]
see all tour dates

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