M. Ward's tenth solo album tells personal and immersive tales of migration in an exploratory and fluid motion, each song enriched and interconnected with the next.
Portland-based singer and songwriter M. Ward has been crafting guitar swirling tunes for over two decades now. Through his solo material and his time with She & Him, Ward has been one of the more consistent musicians who delves into folk, Americana, blues, and rock. His whimsical guitar playing and softly crooned voice make room for a niche within the 2000's indie folk scene. Personally, I've been a huge fan of Ward's for years at this point (almost a decade) and have enjoyed everything he's put out, both solo and collaborative. As the years have progressed, I've been more and more interested in his solo material, which seem to be more intriguing with each new release. Following up his surprise release What a Wonderful Industry just two years ago, we have this new record. Migration Stories, his tenth solo album, contains tales that Ward has gathered over the years either from his family and friends along the way. These tales consist of regional movement from migrating countries to the United States. Ward's Mexican American background from his family is duly notable, considering his family migrated from Mexico to the United States, making these tales all the more personal. The record not only seems to be more personal for Ward, but even more timely, considering the immigration crisis this country has been facing currently. The record tells these tales in an exploratory and fluid motion, each song enriched and interconnected with the next.
Recorded with Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry and Tim Kingsbury in Montreal, Migration Stories sounds gorgeous and rich with its instrumentation. This comes as to no surprise with Ward's recent catalog over the past decade, but this record seems to be even more gentle, relaxed, and carefully crafted than previous records. It's surprising and impressive to me that some of these songs have been recorded completely in one take. Songs like "Migration of Souls" and "Heaven's Nail and Hammer" have a slow building structure to them, each being spectacular in its performance and delivery. "Along the Santa Fe Trail" is a lovely cover on a traditional multi-generational song. The sound, pacing, and overall intensity of "Independent Man" reminds me of the slow burner "Slow Driving Man" from 2016's More Rain. "Unreal City" sounds like the cheery lead single and pick me up the record needs with peppy backing vocals and easy to digest synths. "Steven's Snow Man" is an instrumental showcasing Ward's classically complex guitar playing. "Real Silence" has these shimmering synth leads that visualizes the starry night sky Ward is describing in his lyrics. I also want to note how excellent and memorable the melodies in "Chamber Music" are.
As expected, I am loving this new album from M. Ward. He's been one of the most consistent singer songwriters over the past two decades, creating consistently great albums. What I didn't expect are how incredible these stories sound over the rich production, which sounds as amazing than ever. The production has sounded great in recent records, but Migration Stories takes the gold medal. The overall flow on this record is tight and perfect, providing a track list and arrangement that sound like it was meant to be structured from start to finish. Out of all the new albums this year, this is the most impressive and enjoyable record I've heard. Migration Stories is an immersive listen from start to finish and it's M. Ward's most personally enriching record yet.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Heaven's Nail and Hammer," "Migration of Souls," "Independent Man," "Unreal City," "Stevens' Snow Man"
Comments