She & Him - 2010-07-11 - Louisville, KY

She & Him
(Zoe Deschanel & M. Ward)
2010-07-11
Forecastle Festival
WaterfrontPark, Louisville, KY
Audience recording, good sound quality
mp3 @ 320 kbps

OK, now that we've gotten some female singing and songwriting going, let's stay with that for a bit and feature a few more of my favorites. Here's She & Him, the duo of Zoe Deschanel and M. Ward. Of course, we've known since her brief but charming rendition of 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' in the film Elf (2003), that actress Zoe Deschanel could sing, but not until she teamed up with M.Ward around 2007 did we realize her full musical talents, as Deschanel sings, plays piano and ukelele, and writes all the original songs for She & Him. But it was this collaboration with Ward that brought Deschanel's songs alive, as Ward provides, in addition to cool guitar grooves, the arrangements and overall style to the songs. And a delightful combination they are, with a decidedly retro, 'sixties feel, and hip, but sparse production style. Zoe's charming vocals take center-stage, with Ward mostly staying in the background, but to me it is really Zoe's songwriting (on the originals) and song selection (on the covers), as well as Ward's cool production, that make it all work. Sure, the sound is light and breezy, some might say too sugary, on many of the numbers, but it also is just so much fun to listen to. I much prefer their second release, Volume Two (2010), over their first, Volume One (2008), and so that tour is what is featured here. My favorites by them are 'Thieves', 'Lingering Still', and 'Don't Look Back', all Deschanel originals, and to me, 'Thieves' was the best single of 2010, and one of the most jauntily, hauntingly beautiful songs I've ever heard, and it actually was the first song I ever heard by them (in early 2010), and I was just mesmerized by it. Anyway, here's She & Him, with a light and fun show from 2010. I also added a few extra songs at the end from some other shows, that features some more interesting cover songs.

Tracklist:
1. I Thought I Saw Your Face Today
2. Change is Hard
3. Rave On
4. I Was Made For You
5. Thieves
6. Black Hole
7. Over It Over Again
8. Lingering Still
9. Magic Trick
10. Gonna Get Along Without You Now
11. In The Sun
12. This Is Not a Test
13. Ridin' In My Car
14. Don't Look Back
15. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here
16. Sweet Darlin'
17. Roll Over Beethoven
18. I Put a Spell On You
Bonus tracks:
19. Take It Back (2010-07-06 - Terminal 5, NYC)
20. You Really Got a Hold On Me (2010-07-06 - Terminal 5, NYC)
21. You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio (2010-07-06 - Terminal 5, NYC)
22. Sentimental Heart (2010-07-06 - Terminal 5, NYC)
23. Fools Rush In (2010-07-06 - Terminal 5, NYC)
24. Wouldn't It Be Nice (2010-09-05 - Paramount Studios, Hollywood, CA)

She__Him_-_2010-07-11_-_Louisville_KY.rar

Link updated 10/9/21