{"product_id":"m-ward-supernatural-thing-lp","title":"Supernatural Thing [LP]","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Several times, as I listened to M. Ward’s Supernatural Thing, I asked myself what year it \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewas. Was it 1952, and was I listening to a track from the Harry Smith Anthology? Was it \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1972, and was I eavesdropping on the recording session for After the Gold Rush? \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNo, it’s 2023, and M. Ward is one of the special contemporary artists who invite such \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003equestions. Ward has clearly mastered the whole vocabulary of American popular music \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand made serious decisions about how to employ it for his own ends. What Ward shares \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewith Harry Smith’s artists and Neil Young is a context of musical and human values: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eauthenticity and intimacy. Supernatural Thing’s original songs sound freshly pulled from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethe ground, with a little earth sticking to them. Ward’s lyric delivery has that slight rawness \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethe ear loves, and his voice has quiet dignity and great tenderness. Supernatural Thing is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ean open-hearted, inviting album. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe album’s guest stars — First Aid Kit, Shovels \u0026amp; Rope, Scott McMicken, Neko Case, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJim James, others — enliven the album with surprises. On “Too Young to Die,” the wom\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003een’s voices in First Aid Kit spread a light frosting over the melody, and their Beach Boys-\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003elike chorus on “Engine 5” makes the song sound like an instant hit. Eight of the album’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eten songs are Ward originals. There’s an unusual Bowie choice, “I Can’t Give Everything \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAway” from Blackstar, and a live rendition of Daniel Johnston’s ‘Story of an Artist.’” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-By James Cushing\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBoth as a solo artist and as one-half of She \u0026amp; Him, M. Ward became one of the defining \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003evoices of the American indie landscape in the 2000s, earning fans and critical acclaim \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003efor his distinctive brand of breezy West Coast Americana which pulled from folk, country, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eblues, pop, and experimental indie rock elements. Ward established himself with warm, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eanalog-minded releases like 2003’s Transfiguration of Vincent and 2006’s Post-War be\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003efore joining forces with singer\/actress Zooey Deschanel to form the highly successful indie \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003epop duo She \u0026amp; Him in 2008. Over the following decade, Ward split his time between proj\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eects, releasing a 2009 album with indie supergroup Monsters of Folk, several high-profile \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ealbums with Deschanel including She \u0026amp; Him’s Columbia-issued 2014 set Classics, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecritically acclaimed solo releases like 2009’s Hold Time, 2012’s A Wasteland Companion, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand 2018’s What a Wonderful Industry. Ward kicked off the next decade with a deeply \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eatmospheric set called Migration Stories and a Billie Holiday covers album Think of Spring \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003emost recently.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cdiv data-bt-autogen\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTracklist:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLifeline\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003etoo young to die (feat. first aid kit)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003esupernatural thing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003enew kerrang (feat. scott mcmicken)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ededication hour (feat. neko case and gabriel kahane)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ei can’t give everything away (feat. jim james and kelly pratt)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eengine 5 (feat. first aid kit)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003emr. dixon (feat. shovels \u0026amp;amp; rope)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003efor good\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003estory of an artist\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUPC:\u003c\/strong\u003e 045778796014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLabel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Anti\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.23.23\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vinyl\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"M. Ward","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58253858898001,"sku":"73284","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0620\/5023\/8545\/files\/4205818-2970566.jpg?v=1759467081","url":"https:\/\/apocalypsevinyl.com\/products\/m-ward-supernatural-thing-lp","provider":"Apocalypse Vinyl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}