She and Him

Breezy nostalgia with a hint of the bittersweet The name, actress Zooey Deschanel told the New York Times, was meant to be "very humble, modest and anonymous." Guitarist Matt Ward 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." 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… Show more 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 2008's "Volume One" has evolved into a bona-fide touring band, and She & Him are here to stay. The duo came out of left field as Deschanel and Ward's seemingly unlikely pairing-the effervescent actress-singer and the sought-after yet self-effacing guitarist-proved to sound absolutely right. Deschanel and Ward are as comfortable and complementary a musical pair as Les Paul and Mary Ford; and hearing them anew feels like getting together with two old friends for bittersweet, dreamy, romantic reminscences.

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