By CLAYTON MASTERS
Daily Nebraskan
On August 22, M. Ward will release his latest album, "Post-War" - just over a year after releasing "Transistor Radio" in February 2005.
After hearing the news that Matt Ward (the M is short for Matt, not mental) was releasing another album so quickly, I was apprehensive. "Radio" was an astonishing effort from the singer/songwriter, and I couldn't imagine him again coming up with a full-length album's worth of material.
Ward has been busy post-"Transistor Radio." Since then, Ward produced the debut solo album from Jenny Lewis, lead singer of Rilo Kiley, with "Rabbit Fur Coat." He co-produced a tribute album to his hero, the late folk acoustic guru John Fahey, with "I Am The Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey," which included talent such as Sufjan Stevens and Devendra Banhart.
But after listening to "Post-War," but I was more than pleasantly surprised. Ward, one of the country's best young songwriters, writes songs that are honest and thought provoking.
His first four albums - 1999's "Duet for Guitars #2," 2001's "End of Amnesia," 2002's "Transfiguration of Vincent" and the latest, "Transistor Radio" - are some of the greatest albums released by modern songwriters. With each release, we hear Ward's maturity develop in both lyrics and instrumentation.
In 2003, Ward embarked on a number of concert dates with Bright Eyes' brainchild Conor Oberst and My Morning Jacket's lead singer, Jim James, for a tour in which the three played solo sets and then combined their efforts in a fourth set.
Ward blew the other two out of the water with his guitar technique. He's a master of looping and is comparable to his friend and recording artist Andrew Bird.
"Post-War" features 12 songs, and like all of Ward's albums, it is a brief experience, chalked with short songs that beg to be released on vinyl.
The album reportedly was recorded and produced in its entirety in an attic in Oregon and mixed in Lincoln by Presto! Recording's Mike Mogis, the man responsible for the Saddle Creek kids' albums.
The album features Neko Case on a cover of Daniel Johnston's "To Go Home" and touring mate Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) on both "Chinese Translation" and "Magic Trick."
"Chinese Translation" is an approachable track that seems culled from the same section of Ward's brain that spawned 2003's "Sad, Sad Song." Both include the logic of asking a higher power about love and agony.
"Translation" finds Ward asking three questions: "What do you do with the pieces of a broken heart/and how can a man like me remain in the light/and if life is really as short as they say then why is the night so long?"
The questions remain rhetorical and leave listeners questioning their life with love.
The album's greatest tracks are "Eyes on the Prize" and "Rollercoaster." I've always loved Ward's quiet songs that effectively captivate minimalism. Both songs are simple in instrumentation and the lyrics aren't profound at first listen, though they still speak immense truths regarding relationships.
Other highlights include the Big Brother personification of "Right in the Head," the tribute to a lost friend in "Requiem" and the subtle beauty of the album's title track.
Ward does it again with "Post-War" and might be 2006's greatest release. Check future Daily Nebraskans for information on Ward's Sept. 6 performance at the Scottish Rites Hall in Omaha.
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