She & Him: Volume Three

Zooey Deschanel’s singular brand of big-eyed whimsy has attracted quite the backlash lately. Her ‘adorkable’ persona has seen her branded gender traitor (self-respecting women don’t enjoy bluebirds or vintage pinafores apparently) and, with her Fox sitcom New Girl a hit, it looks like she’s squandered the bulk of her underground cred.
Given all of this, it might seem impossible to approach the third She & Him record, with Portland alt. strummer M.Ward as partner, from a completely neutral standout.

The assumption runs thus: either you are utterly fed up of Zooey’s patented girlie indie or you can’t help falling in a silly old swoon over her sweet, husky voice and way with an old-school arrangements. But of course, that’s a load of nonsense. It’s perfectly possible to listen to the record and judge it on its own strengths or weaknesses.
As with its two predecessors, Volume Three is a record with two feet squarely in the past. And why not? To these ears, ‘Turn To White’ sounds like The Carpenters jamming with The New Seekers, while the meticulously, Instagramm-y arrangements on ‘I Could Have Been You Girl’ and ‘Never Wanted Your Love’ hark back to early ‘70s Beach Boys treasures such as ‘Sail On Sailors’. Throughout, the craftsmanship is immaculate, making this a very listenable record.

Key Track: ‘I Could Have Been Your Girl’