Album Review: M.Ward – Migration Stories

One of the modern era’s most prolific and – perhaps more importantly – consistent songsmiths, M. Ward (AKA one of the musical architects for Monsters of Folk and She And Him), returns with his tenth solo effort. Recorded in Arcade Fire’s sonic bunker in Montreal (and also boasting performances from the band’s Tim Kingsbury and Richard Reed Parry), the short but sweet opus is something of a concept record, centred around tales of travel and migration.

Now with the residents of the world dealing with having their wings clipped, an album about the sheer rush of visiting different cities and countries and planting roots down somewhere new might seem a little ill-timed or perhaps even cruel. However, in the hands of a master craftsman like Ward, the songs serve both as a comfort and a much needed escape hatch that will take your mind to fresh locales while your body remains firmly in lockdown.

Operating with a less-is-more mentality, album number ten starts off strongly with scene setter ‘Migration Of Souls.’ A hushed shuffle, Ward’s gorgeous gravelly tones reel you in from the get go. The dreamlike ‘Heaven’s Nail And Hammer’ continues the high standards and is flecked with ‘50s guitars and Lynchian gloom, while on ‘Independent Man’ the songwriter flirts with ethereal soundscapes and horns. Though the LP is front-loaded, ‘Real Silence’ saves the second half and once again sees the songwriter worship at the altar of his first love the Beatles. As does ‘Torch,’ which is a potent fusion of folk, indie and outsider pop.

• 7/10
• Out now via ANTI Records.