M. Ward: Duet For Guitars #2

By: Andrew Bruss

The reissue of M. Ward‘s 1999 studio debut, Duet For Guitars # 2 (Merge), offers songwriting far less concise than his listeners are used to. However, for longtime fans this is sure to be seen as a valued piece of the M. Ward puzzle. Guitars #2 consists of a broad, difficult array of sounds. You hear Ward’s trademark lower register vocal rasp on tunes like “Beautiful Car” but songs like “Scene from #12” offer a more pop-friendly sound that he’s abandoned on recent works like 2006’s Post-War. Duet for Guitars #2 is far from Ward’s finest outing. The mood of the album jumps around from song to song, and it’s nowhere as polished as his later works. But, for Ward aficionados therein lies the charm. This studio debut offers insight on how his sound has evolved to where it is today.

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