TAKE OFF YOUR SOCKS LEST THEY BE KNOCKED

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Posted 3 months ago


They have a track on 500 Days of Summer, so they are about to get better known. Be one of the first to say, yeah, I know that group, when you see the movie.

She & Him's version of the classic Smiths track "Please Please Please Let Me Get WhatI Want"


From Their Bio:

She & Him made their debut record as a love letter to the musicians who inspired it. Volume One introduces a boy and girl choir hell-bent on making music the old-fashioned way: by hand - and with as few machines as humanly possible.

The She & Him story began in 2006 when renowned one man band M. Ward, recorded a duet with a girl named Zooey Deschanel. A delightful recording session, the experience lead to a dialogue between the two about collaborating further. This, in turn, led to Deschanel admitting to secretly making dozens and dozens of home demos and hoarding them like acorns for the winter. Sick and tired of being stingy and secretive about music, Deschanel realized that if songs were acorns then this was indeed her wintertime. She sent the recordings to Ward, and these demos became the basis for their first record, Volume One.

Ward's unique arrangements and virtuostic guitar playing paired with Deschanel's affinity for vocal harmony give Volume One its characteristic sound. Ward and Deschanel share a mutual affection for the songs they grew up hearing on Los Angeles radio stations and keep in their hearts the records that most DJ's aren't playing anymore: Les Paul and Mary Ford, The Ronettes, Nina Simone, Chet Atkins, Linda Ronstadt, the Carter Family and about a hundred others. Aiming to achieve the warmth and charm of pop and country records from the early and mid part of the twentieth century, Ward, who also produced the record, and Deschanel, who wrote most of the music, called upon the help of a number of extraordinary musicians including: Rachel Blumberg, Adam Selzer, Mike Coykendall, Tom Hagerman, Peter Broderick, Mike Mogis, and Paul Brainerd. Without whom this record would just be two people with no drums, bass, strings or pedal steel.

California-raised and Portland-based, M. Ward has released 5 records with Merge; his latest is Hold Time (2009). He has collaborated with the likes of Neko Case, Conor Oberst, Jim James, Nels Cline, and Jenny Lewis. California based Deschanel spent much of her early life singing in choirs, which is probably why she likes harmonies so much. She also enjoys reading, dancing and playing the piano. She & Him have performed together on occasion over the last year and enjoyed it very much.

Comments (5)

  1. inrumford says

    Was that your toe I saw in the water?

    Permalink posted 08/10/2009
  2. MusicRX says

    Yep- I'm trying to trust again.

    Permalink posted 08/10/2009
  3. Mike the Knife says

    Nice to see that you're aboard the Zooey and Ward Express! With that in mind, you should check out the new Zooey and Joseph Gordon Levitt clip for "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" Tres cool.

    Permalink posted 08/11/2009
  4. MusicRX says

    I'll check that out- thanks Mike.

    Permalink posted 08/11/2009
  5. Mike the Knife says

    De nada, MRX!

    Permalink posted 08/11/2009

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