I love M. Ward. Always have, always will. When he put out Wasteland Companion last year, I enjoyed it, but wasn't floored at first. Now I am. It possesses such a subtle beauty that it's fantastic if you just sit down in public, put on some really nice headphones, tune out everything else sonically and just look around while listening. Pure Joy and Watch the Show from the album. Additonally, I loved s / s / s when they put out their Beak & Claw EP last year (this is Museum Day from said EP, but I really suggest listening to all four songs). It's a collaboration between Sufjan Stevens, Serengeti, and Son Lux. I started listening to it again recently, as well as finding some of Serengeti's stuff as well. Some of his stuff is really great, the album C.A.R. and Family & Friends are really introspective and sorrowful, lots of looking into addiction, but he also has a this really creative concept where he raps as his alter ego Kenny Dennis, "Serengeti’s hilarious, absurdist, and subtly humane saga of a Chicago-born man with a Mike Ditka mustache, whose lovable delusions and diehard loyalty fall somewhere between Homer Simpson and a Bill Swerski Superfan.", "You don’t want to mess with Kenny Dennis. Even at the age of 50, the bratwurst downing, Brian Dennehy-worshipping rapper can run a mile in 4:14. The KDz remains the most feared slugger on the softball diamond. And he can still take Nitro from American Gladiators on in a game of Powerball. That’s just Kenny." Honestly, it's bizarre as hell for me, but I'm slowly getting into it. It's hilarious, because it's intentionally out of touch with the current scene, but done tastefully. You fully understand the character that's being portrayed and it's creative. It obviously took a ton of work to get it just right, and I can definitely appreciate that. It's enough that it needs to be shared as much as possible. Serengeti is definitely a master of his craft, and this song (Directions) features beats by Odd Nosdam. I always love hearing new things in rap.
I think I've told you this before, but this is the sort of mini-review I was hoping for and anticipating when I started making these threads. I'll make sure to look into s/s/s. Wasteland Companion is beautiful; I own it and a couple of his volumes with Zooey Deschanel, and his stuff with Monsters of Folk, and at least one other ... wow, I've spent more money on M Ward than I have on the Beatles. Huh.
I really want to do something like this for every weekly thread, but I so easily get sidetracked lately with work. M. Ward is incredible. I got to meet him briefly at Coachella in 2010 after a She & Him set. He's alwys seems so downplayed within himself; relaxed, down to Earth. I really respect the guy. Definitely a musical idol and good symbol for music of this generation. As for s / s / s, I hope they do more together. It's going to be a fascinating few years of music between those three and what they're doing so I'd love to see more. And of course, if you haven't already, go listen to Sufjan Stevens, especially his Age of Adz album. That one... that one I could write pages on, and have before.
I love them both very, very, very much for very different reasons. They're incredibly different albums. The difference, however, is that I feel like Age of Adz is potentially historically important. There are so many facets to that album that make it absolutely incredible and unique, not to mention the blending of traditional instruments with electronic creations. It's funny though, if I'm looking to just sit down and listen to Sufjan, my favorite go-to album is the one almost no one talks of, A Sun Came.
I listen to Michigan more than any other. You're right though, they're all wonderful.