But She (actress Zooey Deschanel) and Him (folkster M. Ward) stubbornly park their feel-good cabooses in that light for the duration of the record, and it’s not long till the sunset loses its magic. After another 40 minutes without relief, the sunset is just boring. Too much milk and honey.

Thank Ms. Deschanel, Volume Two’s resolute playwright and inescapable host. Her face, framed in gently arranged bangs and big Bambi eyes, is familiar – the actress starred in “500 Days of Summer,” “Yes Man,” and a television commercial for cotton, of all things.

Volume Two feeds on this puppy-dog routine. One imagines Ms. Deschanel in a perpetual curtsy during these recording sessions. Most every song revels in ‘60s-inflected baroque pop, all of them written for the whir of bicycle spokes in the summery montage of another twee film about two irresistibly whimsical white people.

After three-and-a-half songs of Ms. Deschanel, center stage, in waltzes M. Ward, his voice a watery BBQ sauce (organic and reduced-calorie, naturally), only to retreat backstage for the entire second act. The arrangements, though, are undeniably his: hear those feathery snare drums and polite lap steels, nestled snugly in a bed of charming doo-wop harmonies? Have you yet enjoyed the sound of ‘cute’?

You have now, and you’d better like it, buddy, because this is the Zooey Deschanel Hour, and your radio dial is stuck on this godforsaken AM frequency for a long, long 13 songs.

“I had some brand new shoes, they were all red but they gave me the blues,” she whispers near Volume Two’s end. This, of course, is the part of the story when, after being wronged by her man, she wonders whether she can forgive him.

Somehow, some way, she does, and it all turns out peaches, just as everyone suspected it would. “I didn’t mean to,” a chorus of Zooeys sings sweetly in “Over It Over Again,” fooling no one.

Monsters of Folk – Say Please

MONSTERS OF FOLK FALL TOUR DATES

October

13 Vancouver, BC- Orpheum

14 Portland, OR- Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

15 Seattle, WA- Paramount Theatre

17 Oakland, CA- Fox Theater

18 Los Angeles, CA- The Greek Theater

20 San Diego, CA- Spreckels Theatre

21 Phoenix, AZ- Orpheum Theater

22 Santa Barbara, CA- Santa Barbara Bowl

28 Omaha, NE- Holland Center

29 Minneapolis, MN- Orpheum Theatre

30 Chicago, IL- Auditorium Theatre

31 Louisville, KY- Louisville Palace Theatre

November

02 Toronto, ON- Massey Hall

03 Boston, MA- The Orpheum

06 New York, NY- United Palace

08 New York, NY- Beacon Theater

09 Philadelphia, PA- Academy of Music

12 Stockholm- Philadelphia Church

14 Berlin- Huxleys Neue Welt

15 Copenhagen- Vega

17 London- Troxy

18 Paris- Elysee Montmartre

19 Koln- E-Werk

21 The Hague- Crossing Border

22 Antwerp- Crossing Border

M. Ward, Conor Oberst & Jim James – Girl From The North Country

Bright Eyes – Lua

Jim James & Calexico – Goin’ To Acapulco

M. Ward – Helicopter

Courage of Others – TBA

Unfortunately I could find next to nothing on this album, other than the fact that it is being recorded right now in their hometown Denton, TX.  Everything I have comes from an interview they did with Stereogum back in November, which didn’t reveal a whole lot, other than it isn’t goin to sound like “Roscoe” or “Head Home,” two songs I adored from their previous work. But I will be sure to write about the record with more detail once I can actually find some.  Until then, enjoy one of my favorite tracks from the phenomenal Trials of Van Occupanther.

Midlake – Young Bride

11. M. Ward

Hold Time – 2/17

The follow-up to the brilliant  2006 release, Post-War, consists of fourteen tracks and includes guest performances by Lucinda Willisams, Jason Lytle of the band Grandaddy, Tom Hagerman of DeVotchKa, Rachel Blumberg of The Decemberists, and the “she” half of She & Him, Zooey Deschanel.  I’ve only given it one listen, but it seems to be a very strong record.  And I think that it is greatly benifited by all the talented people that Ward surrounded himself with while recording.  A streaming preview can be found here at NPR, so go check it out and let me know what you think.

M. Ward – Never Had Nobody Like You

10. Mat Kearney

Things have been pretty quiet from Kearney for quite some time now.  Other than the single he did for Grey’s Anatomy back in September of 2007, the Oregon native hasn’t given us anything new since early ’06.  So I am getting real excited to hear what one of the best Christian songwriters of our generation has for us next.  All I know is that he went into the studio last summer to record and that Tyler Burkum, former Audio Adrenaline guitarist, was rumored to be there with him.  So hopefully this rhyming, soul-singing, rocker won’t let us down.

Mat Kearney – I Won’t Back Down

9.  MuteMath

MuteMath spent the later half of 2008 feverishly writing and recording their second full length record in their home studios in Nashville and New Orleans.  Their goal is to return from their break for the holidays and put the final touches on the record by the end of March to get it ready to be released in August of this year.  I may not be able to share with you the title or official release date, but I can bring you the first single off the new record and a killer video that drummer Darren King created while in the studio last year.  If you like this video you should head over to their YouTube channel ready to be blown away. They have made several short videos documenting their creative minds at work in the studio.  According to an interview with the OC Register, their “goal is to embarrass the first album.”  I can’t even imagine what that would look like, or better yet sound like, but I am excited to find out.

MuteMath – Spotlight

Most Anticipated Albums of 2009 – Part 2

Jim James and his alt-country band My Morning Jacket released their fifth studio album, Evil Urges earlier this summer.  I haven’t had the chance to get my hands on the whole album yet. But everything I’ve heard is innovative to say the least.  It’s different but great. And from what I hear, their live show is not something to be missed.

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My Morning Jacket – Highly Suspicious (removed 2/13/09)

On the contrary Oberst has left his alt-country band behind and released a new solo effort?  Yeah I don’t know if that is exactly true.  Because Bright Eyes was basically a solo project already. So now with a not so new sound he is recording as Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band.  Here is a great acoustic track off of the self-titled album that was just released this August.

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Conor Oberst – Milk Thistle (removed 2/13/09)

So as for our good friend M. Ward, he has teamed up with actress Zooey Deschanel(Elf) to form the indie-pop duo She & Him.  She has such and lovely and playful and inviting voice.  And apparently she is a fantastic songwriter as well.  I just assumed that with Ward’s talent that he would end up writing all the songs for the project, but he didn’t write a one. I really hope that the title of their oh so catchy spring release is signifying that we should expect more albums from the duo to come in the future.  Well here is a glimpse of the charming and light-hearted She & Him.

She & Him – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? (removed 2/13/09)

Here is a little glimpse of what we hope is to come. Hope your ears and eyes bleed.