More Rain
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
More Rain is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter M. Ward. The album was released on March 4, 2016 on Merge Records and Bella Union. More Rain is Ward's first solo album since 2012's A Wasteland Companion, having released Volume Three and Classics with Zooey Deschanel as She & Him in the interim as well as recording and producing other artists.
Background
Ward began working on More Rain in 2012, initially experimenting with layering his own vocals to create a doo-wop record. After collaborating with other artist on the record like Peter Buck, k.d. lang, Neko Case, and others, the sound of the album went in a different direction, described as “true gotta-stay-indoors, rainy-season record that looks upwards through the weather while reflecting on his past.”[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[2] |
| Pitchfork | 5.9/10[3] |
More Rain received a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on eleven critical reviews, by review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[4] A review in the April 2016 issue of Uncut said, "The lack of ironic twists is both slightly unsettling and hugely refreshing,"[5] and David Harvey of Record Collector called the album "a dreamy deluge."[6] Andrew Gordon of The Skinny said the album is "decisively easygoing," after saying, "If you’re scanning these pages for a record your granny might be into, this is the one."[7] Dean Van Nguyen of Consequence of Sound gave the album a D+, or a 33 out of 100 according to Metacritic, stating that, "All the expected points have been hit on More Rain, but the record comes off as slack and slapdash."[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "[More Rain]" | M. Ward | 1:01 |
| 2. | "Pirate Dial" | M. Ward | 2:46 |
| 3. | "Time Won't Wait" | M. Ward | 2:49 |
| 4. | "Confession" | M. Ward | 3:14 |
| 5. | "I'm Listening (Child's Theme)" | M. Ward | 3:11 |
| 6. | "Girl From Conejo Valley" | M. Ward | 3:35 |
| 7. | "Slow Driving Man" | M. Ward | 4:24 |
| 8. | "You're So Good to Me" | M. Ward | 3:04 |
| 9. | "Temptation" | M. Ward | 2:50 |
| 10. | "Phenomenon" | M. Ward | 3:10 |
| 11. | "Little Baby" | M. Ward | 3:32 |
| 12. | "I'm Going Higher" | M. Ward | 3:38 |
| Total length: | 37:14 | ||
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9] | 59 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[10] | 174 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 128 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[12] | 13 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard)[13] | 4 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[14] | 7 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[15] | 16 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[16] | 7 |
| US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[17] | 14 |
References
- ^ "M. Ward announces new album, More Rain, shares "Girl From Conejo Valley" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
- ^ Mullin, Kyle (March 2, 2016). "M. Ward - More Rain". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ^ Hussey, Allison (March 11, 2016). "M. Ward: More Rain". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "More Rain by M. Ward". Metacritic. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ "Album Review". Uncut: 83. April 2016.
- ^ "More Rain - Record Collector Magazine". recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ "M. Ward: More Rain - New album review - The Skinny". www.theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ "Album Review: M. Ward – More Rain". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – M. Ward – More Rain" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – M. Ward – More Rain" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
- ^ "M. Ward Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "M. Ward Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "M. Ward Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "M. Ward Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "M. Ward Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "M. Ward Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "M. Ward Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard.
External links
- M. Ward's official homepage
- More Rain on Merge Records