M Ward...

Well, M Ward has finally released Transistor Radio and what a pleasure it is. I was a huge fan of his last record Transfiguration of Vincent and have been waiting for this record to drop for a long while. It's good stuff. M Ward is such an anachronism. He plays old time sounding music, and by that I mean steeped in the tradition of acoustic guitar work that's rooted in the delta blues. It feels like it's being broadcast from another time. But it's still very much about the present. This new record has a host of guest artists that read like a who's-who of the indie rock world. We're talking Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Mike Koykendall of the Old Joe Clarkes, Vic Chestnutt, Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, Howe Gelb of Giant Sand, Rachel Blumberg of The Decemberists, Nick Luca.

Transistor Radio is a listening pleasure. A rare nod to the music that is really the foundation of so much rock music, while keeping a foot in the present.

Feel free to purchase at will.

2 of the 16 songs on Transistor Radio:

Fuel for Fire

Sweethearts on Parade. Originally popularised by Louie Armstrong in 1932.