She & Him: The Capitol Studio Sessions EP

she-him-the-capitol-studio-sessions-epIndie darling and American sweetheart, the indispensably talented veritable face of the eternal feminine Zooey Deschanel and some guy digitally released the third extended play installment from She and Him‘s Capitol Studio recording project. While lesser critics may be quick to jump on the fact this EP is merely an arrangement of alternate versions from their fourth full length, numerically ironic album Volume Three, those critics are obviously either ignorant to Ms. Deschanel’s multidimensional artistic merit, or else are just jealous ass haters, lacking two good eyes to see how pretty She is.

Recorded mid-June in Hollywood’s historic Capitol Studios, She and Him hope their Studio Session EP can match the wildly popular, industry defining masterpieces created in the same hallowed halls by luminaries like Buck Rogers and his Buckaroo’s, Oingo Boingo, and Queen Latifah. It’s a tall order, especially for the minimal presence an EP provides, but none of those other groups had She and Him’s ace in the hole, Ms. Zooey Deschanel.

The first and strongest track, “I Could Have Been Your Girl,” provides an up-tempo introduction to a mostly relaxed collection. The song’s protagonist relates the narrative of a relationship that initially seemed promising but ultimately leads to heartbreak. The display of exquisitely sweet vocals begs one to question what kind of fool would treat Ms. Deschanel like this?! It’s also hard not to get the feeling the better half of She and Him is singing directly to me. If that is the case on, “I Could Have Been Your Girl,” rest assured there’s still time, Zooey.

The second track, “Shadow of Love,” offers a pop standard approach to songwriting, featuring lush string arrangements over slightly jazzy syncopation. The musical accompaniment provided by some obscure guitarist no one cares about named W. Mard is passable, I guess, and His real strength is the subdued arrangement that allows the track’s vocals to shine brightly through. Again, the lyrical subject centers around a lovesick protagonist. Could this be an Ike and Tina situation?

“Snow Queen,” is the classic story of the anguish involved during an unhappy affair. In it Ms. Deschanel encourages the impotent, pathetic male counterpart, (probably this Mard fellow) to take a chance on the unknown and make a move. The lyrics employ an obviously self-depreciating metaphor: How could She be any type of Snow Queen when She’s melted so many hearts?

Finally, “Turn to White,” closes the album out with a mid-tempo break up track. I can only personally congratulate Ms. Deschanel’s decision to drop the dead weight and tyrannical influence of what must surely be the overly rated W. Mard. It must be hard for her, especially during the conveniently timed holiday season, but take heart Ms. Deschanel America loves you and I am currently single.

Rating: 5.5/10
MP3: She and Him “I Could Have Been Your Girl”
Buy: iTunes or

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