Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
62
50 Cent
70
AFI
65
Air
70
Alice In Chains
53
Kris Allen
78
Amerie
79
Annie
76
Anti-Pop Consortium
75
Arctic Monkeys
82
Atlas Sound![]()
77
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
59
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
71
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness![]()
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan![]()
72
Beak>
84
Biffy Clyro![]()
72
The Big Pink
95
Big Star![]()
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
72
The Black Heart Procession
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
53
Bon Jovi
76
A.A. Bondy
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
83
Brother Ali![]()
72
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
77
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
78
Califone
69
Mariah Carey
81
Brandi Carlile![]()
72
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash![]()
71
Castanets
82
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis![]()
64
Exene Cervenka
79
Vic Chesnutt
81
Circulatory System![]()
67
The Clean
84
The Clientele![]()
72
Cold Cave
85
Converge![]()
76
The Cribs
79
Cymbals Eat Guitars
62
Dashboard Confessional
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
77
Del The Funky Homosapien & Tame One
73
Do Make Say Think
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
67
Bob Dylan
58
Echo & The Bunnymen
61
Electric Six
44
The Entrance Band
69
Fanfarlo
71
Jay Farrar And Benjamin Gibbard
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
66
Orenda Fink
79
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
83
Fuck Buttons![]()
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
65
Calvin Harris
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
67
Hockey
67
Whitney Houston
80
Hudson Mohawke
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
74
Jamie T
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
68
Daniel Johnston
76
Norah Jones
77
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
75
Kid Sister
66
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
63
Mark Knopfler
73
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
85
Miranda Lambert![]()
71
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
62
Leona Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt![]()
74
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
83
Patty Loveless![]()
73
Lyle Lovett
79
Lucero
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna![]()
85
Manic Street Preachers![]()
61
Maps
73
Mario
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
62
John Mayer
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
75
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
75
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
66
Morrissey
76
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
82
Nirvana![]()
96
Nirvana![]()
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
64
OneRepublic
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
78
Osso
67
Alec Ounsworth
81
Owen![]()
73
Paramore
78
Pastels And Tenniscoats
80
Pearl Jam
69
Jemina Pearl
65
Phish
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
72
Port O'Brien
79
Q-Tip
79
R.E.M.
88
Raekwon![]()
69
Rain Machine
75
Dizzee Rascal
74
The Raveonettes
79
Real Estate
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela![]()
66
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
78
Russian Circles
69
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
78
Say Anything
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
58
Spiral Stairs
55
Steel Panther
75
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
68
Joss Stone
83
Barbra Streisand![]()
77
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
79
The Swell Season
80
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees![]()
80
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
78
The Dutchess & The Duke
71
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
74
Them Crooked Vultures
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants![]()
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
73
Frank Turner
71
The Twilight Sad
60
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
69
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
70
Kurt Vile
65
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
73
Rufus Wainwright
78
Wale
57
Weezer
81
White Denim![]()
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts![]()
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
69
Robbie Williams
59
Andrew W.K.
65
Wolfmother
84
The xx![]()
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band![]()
52
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Post-War

Universal acclaim
Based on 30 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 26 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Merge
Release Date: 22 August 2006
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
The singer-songwriter's fifth release finds him backed for the first time by a full band, which includes Rachel Blumberg (The Decemberists) and Jordan Hudson (The Thermals). Neko Case and My Morning Jacket's Jim James guest.
Also By This Artist: Hold Time Transfiguration Of Vincent Transistor Radio
Also On The Web: M Ward @ Merge Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly
Ward's talents have never been more persuasively showcased. [1 Sep 2006, p.77]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Post-War is easily M. Ward's most accessible album to date, charged with a bouncy spirit.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Post-War is not only Ward's best effort yet, it's one of the best records of the year.
Read Full Review >Filter
An album confident enough in its substance to not force profound stylistic changes. [#21, p.100]
Pitchfork
Post-War isn't perfect, but it's all the more listenable for that fact.
Read Full Review >Delusions of Adequacy
Whereas his previous long-players were primarily personified by their hushed beauty, dusty experimentation, and nostalgic romanticism, Post-War pushes forward a more boisterous and band-orientated vision for Ward’s sturdy songwriting.
Read Full Review >Blender
Introducing some very welcome rock rhythms to his blend of folk and fingerpicked Delta blues, Ward’s disarmingly sweet fourth album squeezes big themes into modest but bewitching tunes.
Read Full Review >Neumu.net
There's more body here, more barroom spill and rollick. There's also a feeling Ward is pushing at the fabric of his music, trying to expand and progress. But the same cinematic mist hovers, the same old, old intimacy fans know well.
Read Full Review >Mojo
A rich, bright sounding record, albeit etched with Ward's lyrical ruefulness and voice of crumbling, lugubrious regret. [Oct 2006, p.111]
Uncut
Ward's sweet, carefree voice is at odds with the urgency of the music. [Oct 2006, p.133]
Magnet
The most mature and cohesive set of songs in Ward's catalog. [#73, p.109]
Dusted Magazine
There's a bit of Starbucks gloss to this record, a too-easy-to-like quality that may at first put off serious listeners and music heads. That evaporates pretty quickly, though, as you recognize that its lucid simplicity, its artful artlessness is not a trick, but achievement.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
It's an inventive, sharp delight of a record, and possibly one of the year's best.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
On Post-War, Ward is firmly and thrillingly of the present day and thinking ahead both in the allusiveness of the album’s title and the eclectic range of production that makes him absolutely necessary to modern folk. [Summer 2006]
Billboard
While he still relies heavily on old-timey melodies and washes every instrument with classic delay, the set feels more alive than usual.
Read Full Review >Urb
Another impressive and complex recording. [Sep 2006, p.139]
BBC collective
Ward’s band kick back with a looser, rockier feel than previously, yet his dusty, wistful voice still inhabits an age all of its own.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
It's a rare thing to find an album that is a real, unexpected pleasure to listen to all the way through.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
He’s made a honed, handsome piece of work, never too arresting and never too fickle.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
While some tracks don't exude the same kind of enticing mysticism Ward excels at, Post-War remains a warm, enjoyable listen.
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
What's disappointing if you're a fan is that the man has his tropes -- both melodic and lyrical -- and stubbornly sticks to 'em.
Read Full Review >Spin
Brings a welcome grandeur to Ward's honeyed rasp and nimble guitar picking. [Sep 2006, p.114]
Rolling Stone
It all sounds familiar but strange, and beautiful enough to suck you in. [24 Aug 2006, p.94]
PopMatters
His singing has a presence to it that brings to mind jazz vocalists--someone as unearthly as Billie Holiday, even--but also the grittiness of a deep-South bluesmen. No one else sounds exactly like him.
Read Full Review >ShakingThrough.net
The material doesn’t resonate, however, and pales next to Ward’s prior effort, Transistor Radio.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
Whereas previously his songs felt carefully and beautifully crafted, here he seems content to merely plunder a whole host of archaic musical styles and immerse himself in self-congratulatory jams, and a result you end up with a less than satisfying hotchpotch of songs.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
It’s abundantly clear that Ward is an indie-rock songwriter--a pretty good one sometimes--who doesn’t bring a whole lot else to the table.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 26 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Stu D gave it a9:
Pleasantly surprised. A definite top 10 for '06.
Evan S gave it a9:
Lyrical and lovely - album of the year.
Dan from the bush gave it a3:
The first 3 songs were good....but the rest of the album sounds like Leonard Cohen on prozac.!
Romi V gave it a9:
A brilliant CD that at first seems strange and hard to absorb. But it then hits you with all it's brillaince and nuances after multiple listens and in every repeat a lyric or line will hit you and have you thinking.... wow what was that?. Immerse yourself in a another quality piece of work from M Ward
Andrew P gave it an8:
This Ward's best album yet. The songs are tighter, his backing band is strong. Really its an 8 1/2.
Kevin R gave it an8:
A good record, though some of the songs have a very unnecessary feel to them.
roman mc gave it an8:
Whoever called this "Starbucks Rock" is dead-on, but not everything piping through the speakers at Starbucks sucks. The lyrical ideas are nothing to spend more than a passing minute considering either. But...I'm a sucker for this kind of music. Kind of "Golden" era MMJ with more of an early twentieth century Hawaiian vibe. Immediately enjoyable. Hanging around the house kind of music.
