A Wasteland Companion
by M. Ward
  • Record Label: Merge
  • Release Date: Apr 10, 2012
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
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  1. The Fly (UK)
    Apr 27, 2012
    60
    As engaging as an album of mood swings can be.
  2. DIY Magazine
    Apr 13, 2012
    60
    Just when you're close to giving up [on A Wasteland Companion] we get to 'The First Time I Ran Away' and the album suddenly and brilliantly clicks, starts getting everything right.
  3. Magnet
    Apr 12, 2012
    60
    At his best, Ward's always walked a fine line between eloquence and vagueness, hope and disappointment. It's been a great source of tension, and he does that about half the time here. [No.86, p.59]
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  5. BBC Music
    Apr 11, 2012
    60
    The sequencing seems illogical on first listen, but someone as dab-handed as Ward surely intended this, and the rollercoaster becomes easier to digest with each listen.
  6. The Observer (UK)
    Apr 9, 2012
    60
    Too much filler towards the end of the album detracts slightly, but this is another solid set.
  7. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Apr 9, 2012
    60
    Ward's at his best when he ditches the troubadour formula, as on the glam-pop romp he takes through Daniel Johnston's "Sweetheart".
  8. American Songwriter
    Apr 3, 2012
    60
    The album as a whole is not perfect; Ward's decision to follow his experimental ear results in a few excusable setbacks. But at its core, A Wasteland Companion shows yet again why Ward can be placed in the higher echelon of contemporary American songwriters.
  9. Prefix Magazine
    Apr 3, 2012
    60
    What's missing, though, is the familiar sense of deft control over the album's arc, the lyrical intrigues, and the instrumental detail that make his other work so indispensible to the indie folk canon of last decade.
  10. Paste Magazine
    Apr 17, 2012
    55
    A Wasteland Companion is Ward's seventh proper solo album, and it certainly has it moments, even if many of them are fairly derivative.
  11. No Ripcord
    Apr 18, 2012
    50
    Much of A Wasteland Companion suffers from the unimaginative fluff that plagued 2009's Hold Time.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. nk40699
    May 8, 2012
    9
    Very good release by M. Ward. A big grower. As usual, M. Ward is a pro at what he does. I wanted to give this an 8, however, some exaggeratorVery good release by M. Ward. A big grower. As usual, M. Ward is a pro at what he does. I wanted to give this an 8, however, some exaggerator gave it a negative review. IMO, almost all albums should receive at least a 5, unless it is total crap. This is a good album. Not fantastic, but it is a very solid release. Definitely does not deserve a below 5 review. Buy it!… Full Review »
  2. ShepRock
    Oct 28, 2012
    8
    Ward proves that at the end of "desolation row" a "clean slate" can be found in which "you only have to wait a little while before you findWard proves that at the end of "desolation row" a "clean slate" can be found in which "you only have to wait a little while before you find the truth" that in the end leads to "pure joy" where there just "ain't no other way to say just what this feeling is."… Full Review »
  3. LazarusGravity
    Apr 12, 2012
    6
    To these ears his weakest collection to date. Pretty enough, but lacking the sonic adventure and song writing rigour of earlier efforts.To these ears his weakest collection to date. Pretty enough, but lacking the sonic adventure and song writing rigour of earlier efforts. Beautifully recorded, mind.… Full Review »
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