She & Him - Volume Two

While adjustments have been made, She & Him’s sophomore release is very much an extension of their first. A choir of merrily chirruping Zooeys and a Shangri-Las-stomp make Don’t Look Back their finest three minutes yet, while a cover of Ridin’ In My Car sees M. Ward duet with Deschanel’s honeyed tones to produce a splendid slice of winsomely romantic country-and-western confectionary. Volume 2 is a sugary concoction that’ll prove too sweet for some taste buds, but criticising She & Him for lacking bite would be like critiquing Elf (to pluck a film from She’s filmography) for not having enough gore; it’s simply the wrong yardstick to gauge by. Their laid-back Americana could be poured in ears all summer long without growing tiresome, their chicly simple formula light and airy enough to make this second helping more than palatable - in fact, a few more servings wouldn’t go amiss either. [Chris Buckle]