She & Him

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward formed She & Him in 2006, after meeting on the set of the film The Go-Getter. Director Martin Hynes introduced them and asked the pair to record a duet, Richard and Linda Thompson's song "When I Get to the Border," for the film's closing credits. They bonded over a shared taste for the productions of George Martin and Phil Spector, and for older country acts like the Carter Family.

Deschanel had been writing songs privately for years without pursuing a music career. She sent Ward a batch of home demos on a whim, and he called back offering to record them properly. Their debut performance as a duo came at a Sundance screening of The Go-Getter, well before either had settled on a full album.

Deschanel writes most of the original material and sings lead; Ward handles arrangement and production, framing the songs in a deliberately vintage style drawn from 1960s pop, girl groups and country. Volume One was pieced together long-distance, with Ward recording in Portland and Deschanel working from Los Angeles, and released through Merge Records in 2008.

Paste named it the best album of that year. The duo's catalogue has since taken in further numbered volumes alongside albums of standards, Christmas songs and Brian Wilson covers, the sound staying consistent: reverbed guitars, simple drumming, layered harmonies and a warm, analogue feel.