Today's Pick

She & Him, a collaboration between M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel, have unveiled the video for their wistful new single, "I Could've Been Your Girl" taken from the retro-folk outfit's latest fourth studio album, "Volume 3," which was released earlier this month. Deschanel, unabashed Quirky Girl, may have grown her bangs out a bit in "I Could've Been Your Girl" video, but we're pleased to report that despite almost ten years' worth of cutesy dresses, brightly colored flats, and "gee-whiz"-style sexless witticisms, we are not sick of her yet.
For certain segments of the population, including some of us who may be reluctant to admit such things, an adorable Deschanel dance routine is pretty much audio-visual crack cocaine. And that group of people should enjoy the living hell out of She & Him's new video for "I Could've Been Your Girl." Deschanel herself directed this one, in which she tries and fails to get the attention of her bandmate M. Ward. This probably makes band practice awkward. There's no surprise that anything Deschanel puts her name on is as adorable as it gets, and this is certainly no exception.
The music is a swaying, polished update on '60s girl-group sounds by way of '00s indie pop and the fairly charming video lets this former theater major showcase her love of classic Broadway dance routines. The 'New Girl' actress made her debut behind the lens for the retro-inspired video, which looks like it's straight out of the '60s with the costumes and dance numbers. It's musical time travel, Hello Giggles-style, and if you've read this far that probably means it's your style, too. Deschanel says it's inspired by her favorite '60s musicals. She dances throughout the clip, and M. Ward, appears as a mean-looking café patron. (He's credited as "The Star".) And Deschanel has no respect for M. Ward's coffee time.
The promo has the adorable poster girl utilizing every manic pixie move and dancing the twist and the Charleston in the handbook as she tries and fails to get M. Ward's attention in a restaurant, but it seems a sad, disgruntled M. Ward, who just wants to drink his cup of coffee. Grooving with a vibrantly colored team of backup dancers, the "Don't Look Back" singer visually illustrates the emotional tailspin of "I love him, but he doesn't know I exist..." as only Deschanel could. Well, at least now we know what to do the next time we see a cute guy on the subway. This totally beats writing a Missed Connection.

Super-adorable indie pop duo She & Him jump back to the past, with ample hints at the future with a super-adorable visual for "Don't Look Back," the third single from their precious 2010 sophomore release, "Volume Two." She & Him's M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel are no strangers to cuteness, but their new video somehow manages to raise the bar. In the span of five minutes, this Jeremy Konner-directed clip packs in sci-fi kitsch, retro typography, synchronized dancing, Deschanel look-alike back-up singers and vintage '60s choreography and everything. Oh, and holograms!
The great thing about music videos is that, no matter the relative merits of the tune, you can still look at attractive people. Take, for example, the new She & Him video, "Don't Look Back." It's catchy, cutesy, and fairly similar to other She & Him songs, while all of the songs are expertly crafted by Deschanel and effortlessly captured by Ward. But the real prize is, of course the always-adorable Deschanel looking irresistible as she lies on a rug amidst a retro-futuristic Scandinavian living room set, salaciously toeing the butt-cushion of a lazy chair with blue-stockinged feet.
"Don't Look Back" is a lovely piece of neo-retro gal-group pop, with some ace vintage instrumentation and gorgeous backing vocals. "Don't look back all you'll ever get is the dust from the steps before," Deschanel, who is the "She" in She & Him, told about this song: "I kept thinking about the Orpheus myth and how I could use it as a parallel for the story in this song. I was playing around with the chord progression and the first line popped in my head. I had just bought an old baby grand piano at a thrift store for my living room and I recorded the demo for this song on that piano. It was a nice way to christen the instrument."
One area of my life that I don't often get to discuss here is my love of music. I wind the week down with a delightful new video from the Deschanel-fronted indie rock darlings She & Him, and spotted this video. "Don't Look Back" is not only a wonderful song, but also a visual trip down mid-century memory lane with furniture, decor and references that I think so many of you will love and appreciate. Whether you're in it for the classic furniture designs, the sounds or both, I hope you'll enjoy this colorful and charming video debut. It's so fantastic to get to celebrate the worlds of design and music colliding. It's a video as sugary-sweet as the song itself. Check it out.

American indie folk band, She & Him is one of pops finest collaborations and heavenly combination, with all songs written by Zooey Deschanel (She) and produced by Matt Ward (Him). They just premiered a new video for "In The Sun" on Pitchfork Media's web site last Tuesday, the first single off the duo's upcoming sophomore LP "Volume Two," will be available in stores March 23 via Merge Records and is available now for pre-order on iTunes, Amazon, and the Merge Records online store. The new video, an absolutely lovely High School Musical-inspired romp through the halls of a public high school with cute overload from Deschanel. The politics of high school should always be this easy.
There's really nothing not to like about She & Him's new video, directed by filmmaker Peyton Reed (Bring It On, Yes Man) and features performances by the indie pop superstar duo of Deschanel and Ward, also features guest vocals from Omaha twee brigade Tilly and the Wall. Indie rock crush Deschanel doesn't just act and sing. She also dances, hula hoops, and winks! All of her various talents are on display in this high school musical-style video. While Mr. Ward seems like he's having a decent time, a sunglassed and pasty Ward turns up in a supporting role, guitar in hand, looking like the song was titled as a suggestion for how he should spend his free time. Good thing about having an actress front your musical project: Your videos will be very watchable.
She & Him make music for an eternal springtime, when the temperature is warm enough to go riding with the top rolled down and the radio turned up. They occupy an alternate universe where the saddest of songs feel as warm as sun showers; the rain may be coming down, but somewhere nearby, everything looks bright. What began as a fascinating, no-strings attached collaboration on 2008’s "Volume One" has evolved into a bona fide, touring band, and She & Him are here to stay. Deschanel and Ward are as comfortable and complementary a musical pair as Les Paul and Mary Ford; hearing them again on "Volume Two" feels like getting together with two old friends. This time, the harmonies have grown more angelically layered, the string arrangements more dramatic, the songwriting even sharper and more confident. The new video for "In The Sun" supplies us with an ample dose of sunshine and indie pop cheer, complementing the week's first glimpse at Spring. Somehow it all evens out, creating this perfect picture of life. Because life is not always sunny, its not always dark it's somewhere in between.