M. Ward – Transfiguration Of Vincent

Alone with his grief, trying to find the expressions and tones that would, as the CD sleeve reads, “keep the loss alive and behind me,” Portland’s Matt Ward painted his masterpiece. Transfiguration Of Vincent, like portions of his second album, 2001’s End Of Amnesia, is generally about the passing of his titular friend — which tunes such as the country-gospel “Dead Man”, the shimmery/otherworldly “Undertaker” and “Vincent O’Brien” clearly suggest.

The latter, however, isn’t the expected mournful dirge; rather, it’s a rambunctious, twang guitar/barrelhouse piano punky anthem (think Giant Sand covering the Pixies) driven by Ward’s nigh-on jubilant singing, part Tom Waits soul-rasp and part Mark Linkous cracker-barrel croon. In his search for meaning, it seems Ward discovered how celebration trumps requiem, and in true philosopher king fashion he underscores this point in ways both subtle (the self-probing “Outta My Head”, despite being a rumination on depression, is laced with a falsetto vocal line so genial you can’t help but smile) and overt (“Sad, Sad Song” may be, um, sad, but the woozy blooze thump makes for one of the album’s most upbeat numbers).

By additionally serving up a graceful, folkish overhaul of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” — talk about celebration — Ward comes to terms with an ultimate truth: We among the living, after all, are the ones who have to keep going.