With words such as ‘immaculate’ floating around his other albums, M.Ward has a solid and long-standing reputation behind him, providing a sturdy and promising platform from which to launch his eighth studio album A Wasteland Companion.

However, I have winced, flinched and resigned myself to the fact I just can’t like it. Perhaps I’m being too obvious and anachronistic in my preferences, but I certainly appreciate a good hook, a catchy riff and memorable melody. Unfortunately, M. Ward tends to miss on all three accounts.

The twelve tracks are inoffensive but unexceptional and perhaps where they fail most is their unwillingness to commit to any particular style or genre. The album scatters itself over the disparate textures of soft rock, acoustic and techno-pop, sometimes all within the same song.

 'Watch the Show,' for example, features a heavy techno quality and exhausts the use of an echo effect in the chorus reminiscent of certain Zoolander Mugatu hypnosis scene, making it hard to take seriously as a profound comment on modern consumerism. 'I Get Ideas' is perhaps the most polished and beguiling track as it cheekily infuses pop with a hint of rockabilly and a dash of Zooey Deschanel.

The redeeming factor of the album, however, is his voice, pleasant and carrying just the right amount of gravel. However, the inescapable fact is that his songs are just not interesting or memorable enough to capture my modern microwave-minute attention span.