Him & her

He's an indie troubadour. She's a film star. Together, this unlikely pair makes beautiful music.

M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, who perform as She & Him, found they had a lot musically in common while working on songs for the film "The Go-Getter." (Autumn de Wilde)

On paper, She & Him doesn't make sense grammatically. And, in theory, the pairing of actress Zooey Deschanel and indie guitarist M. Ward seems odd, too. But on record, specifically the duo's debut album, "Volume One," the quirky couple transcends grammar and expectations.

"They are in many ways the male and female nexus of what is cool," says Martin Hynes, who inadvertently helped create one of 2008's most beguiling records by hooking up the star of his recent film, "The Go-Getter," with the friend he enlisted to provide the score. "They have a cache among people who are very savvy and like good art, whatever that art is."

In Deschanel's case, that art tends to be split between well-regarded and intelligent indie films ("All the Real Girls") and big-budget studio flicks (Will Ferrell's Christmas comedy "Elf"). Ward, who frequently tours with like-minded troubadours like Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and Jim James of My Morning Jacket, is a critically acclaimed purveyor of cinematic Americana that came to full realization on 2006's "Post-War."

She & Him is part of the influx of younger acts at this weekend's Newport Folk Festival, which also includes James, Cat Power, the Black Crowes, Trey Anastasio, Jakob Dylan, Calexico, and Son Volt. And in another left-field booking, Jimmy Buffett will strip off his Parrothead feathers for an acoustic headlining set on Sunday. (She & Him performs tomorrow at 2:50 p.m. on the Harbor Stage.)

Hynes introduced Deschanel and Ward - whose first initial stands for Matt - over dinner while trying to persuade them to record a cover of the Richard and Linda Thompson duet "When I Get to the Border" for the end credits of "The Go-Getter."

During a post-meal communal jam, the director recalls Deschanel asking Ward if he knew the sprightly '50s vocal-group gem "Mr. Sandman."

"They played it just perfectly the first time through and she sang it beautifully," recalls Hynes. "I thought they would sound really good together, but I had no idea they would be so simpatico."

It turns out that the duo - both California natives - had iPods full of the same songs, some of which were their own recordings of favorite songs.

"I had made an a cappella version of [the Beatles'] 'I Should Have Known Better,' " says Deschanel on the phone from New York. "And he had recorded it, too, and we were like, 'What? That's weird.' And we had also both recorded Neil Young's 'Lotta Love.' "

Then the shared list began to flow: Smokey Robinson, Sam Cooke, and "a lot of old country," says Deschanel.

"Once we got to see each other's process in the studio [recording the song for the film], we sort of realized that this is somebody who is involved in music for the same reasons that I am," Ward says from his home in Portland, Ore.

Those reasons included "participating in this tradition of expressing oneself and that it's not about being a star," says Deschanel, who had performed in bands on and off and had boxes and boxes of demos she had kept to herself since she began playing piano and writing songs at age 8. "All these sorts of things that maybe a lot of people would think were silly or idealistic Matt actually totally agrees with it."

"Eventually I heard her demos, and it's so rare that you come across songs that nobody's heard before that are great," says Ward, who says the recording process was quick and collaborative. "She steered the boat for vocals, and I steered the boat as far as the production of those different instruments - drums, strings, guitar, and keyboards - go."

If sepia were a sound as opposed to a color, then Deschanel's voice would have it. "Volume One" is most assuredly retro, cross-pollinating all of the pair's stated influences, including a dreamy take on their favorite Beatles song and a sparse version of Robinson's "You Really Got a Hold on Me." The rest, all Deschanel originals like "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here" and "Change Is Hard," evoke everything from the vintage pop of Dusty Springfield to Jeannie C. Reilly's country classic "Harper Valley PTA."

"I think [Deschanel's] songs definitely toe the line between old and new in a really interesting way," says Ward. "And because her voice has that classic sound, it lends itself, I think, to that interpretation."

"I hate irony in music," says Deschanel.

"Zooey is one of the most uncynical people that I've ever met," Ward later confirms.

Both are aware of the skepticism that often greets actors' attempts at crossing over into music. "People have no reason to believe that I would be able to write music," says Deschanel matter-of-factly. "I don't hold any grudge against someone who is surprised."

"I'm surprised to hear a great song by anybody," Ward says with a laugh. "I'm especially surprised to hear one from somebody who makes their living as an actor or anybody outside of music."

The only one who isn't surprised is Hynes, who, when asked if he's received any kind of token of gratitude since helping the pair strike gold, replies with a laugh, "No gift basket necessary, the gift is a great album of music."