Oh, Sam Beam. One can practically gauge the season by the number of Iron & Wine references on the blog-o-sphere. Fall or winter hits? Sam’s everywhere. A new track that may or may not appear on an LP hits on a soundtrack? People are running to their mother’s about that. Hell, a new album? We’re just lucky this series of tubes is built for durability. And that particular season is upon us again. Sam’s The Shepherd’s Dog has filtered through those tubes and is ready for scrutiny & lovin’, as the community sees fit.
Here at the T.C., we’re more inclined to approach it from the lovin’ angle.
People complained (I know Matt was one of ‘em) about Sam’s previous albums sound kind of (and by kind of he means, pretty much exactly) sounding the same as much of his early material. Which isn’t bad, because he’s pretty consistently great if yer in the mood for some minimal folk to put on while yer house is being broken into by the police because of a neighbour’s noise complaint while you are asleep (it’s a long story), but, really. The releases were pretty much interchangeable.
This isn’t Sam at his most minimal. It’s rather layered, with drums that fill an empty space which is beautifully occupied by bass-culture-gone-folk. The album begins on a note that is entirely dampened by this low-end spectrum of noise, and it’s absolutely orgasmic. It occupies empty space with drums & sounds that dream of a fuzz-folk backdrop, graced with a mild-Indian influence.
Track 4, Carousel plays like a dream. Obfuscated Beam lyrics that play on a go-around like a faded dream, and this faded dream makes use of Beam electronics that you never even knew he knew of, followed up by guitar work that you would expect from no other man, with lyrics faded by an Ocean breeze. This is House By The Sea.
One of the most powerful tracks comes right off the bat. Something you wouldn’t expect from Beam is to embrace such a wash of sound at the very launch off his album, but like we said, this album isn’t The Creek Drank The Cradle, and he makes that so apparent from the start. The lo-fi treatment is breached by a kick drum, violin & vocal wash, within which you are treated to a soulful tinker of the piano, and Beam-dreamy lyrics that lament a fall-graveyard scene, among other things.
As far as Matt is concerned, it doesn’t get better than track 10, “The Devil Never Sleeps”, with its sweet sweet boogie piano riff mixed higher than Sam’s hushed vocals… it is upbeat in a way we never even thought Iron & Wine would muster. Stunning.
Overall, all we’re left saying is that this dog is trained. It’s got all the elements that we’ve come to love of Iron & Wine yet progressive enough to just enhance them. Next time you come to town, Sam, the next one is on us.
- “Pagan Angel & A Borrowed Car”
- “White Tooth Man”
- “Lovesong Of The Buzzard”
- “Carousel”
- “House By The Sea”
- “Innocent Bones”
- “Wolves (Song Of The Shepherd’s Dog)”
- “Resurrection Fern”
- “Boy With A Coin”
- “The Devil Never Sleeps”
- “Peace Beneath The City”
- “Flightless Bird, American Mouth”
mp3: (removed by request)
Iron & Wine - The Devil Never Sleeps.
Iron & Wine - Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car.
(The Shepard’s Dog will be released from Sub-Pop Records sometime in September. Between now & then, enjoy yer summer, dammit. And check out Sam’s web-site. It’s like apple pie. In digital form.)
Recent Retaliations.