IRON & WINE - Kiss Each Other Clean

I'll be the first to admit, I avoided The Shepard's Dog (Iron & Wine's last album) like the effing plague because I caught wind that the soft whispery sounds of Sam Beam were being replaced with an accompanying band and louder, semi-legibly spoken vocals. To be honest, I wasn't even 100% if that was true (it was), I just steered clear all together just to be safe. Flash forward to 2011 and the same conundrum presented itself when Kiss Each Other Clean came out. I even heard some of the EP that preceded the album prior to it's release and it seemingly had way too many sounds going on. Yikes. 

Finally, abandoning a notion of unwillingness to accept the evolution of an artist and a serious amount of stubbornness on my part (and thanks to the KCRW pledge drive), the 4th studio album from Sam Beam (& the Wines) has successfully made it into the regular rotation as of late. Why did I think that the addition of electric guitars, more drums, and a whole bunch of other crap would make Iron & Wine any less good? Not sure because I normally tend to like it when bands/singers/etc. add to their sound (although sometimes it can really eff it up, let's be honest), but in this case I simply feared the 'unknown' territory Beam was entering especially being so akin to that 'original' I&W sound that we all know and love. Yes, it's a lot different than anything that Our Endless Numbered Days or The Creek Drank the Cradle had to offer (a lot), but what it lacks in the days of old dept., it more than makes up for in a dynamic range of a new era of Iron & Wine. I'd liken a lot of this album to breezy Seals & Crofts meets a smokey southern jazz band. Basically, Sam Beam is unstoppable and apparently can do no wrong which is why his next release will probably be 100% electro based. Right? Maybe not so much...

Do you miss quiet, toned down Sam Beam? Or is this just as good, if not better?

-thomas j.



Walking Far From Home - Iron & Wine