The Auditory

On January 25^th, Iron & Wine’s fourth studio album Kiss Each Other Clean was released.  Iron & Wine, otherwise known as Sam Beam, is a musician who is known for his quiet, almost-whispered vocals, and folk-inspired melodies and instrumentation. 

Beam first received major critical attention in 2004, following the release of his second album, Our Endless Numbered Days.  Prior to Numbered Days, Beam had worked alone on all of his music—recording and producing his first album in his own home studio.  With this release, Beam moved his music into someone else’s studio; therefore, he had more musicians and effects at his fingertips.  However, even when presented with these new opportunities, Beam still chose to keep his music simple.  Each track on the album consists mainly of acoustic guitar and Beam’s hushed vocals, occasionally combined with quiet harmonies and some instrumentation—which is generally limited to a banjo or light percussion. 

On 2007’s The Shepherd’s Dog, Beam chose to work with a completely different musical approach than on Numbered Days.  His music became more developed and complicated, employing a wider range of instrumentation and stronger, more defined melodies.  Beam still worked with the folk sound, but also experimented with styles such as blues (“The Devil Never Sleeps”) and bluegrass (“Resurrection Fern”). 

Beam continues in his quest for musical perfection on his latest release, Kiss Each Other Clean.  While the album has qualities that reflect both of Beam’s earlier releases, Beam adds extra layers and experimentation that set the album apart from his previous works.  The most noticeable change is Beam’s choice of stronger, and more distinct, vocals; this choice allows for much more musical expression to be conveyed.  Previous to this release, Beam’s vocals often felt restrained, and almost devoid of anything feeling whatsoever; while Beam’s voice was certainly pleasant on the ears, it never made much of an impression.  With this release, his revamped vocals combine with new, fresh instrumentation—even including a horn section on a few tracks—to make, if anything, a strong impression.

Beam is a musician whose confidence as an artist and songwriter seems to increase with every new release.  With each album, he pushes himself further towards the brink of creativity; you can’t help but to respect an artist with such drive and ambition.  It would be an easy choice for Beam to sit down and write a few songs in the style of “Sunset Soon Forgotten” or “Cinder and Smoke”, and surely, his audience wouldn’t mind the choice either.  However, Beam strikes me as the kind of artist who will never settle for comfort or ease—and it is this musical ambition that sets him apart from other folk/indie artists in the music scene today.

-Leah Creary