By Justin Tam
Staff Writer
Under the name Iron & Wine, singer-songwriter Samuel Beam expounds upon the sound established on his 2007 album, “The Shepherd’s Dog,” with his 2011 effort, “Kiss Each Other Clean.” The release, far different from his earlier work, features unrestrained instrumentation and refined pop melodies.
The tone of Iron & Wine’s music has evolved dramatically since his 2002 debut, “The Creek Drank the Cradle,” an intimate, home-recorded solo affair featuring meticulously crafted and almost haunting lyrics, hushed vocals and minimalist instrumentation.
His sophomore effort, “Our Endless Numbered Days,” though professionally recorded, differed very little from his 2002 album and retained a homey, organic sound.
It was on Beam’s 2007 album, “The Shepherd’s Dog,” that Iron & Wine’s sound truly evolved. Beam surrounded himself with a large, diverse cast of musicians to create an album that, though still familiar in lyrical content and sometimes pace and melody, was actually Iron & Wine’s most lush, diverse and listenable album to date.
Beam’s latest release entitled “Kiss Each Other Clean” is an even more ambitious departure from his original sound. From flutes and brass to buzzing synths, Beam has unquestionably expanded Iron & Wine’s instrumental repertoire.
The synth relentlessly bubbles on the fourth track, “Monkeys Uptown,” and a horn section loosely blares on the final track, “Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me.” Both compliment Beam’s tight, focused vocals and ragged guitar.
The most abrupt and noticeable change in Beam’s music, though, is his exceptional vocal technique. Though still soft and delicate, Beam ditches the subdued sound of his voice from previous releases and seems to project more.
This is apparent on the first track, the infectious, almost urgent “Walking Far from Home” and the crooning, evocative “Tree by the River.” Even on the gentlest track on the album, “Godless Brother in Love,” Beam still belts it out, to an extent. Beam maintains his homey aesthetic despite the more distinct vocals, however.
It isn’t too much of a stretch to say that Beam is writing the most assertive hooks and melodies of his career on “Kiss Each Other Clean.” Standout tracks like “Rabbits Will Run,” “Walking Far from Home” and “Tree by the River” are all beautiful and warm, resembling artists like Fleetwood Mac and Simon & Garfunkel, whose tightly recorded, pretty pop songs were similarly melodic and witty.
Beam’s experimentation is not without folly, however. The same horns that help focus tracks like “Me and Lazarus” somewhat overwhelm tracks like “Big Burned Hand,” which is abrupt, unexpected, and unwelcome. Overall, “Kiss Each Other Clean” is less focused than Beam’s previous works, and therefore less unified.
Despite this minor defect though, Iron & Wine’s latest album is catchy enough to bring listeners back just for the tonal idiosyncrasies and details they may have missed initially. Despite the stranger experimental liberties of “Kiss Each Other Clean,” the album ultimately strikes the listener as introspective, emotional and even tender.
Beam described his latest album in an interview with SPIN magazine as “the music people heard in their parent’s car growing up… that early-to-mid-’70s FM, radio-friendly music.” In that regard, he succeeds in invoking nostalgia for a bygone age. “Kiss Each Other Clean” is a laudable effort by Iron & Wine and one can only imagine what Beam will create next.
Longtime listeners of Iron & Wine will be undoubtedly extremely pleased, if surprised, when greeted with this ambitious, pretty pop album.
It is available on iTunes, vinyl, and CD both online and wherever music is sold.
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