Iron & Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog
I know, what’s taken me so long? Many reasons, but none of them are sufficient to explain why I’ve waited to write about what may be the most excellent, heartfelt albums of the year: that of Sam Beam, aka Iron & Wine. Beam’s rise to fame over the past several years has been gradual, but surely his latest release The Shepherd’s Dog will rocket him to folk-hero proportions. Much like his famed beard, Beam’s songs are thickly layered with a great deal of warmth and earnestness yet retain some kind of mystique.
The Shepherd’s Dog seems to take influences from everywhere, from the dusty trails of ghost towns to the asphalt paths of boisterous cities. It’s an album that celebrates the extroverted and the reserved, one that appeals to the ears but sings to the soul. Each track has a sparseness to it, but yet the multi-layered richness of Beam’s voice and his plethora of instruments add an incredible voluminousness each song. “The Devil Never Sleeps” is a piano-driven, ragtime-blues-meets-indie-rock ditty whose only flaw is its brevity (clocks in at 2:06). “Peace Beneath the City” is a kind of mysterious, ethereal song, that listens much like a secret that Beam is sharing with his audience. Not to mention the lovely “House by the Sea” or the achingly sweet “Carousel”, this album simply doesn’t miss.
Be obedient, and grab a copy of The Shepherd’s Dog.
Listen to “The Devil Never Sleeps” (5/5)
Listen to “Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car” (4.8/5)
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