In the Reins (EP)
Calexico and Iron & Wine
(Overcoat Recordings)
I truly believe that Sam Beam is one of the world's last great romantics. His lyrics cut straight to the center of my girlish heart, without the gooey commercialism most male singer-songwriters relish. (Yes, I am looking at you, John Mayer. And no, I do not like what I see.) This man truly knows love; he has suffered, yearned, and strove for love. And, even if he hasn't, his voice is wrought with enough feeling that he should have felt all of those things. The man has to have suffered romantically - just look at that beard.
Unlike his aforementioned personal appearance, however, Beam's music has evolved considerably over the years: when we first met Mr. Beam in 2002, he was locked up alone in his shanty with an acoustic guitar, while in this year's Woman King EP he seemed to be taking cues from the lush orchestral sounds of Mr. Sufjan Stevens. Now, Beam has joined forces with Calexico to once again shed his skin. While this EP is a collaboration, for the most point it must be noted that Calexico allow the focus to be shifted onto Iron & Wine. They are the Flying Burrito Brothers to his Gram Parsons; they allow him to shine while still showcasing their definitive sound.
In the Reins sounds as if Iron & Wine and Calexico put an old western on the DVD player, pressed the mute button and began to compose their own score to the goings on. The first track, "He Lays in the Reins," features maracas, a bombastic Spanish vocal solo, and the lush feel of crossing the desert on a white stallion. If you couldn't hear Beam's voice so well, you would suspect that he was wearing a bandana over his mouth to protect himself from the desert sand. "Prison on Route 41" sounds like a forgotten bar on the side of the highway; in fact, the entire song takes on the Western confessional drinking spirit. Beam sings of his family's dark past, not with Johnny Cash's swaggering pride, but with the melancholy of the child born into this darkness. He is not so much our hero riding through the deserts as a lonely man spilling his soul to a buxom bartender. Occasionally the harmonica detracts from the melancholy of the song, sounding somewhat out of place, but I am also admittedly not of the harmonica disposition.
"A History of Lovers" is a highlight in Iron & Wine's career: somehow, Calexico has tricked him out of his usual funk and for the first time ever, he has sung a song which you can dance to without holding yourself. Calexico shines the most on this track, with their lush horns and joyous beat. There is life in the desert and Calexico bring spring to it with every note. Unfortunately, this album can't all be wonderful: whilst "Red Dust" begins convincingly spare and bluesy enough to make any Blind Willie proud, something terrible happens. Somehow Calexico were kidnapped in the midst of the recording and replaced by Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble to perform a zombie jam session. Thankfully, Calexico somehow managed to fight off their kidnappers to return for "16, Maybe Less." They even brought a friend, the soprano voiced Natalie Wyants, whose duet with Sam Beam brings back the fragility lost in the previous two songs. "Burn That Broken Bed" begins sounding like the Iron & Wine fans are used to, but once again Calexico bring something new to the mix; this time jazz stylings which change Iron & Wine's sweetness to a sexiness rarely seen in the reticent heart of his music. The trumpet solo should remind me of NPR (as most jazz trumpet solos do) but underscored with vibraphone and slowly fading drums and guitar, I can't help but feel slightly seduced.
For me though, the highlight of the EP is "Dead Man's Will." Beam and Joey Burns of Calexico sound like the voice of a sunset as they harmonize together over the soft trillings of a vibraphone, piano, and acoustic guitar. The desert becomes awash in purples, oranges, pinks, and blues; the shadows of the cacti stretch towards the mountains, and as song and EP come to a finish, the world falls into a silent, content darkness.
Calexico
Iron & Wine
Buy It
at Amazon
See Also: what Sam Beam does in his free time
(Overcoat Recordings)
I truly believe that Sam Beam is one of the world's last great romantics. His lyrics cut straight to the center of my girlish heart, without the gooey commercialism most male singer-songwriters relish. (Yes, I am looking at you, John Mayer. And no, I do not like what I see.) This man truly knows love; he has suffered, yearned, and strove for love. And, even if he hasn't, his voice is wrought with enough feeling that he should have felt all of those things. The man has to have suffered romantically - just look at that beard.Unlike his aforementioned personal appearance, however, Beam's music has evolved considerably over the years: when we first met Mr. Beam in 2002, he was locked up alone in his shanty with an acoustic guitar, while in this year's Woman King EP he seemed to be taking cues from the lush orchestral sounds of Mr. Sufjan Stevens. Now, Beam has joined forces with Calexico to once again shed his skin. While this EP is a collaboration, for the most point it must be noted that Calexico allow the focus to be shifted onto Iron & Wine. They are the Flying Burrito Brothers to his Gram Parsons; they allow him to shine while still showcasing their definitive sound.
In the Reins sounds as if Iron & Wine and Calexico put an old western on the DVD player, pressed the mute button and began to compose their own score to the goings on. The first track, "He Lays in the Reins," features maracas, a bombastic Spanish vocal solo, and the lush feel of crossing the desert on a white stallion. If you couldn't hear Beam's voice so well, you would suspect that he was wearing a bandana over his mouth to protect himself from the desert sand. "Prison on Route 41" sounds like a forgotten bar on the side of the highway; in fact, the entire song takes on the Western confessional drinking spirit. Beam sings of his family's dark past, not with Johnny Cash's swaggering pride, but with the melancholy of the child born into this darkness. He is not so much our hero riding through the deserts as a lonely man spilling his soul to a buxom bartender. Occasionally the harmonica detracts from the melancholy of the song, sounding somewhat out of place, but I am also admittedly not of the harmonica disposition.
"A History of Lovers" is a highlight in Iron & Wine's career: somehow, Calexico has tricked him out of his usual funk and for the first time ever, he has sung a song which you can dance to without holding yourself. Calexico shines the most on this track, with their lush horns and joyous beat. There is life in the desert and Calexico bring spring to it with every note. Unfortunately, this album can't all be wonderful: whilst "Red Dust" begins convincingly spare and bluesy enough to make any Blind Willie proud, something terrible happens. Somehow Calexico were kidnapped in the midst of the recording and replaced by Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble to perform a zombie jam session. Thankfully, Calexico somehow managed to fight off their kidnappers to return for "16, Maybe Less." They even brought a friend, the soprano voiced Natalie Wyants, whose duet with Sam Beam brings back the fragility lost in the previous two songs. "Burn That Broken Bed" begins sounding like the Iron & Wine fans are used to, but once again Calexico bring something new to the mix; this time jazz stylings which change Iron & Wine's sweetness to a sexiness rarely seen in the reticent heart of his music. The trumpet solo should remind me of NPR (as most jazz trumpet solos do) but underscored with vibraphone and slowly fading drums and guitar, I can't help but feel slightly seduced.
For me though, the highlight of the EP is "Dead Man's Will." Beam and Joey Burns of Calexico sound like the voice of a sunset as they harmonize together over the soft trillings of a vibraphone, piano, and acoustic guitar. The desert becomes awash in purples, oranges, pinks, and blues; the shadows of the cacti stretch towards the mountains, and as song and EP come to a finish, the world falls into a silent, content darkness.
Calexico
Iron & Wine
Buy It
at AmazonSee Also: what Sam Beam does in his free time
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