Iron And Wine: Around The Well
When your “band’s” polished releases are just you and a guitar, it’s not very far from that to demo, and so Iron And Wine fans won’t be disappointed by this two-disc set of demos, rarities, and b-sides. You can definitely tell these are not finished, A-cut products (there’s a barely-audible buzz on most of disc one), but that degradation in sound quality isn’t going to do much more than keep these tracks off of a mix of radio-ready tracks.
In fact, in many cases, the rawness works for Iron And Wine’s only member, Sam Beam. The naked, exposed quality serves to make his gorgeous melodies and the vivid-but-dreamlike quality of his lyrics all the more potent. And on another level, the fact that his demos are of a quality this high says a lot about the talent flowing out of this guy. It’s like he has good-song-diarrhea, like he can’t even hold in the rich, catchy tunes.
The good songs are worthy of 4.5 lunchboxes, and there’s only one clunker in the mix (a cover of Sterolab’s “Peng! 33”). However, there are a few too many places, especially near the end of disc two, where he seems to get stuck in a merely mildly interesting groove and rides it out too long. That’s to be expected in a collection of this type, though, and I’ll generously chalk those up to something like “insight into the creative process.” Really, even with the non-keepers, this a sweet, emotional listen from start to finish.
Rating:
Mixers: “Morning,” “Waitin’ For A Superman,” “Such Great Heights,” “Communion Cups & Someone’s Coat,” “Belated Promise Ring,” “God Made The Automobile”
Non-keepers: “Peng! 33,” “Friends They Are Jewels,” “Hickory,” “Sinning Hands,” “No Moon,” “Carried Home”
Filed Between: Iron And Wine’s The Shepherd’s Dog and Iron Maiden (Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son)
Tags: 2009, 4 lunchboxes, CD reviews, music, My Baby's listening section