2: Iron & Wine – Beast Epic
Here is perhaps the most misleading album title of last year. Beast Epic may refer to the literary genre in which animals take on human voices, but music fans would be forgiven for thinking they’re about to slog through a bombastic heavy metal concept album – it’s a wonder Iron Maiden didn’t get to the name first. Fortunately, the sixth solo release by indie-folk hero Sam Beam, a.k.a. Iron & Wine, is succinct, stripped down, and simply gorgeous. (The homey embroidered cover image is a much more fitting indication of the contents within.) After dabbling in electronics and studio embellishments on his most recent albums, Beam circles back to the intimate, unadorned sound of his earliest recordings. Close your eyes and it may seem as if he is playing right in your living room. You hear the strings of his acoustic guitar creak and its hollow body reverberate as he raps out a laid-back tempo. Muted percussion, keyboards and strings are used sparingly for accompaniment. Beam’s formidable talents as a songwriter shine brightest in this natural state. His lyrics here are full-hearted meditations on the human condition and the wonders of nature, studded with the occasional barbed observation. “Jesus and his trophy wives are praying for the suicides and orphans,” he sneers on “The Truest Stars We Know.” A cozy masterpiece, Beast Epic ranks with 2007’s The Shepherd’s Dog as Beam’s finest work.
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