Samuel Beam’s highly acclaimed and beloved musical alias Iron and Wine releases another beautiful record. Kiss Each Other Clean released Jan. 25 off Warner Bros. Records is the fourth studio album from Beam and his band. For those of you who have never heard of “Iron and Wine shame on you.
Beam, the former professor of film and cinematography with a Master of Fine Arts, dropped his first album as Iron and Wine in 2002 on SubPop Records. The Creek Drank the Cradle his debut acoustic album was created and produced entirely by Beam in his home studio. It showcases Beam’s exemplary talent both as a musician and songwriter.
Shortly after, Iron and Wine recorded a cover of The Postal Service’s Such Great Heights which generated quite a bit of interest in him. Iron and Wine’s version of the song was even featured in the Garden State movie soundtrack in 2004.
Iron and Wine quickly moved on to bigger and better things. His sophomore record, Our Endless Summer Days was created in a professional studio and allowed him creative liberty. The album was still acoustic-centered, but Beam was able to incorporate a full band into the album, creating a more unique sound than his debut.
From that moment on, Beam was fast at work writing, singing and playing. Iron and Wine released two more studio albums, including Kiss Each Other Clean, a multitude of EPs and singles and two live albums to boot.
Iron and Wine has been featured on numerous television and film soundtracks, most recognizably on the Twilight film for Flightless Bird, American Mouth and for a cover of Dark Eyes in the Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There. His song Naked As We Came is the most used song Iron and Wine has created. It has been featured on Ugly Betty, Numb3rs, Grey’s Anatomy, and House.
Iron and Wine’s newly released album Kiss Each Other Clean contains all the elements fans love about Iron and Wine — Beam’s distinctive, captivating voice, lots of acoustic guitar and whimsical songwriting. The fact that it’s been four years since Iron and Wine has released a full-length album might have worried fans, but Beam proves that he is an indie folk master.
Kiss Each Other Clean stayed very much true to the Iron and Wine sound, but the album shows a little bit of exploration as well. It’s a little less mellow with a little bit more electric guitar, and the band has stepped subtly into the foreground.
The third track on the album, Tree By the River, showcases Beam’s flawless integration of a full band into his musical vision. It’s an upbeat, feel good tune with a catchy lyrical story flowing from beginning to end. It focuses on all the necessary Iron and Wine elements — acoustic guitar and Beam’s honey voice.
Monkeys Uptown is Iron and Wine’s pop-iest and, therefore, the song that;s the greatest departure from Iron’s usual sound. Right from the start of the song, it establishes that this is a new sound for Beam. It’s a little funkadelic with the heavy electric guitar and synth, which gives it grittier sound. Nonetheless, it’s still catchy and Beam’s voice just makes the song even more satisfying. But, if you are sensitive to expletives watch out. The song is not overflowing with obscenities, so it’s not extremely notable. Honestly, it just adds to the character of the song.
Another great song off the album is Half Moon. It’s mellower than a lot of other tracks on the album and Beam’s voice is just spectacular because it’s the focus of the song. The song is reminiscent of Iron and Wine’s debut album material. It’s stripped of much of the backing band sound found in the other songs — it’s predominately acoustic guitar and piano. It’s such a beautiful song, a definite must-hear.
Iron and Wine’s fourth studio album, Kiss Each Other Clean is a spectacular record. Captivatingly written and performed, this album must be heard from beginning to end.