Iron & Wine
Lo-fi music was all but defined when Sam Beam sent two tapes to the Sub Pop Records office in 2002. His subsequent debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle, was hailed as an intimate and superb display of simplicity. With only his guitars, four track, and definitive hushed vocals, Beam related songs of deeply personal tones with zero effects. After earning an MFA and teaching film, Beam brought a natural eye for lyricism and atmosphere to his songs. Based in Florida, Iron and Wine continues as Beam’s vehicle for subtle and ultimately powerful songs composed almost entirely by simple melodies and Beam’s easy vocals, floating somewhere between Elliott Smith and Cat Stevens.
His appearances on soundtracks and a collaboration with indie group Calexico opened the floodgates on a new audience, catapulting the subdued singer to national spotlights. Through it all, Beam’s songwriting only sharpened with albums like Our Endless Numbered Days, and Woman King. His latest, The Shepard’s Dog, finds Beam reworking his writing and executing a more polished sound within the realms of his harmonious acoustic instrumentation. Filled with a richness and depth not previously captured, Beam makes the strongest case yet as this era’s most satisfying songwriter. CHARLIE SWANSON
