- Courtesy of Warner Bros.
BY CHLOE STACHOWIAK
Daily Arts Writer
Published January 24, 2011
Samuel Beam is a man with a raw, soulful voice, sporting hearty facial hair and surrounded by some mixed opinions regarding his sleepy southern music. Known by the stage name Iron & Wine, the South Carolina native has been applauded by some for the humble power that radiates from his acoustic guitar. Many listeners fall under the bearded man’s folksy spell with his soft, simple strumming and the personal lyrics he whispers sweetly into their ears. To others, however, the songsmith’s rustic, understated style is just boring.
Iron & Wine
Kiss Each Other Clean
Warner Bros.
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With the release of his newest album, Kiss Each Other Clean, the negative press surrounding Beam’s down-to-earth vibes may be extinguished. The album amps up Iron & Wine’s traditionally mellow tunes with sounds and instruments rarely heard from the musician in his past endeavors. From retro saxophones to rhythmic synthesizers, the tracks seethe with experimentation and energy.
From the first eruption of digitally enhanced vocals in opener “Walking Far From Home,” it’s clear Kiss Each Other Clean is a dramatic turn from previous Iron & Wine. The track moves with the musician’s usual smoothness, but it's matched with a twinkling keyboard, harmonizing vocals, percussion, piano and electronic effects — all building on one another in a surprising crescendo. Though this flurry of instruments is atypical of the musical minimalist, the lyrics are as honest and haunting as any other Iron & Wine song. He counteracts sweet images of love with brutal ideas, like “a car crash in the country where prayers run like weeds along the road.” The track is different, but not overtly so, as it slowly eases the listener into the changes that lie ahead in the album.
“Me and Lazarus” is where Beam’s typical style really deteriorates. Second on the album, the song is thick with a ’70s funk vibe, making use of a cool, laid-back bass line, slick vocals and a swanky saxophone. It’s a bold but catchy shift from the softer album opener and is almost trancelike in its grooviness.
While “Big Burned Hand” and “Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me” bounce with a similar funky feel, other tracks are infused with their own styles. “Monkeys Uptown” is one of these standout numbers, relying on the deep tones of the marimba and bass for its smooth sound. These darker notes are lifted by the rhythmic shakers and percussion in the background, blending to create a rich, dynamic song that diversifies the album.
As bold and interesting as these instrumentals are, the changes might inspire pangs of nostalgia in longtime Iron & Wine fans: The songs may be energetic and upbeat, but they don’t sound nearly as personal as his past acoustic music. “Glad Man Singing” and “Half Moon” may help satisfy these folksy souls — these tracks sound the closest to earlier albums like Our Endless Numbered Days — but with pianos and female vocalists in the background, it’s still a hard comparison to make.
When Samuel Beam spoke of his experimental freedom on the Warner Bros. label, he wasn’t bluffing. Kiss Each Other Clean is a storm of new instruments and genres, linking together elements of folk and funk in a single daring album. It’s difficult to pinpoint the direction of his future music, but as Beam moves away from his typical mellowness, an inevitable question arises: Will the beard be the next to go?
