Tuesday, April 5th, 2005
So I’m a bit late too, with my trying to keep up with my new favorite class, Neuroscience. And yes, I really do like it . . . because I’m a nerd. But so it goes.

Today I have a complete change of pace from last week. I'm going to explore the sublime music of Sam Beam, aka Iron and Wine. Beam records everything himself, playing every instrument and recording through loops. He has total control over the creative process (even sometimes doing the cover art for his albums), yielding a completely personal product every time. His music is folky, mystical, and always a soothing choice for a quiet afternoon, rain or sunshine.

His newest EP is called Woman King. As you might have guessed, it's all about strong women, whether biblical (the Virgin Mary and Lilith) or a nameless beautiful woman sleeping. Beam sings in very hushed tones that make you draw your head closer to the music, waiting to hear the next lyric. The guitar work is like a babbling stream in the mountains, always moving with an unhurried fluidity.

New to Woman King is a bit of percussion, piano, and a bit of electric guitar. Now, some fans of older Iron and Wine releases might be up in arms, wanting only the accoustic guitar that permeates his previous three releases. Yet, Sam Beam infuses these extra textures seamlessly into his music, making you feel like this is the way music has always supposed to have been all this time.

Woman King has 6 songs. The EP begins brightly with the title track, with some of the aforementioned percussion. Woman King (click to download song legally from SubPop) is the beginning of a philosophical idea that Beam will develop throughout this entire album. Jezebel has one of the most beautiful openings I've ever heard musically. It is one of the few songs that can rival an opening to a symphonic piece. Gray Stables is all about a forbidden love, something that consumed the brave and gorgeous lady the song refers to. Freedom Hangs Like Heaven is about Mary, perhaps the most famous self-sacrificing woman. My Lady's House is about the feeling every man feels about the woman he truly loves. Evening on the Ground is perhaps the most experimental song on the album and it is also my favorite. The music propels the song with an unrelenting quickness that makes the song instantly listenable, while the lyrics are interesting to say the very least.

Iron and Wine's new EP may be my favorite new purchase all year. I bought it three weeks ago and I still listen to it every day, often in the car, which makes the drive down I-35 to school a bit more pleasant. I can't recommend a cd more highly than this one, or any of Iron and Wine's releases. Also, you can catch Iron and Wine in Lawrence on April 23rd at the Granada. At only $10, it's pretty hard to pass up in my very humble opinion. But I will say not so humbly, Sam Beam obviously knows exactly what he wants from music and isn't shy about giving the world incredibly complex and beautiful musical thoughts every time out.

Iron and Wine - Woman King

-patrick