Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog

Sam Beam embraces the joy of a full band

Sam Beam, the once upon a time one-man band behind the Iron and Wine moniker, has finally and fully embraced the sound of a full band, perhaps spurred on by his collaborations with Calexia since the previous album, 2005's "In the Reins", that tipped its toes in this water and previewed this evolution. The departure from the band's early work heard here is quite dramatic, yet satisfying.

"The Shepherd's Dog" (12 tracks, 50 min.) starts off with an exuberant "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car". "Lovesong of the Buzzard" is equally entrancing. Yes of course there are still 'quite' songs, such as the beautiful "Carousel" and "Resurrection Sound", but even in those songs you can feel a full band's embrace. Other highlights for me include "Wolves (Songs of the Shepherd's Dog)", which reminds me of Peter Gabriel's world music sound, just beautiful, and the brooding "Peace Beneath the City". In all, there really is no weak track on here, and it is (for me) the best album of Iron and Wine to date. Can't wait to see where these guys will go from here. If you are wondering where I hear their music, check out WOXY (BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll!), the internet-only but best source for indie-music in the country, bar none.

Iron and Wine was one of those bands that I had been wanting to see for a long time, particularly since this album came out last Fall. Well I finally did catch them last month at Bonnaroo, and they put on a fantastic 80 min. set, primarily bringing songs from "The Shepherd's Dog", and it was one of the best sets of Bonnaroo for me. (As an added bonus, my daughter bought a great Iron and Wine T-shirt for me for Father's Day while we were there!) Meanwhile, "The Shepherd's Dog" is highly recommended! July 12, 2008

Not the Same old Sam...which is good

Of Iron & Wine's three full-length albums, I probably like this one least. I don't regret purchasing it in the slightest; you just have to admit it was up against some stiff competition. (In the interest of full disclosure, Woman King is my favorite I&W Recording) There are some truly groundbreaking things on here, particularly "White Toothed Man," "Flightless Bird, American Mouth," "Carousel," and "Boy With a Coin." Sam Beam is digging deeper into his bag of studio-experimentation tricks, leading me to wonder if it'll ever have a bottom. The instrumentation gets more varied and exotic (I believe I heard a pedal-steel guitar through a wah-wah on Boy with a Coin! Coupled with that flamenco-y beat, no less).

Even so, I won't name names, but I did find a few clunkers on here. Inevitable, I guess, given the wide amount of field he's covering. Maybe years on I will give 'em another listen and feel differently. I will say that each song has its own unique texture. And even the misses are not THAT bad. I will say that I think "The Devil Never Sleeps" would be great if someone else covered it. I love Sam Beam's voice, but he seems out of place amidst the rollicking piano and stompin' beat.

All in all, I liked it a lot. Worth picking up for just the four I mentioned, as well as several other solid tracks. Just keep an open mind, and don't expect the same old sam. June 29, 2008

Wow!!

This is my first cd by Iron and Wine, and all I can say is WOW! This cd is great. A perfect blend of instruments and vocals. I will be purchasing the "In the Reigns" LP soon! June 16, 2008

Bold strokes and vivid colors

When I first got this I was totally thrown for a loop (pun not intended, but it does work here). I had bought the Woman King EP, so I knew he was exploring some different territory. But for this release, I thought he'd find some middle ground between that and his very acoustic and intimate earlier work.

I sorta liked it. I really wanted to like it. But it felt way too overproduced, especially the vocoder effect and all the mad layering. It was just too much.

Fast forward in time and a few dozen listens later: I love this album. It's easily one of his best. What's strange is it doesn't feel like the same artist. It's a completely different sound. But what I heard as "overproduced" before now has a dreamlike quality. In fact, the whole album feels like the soundtrack to a hallucinogenic road trip film. All the weird lyrical southern goth is still there. It's just that this one is painted in bold strokes using vivid colors rather than muted pastels.

I love all of Sam's work, and this is no exception. I'm glad to be able to say that now. It's not a perfect album; his sister's vocals get buried too much in the mix (if she's there at all). And this one takes time to appreciate. I'm not saying that's any guarantee that it will for everyone. But for me, it's a brave album that may be heavy on production, but also loaded with fantastic songwriting and sound sculpting. May 18, 2008

Still Good

Although I was a bit disappointed by this album, it still knocked me off my feet. Sam Beam is an AMAZING musician and I can't not love him. Iron and Wine fans will love 'Pagan Angel and A Borrowed Car' along with 'Boy With A Coin.' April 30, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...