Kiss Each Other Clean
As impressive as his past work has been, Samuel Beam (a.k.a. Iron & Wine) blows away all expectations with *Kiss Each Other Clean*. Previous Iron & Wine releases have explored American roots music themes in quirky, provocative ways; this time, electronica elements are applied to old-fashioned song motifs and folk instrumental colors to gorgeous effect. Beam’s clear high tenor soars to serene heights, surrounded by subtly layered background vocals. The songs shift from sunny invocations of the past (“Tree By the River”) to shadow-haunted narratives (“Rabbit Will Run”) and oblique cautionary tales (“Monkeys Uptown”). A warm spiritual glow lights up the enraptured “Walking Far from Home” and the delicately shimmering “Godless Brother In Love.” Unexpected sonic curve balls — like the funky, saxophone-accent groove of “Big Burned Hand” and the use of analog synthesizer sounds on numerous tracks — keep things pleasantly off-balance. The seven-minute “Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me” closes the album with jazzy wails and prophetic visions.
Building on the full-band work of 2007's The Shepherd's Dog, Sam Beam's latest is in some ways even more ambitious than its predecessor.
Even when Sam Beam was recording Iron & Wine songs on a four-track at home, with just his voice and a stringed instrument or two, he had the core of a ’70s-style folk-rock troubadour. It just took a few years before he developed the chops to move past the stripped-down, sketchy style that first won him fans. With…
Purists might believe that saxophones and funky basslines have no place on an Iron & Wine album. Well, hold onto your…
Check out our album review of Artist's Kiss Each Other Clean on Rolling Stone.com.
The ongoing journey of Sam Beam from bedroom mystic to ringleader of a slick stadium indie rock band is completed on 2011’s Kiss Each Other Clean.
Mixture of American folk, rock and country traditions...If 2007’s ‘The Shepherd’s Dog’- the point where Iron & Wine grew into a full band – relocated the operation to the dusty outskirts of town from the remote wooden shack where songwriter Sam Beam’s largely solo and acoustic early works resided, this follow-up continues the journey by pushing into the bustling heart of the city.
Ah, the ancient, nearly lost art of quality control. After more than three years of waiting for a new Iron and Wine album, Sam Beam returns with a taut 10 tracks.
If some voices are like Marmite - you love them or you hate them - then Sam Beam’s is like chocolate - velvety, rich and comfortingly familiar.
None of Kiss Each Other Clean’s idiosyncrasies detract from the impact of its calm beauty.
It's eccentric and unselfconscious, says <strong>Maddy Costa</strong>, but Iron and Wine's new album is all the better for it
Iron And Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean review: Beam proves that his feet fit these larger shoes quite well.
Kiss Each Other Clean recalls Scritti Politti, or Sufjan Stevens which is an impressive makeover. Rating: * * *