Austin-based Sam Beam (a.k.a. Iron & Wine) has come a long way since the release of his debut album The Creek Drank The Cradle more than ten years ago.
On his fifth studio album, Ghost On Ghost, Beam embraces a more full, layered sound, assisted by an array of talented musicians, including bassist Tony Garnier (from Bob Dylan’s band), Maxim Moston and Doug Wieselman (Antony And The Johnsons), and producer Brian Deck, who has worked with the likes of Modest Mouse and Fruit Bats.
Ghost On Ghost is Beam’s most pop album yet, filled with infectious choruses and jazzy interludes, yet it also retains his trademark hushed and deeply personal vocals.
Album-opener ‘Caught In The Briars’ begins with a short percussive introduction, before launching into breezy acoustic guitars, catchy vocals, and added trombones. The song serves as a perfect introduction into Iron & Wine’s new sound, a combination of Beam’s acoustic-folk origins, and this new, lush instrumentation.
‘Grace For Saints And Ramblers’ sees these elements combine perfectly, producing perhaps the catchiest song that Beam has ever written. With upbeat drumming, frantic vocals, flawless harmonies, and lyrics filled with nostalgia for when “we never wondered why / Because the sun was in our eyes”, it’s a wonderful blend of the old and the new.
‘Winter’s Prayer’ is a classic that could fit on any of Iron & Wine’s previous four albums. Featuring Beam’s hushed and beautiful vocals accompanied only by a restrained guitar, complementing piano chords, and glorious harmonies, it’s the most stripped-back and intensely intimate moment of the record.
Ghost On Ghost isn’t without its misses, with Beam’s usually brilliant lyrics falling flat on ‘Joy’, and ‘Lover’s Revolution’ descending into an overwhelming mess that struggles to reach it’s nearly six-minute conclusion. For the most part, however, it’s an undeniable success.
Iron & Wine’s fifth release may well take some getting used to for the more ardent fans, but if it’s given the patience it deserves, it’s revealed to be an intricately crafted record that ranks amongst Sam Beam’s best work.
