Iron & Wine – Around the Well

This is the latest release from Iron & Wine, the performing name for Sam Beam, who has been a favorite of mine since I first discovered him about two years ago.  Beam’s music is soft, acoustic folk, rich with thoughtful lyrics.  This album is unique, though, because it is a collection of B-sides and rarities that Beam has written over the years but hasn’t yet released on an album.  Most of the songs on this two-disc record are completely unadorned: just Beam, his guitar and his soft voice.  The album may not be the best introduction to the music of Iron & Wine because it only has one or two songs that might be considered stand-out tracks, but I have not been able to stop listening to it.  As I write this, my favorite track has just come on my iPod: “Waitin’ for a Superman.”  “Belated Promise Ring” is the album’s single, if it has one, and if you think a 9.5 minute song with constant singing and very little variation sounds boring or uninteresting, give a listen to “The Trapeze Swinger,” another of the album’s great songs.  Enjoy!