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Iron & Wine

Grey Area

10:48 / 03.03.05

I have two albums by this emsemble based around Sam Beam, and will probably get the others sometime soon. It's beautiful music, simple and clear with well-written lyrics, the perfect thing for a lazy Sunday morning or a 3am calm-down session. I guess one way to describe the sound is that it's similar to Jack Johnson, but more mature. Anyone else listen to this? And can you recommend something in a similar vein?

Mike Modular

23:40 / 03.03.05

I've got Our Endless Numbered Days, but haven't given it a whole lot of time, as I was a little disappointed in comparison to some of the earlier tracks I'd heard and loved ('Lion's Mane', 'Jesus The Mexican Boy' and the cover of Stereolab's 'Peng! 33' in particular). But he's got a lovely singing voice, that's for sure.

Can't really think of anyone else making music quite as...sedate as I&W (but with a lot going on under the surface). Most of these new-folky types have voices that demand attention (eg. Newsom and Banhart - who I do like!) but Mr Beam has the understated Nick Drake thing working nicely. You could try Herman Dune and Nina Nastasia, for the lyrics, and maybe some Adem, Vashti Bunyan, Low or George for the Sunday morning vibes...

rizla mission

12:22 / 05.03.05

Iron & Wine are really, really something special - I absolutely love him/them.

Particularly the first album, "The Creek Drank the Cradle", which has got to be one of the most, well, just well beautiful albums I've heard in recent years.

laugh at me if you like, but there's a certain kind of quality to that album that reminds me of the old time bluesmen... not because he sounds like them (he doesn't) or because he's trying to sound old or rustic, but just... a certain kind of intensity and purity and disconnection from cultural context. The sort of thing lots of modern performers try really hard for, but somehow lack the basic essence.... but he's got it - he's found his own blues, and it's beautiful.

Psi-L is working in hell

19:01 / 07.03.05

I think you're right Rizla, there is a kind of old time scratchy blues quality to that first album, you can almost picture him sitting on the front porch of an old wooden house strumming the songs in baking heat.

I've only recently discovered his music and just love it. The Sea and the Rhythm EP, is wonderful too, especially the title track.

As for other similar sounds, I got into Sufjan Stevens around the same time, his album Seven Swans, is a different folk sound to Iron & Wine, but has an ethereal quality to it (lots of great banjo, amongst the many different instruments that he plays on the album), and I think it is equally as beautiful. The two often perform with each other apparently.

Locust No longer

21:52 / 07.03.05

I adore Iron and Wine. I saw him live and thought he was real nice guy, very cordial and welcoming. I think he's the new Simon and Garfunkle (in a good way).

Bed Head

11:29 / 12.03.05

I’ve just heard some of this. Old blues guys, yes, absolutely, everything Rizla says. Grey, if you haven’t heard any Mississippi John Hurt yet, that’s what I’d recommend. I know there’s oodles of guys around who do this mellifluous guitar/gentle vocals thing, but John Hurt was doing it in 1928.Which kinda gives it something else, to my ears: you listen to Iron & Wine and you know he’s listened to a whole lot of John Hurt, but you listen to John Hurt, and God only knows where he got it from. You’re right up against the mystery. It’s like, the point where the present begins. Or something.

Grey Area

09:26 / 15.03.05

Thank-you all for the recommendations, I'll be sure to check them out and let you know what I think. Having now listened to the The Creek Drank The Cradle and Our Endless Numbered Days back to back for nearly two days, one thing strikes me: It's really hard to describe this music to other people. OK, using such artists like Simon & Garfunkel and the like it works, but this seems to be music that's its own category. Yes/No?

skellybones

12:26 / 16.03.05

Hmm, dunno. I guess I'd just call it modern American folk music, as kind of a catch-all for include Sufjan, Devendra Barnhart, Joanna Newsom. There's a wicked compilation called Golden Apples of The Sun (compiled by Barnhart) that came out last year, and which has loads of this kind of stuff on it.

In terms of older stuff, I reckon its definitely worth checking out John Martyn's 'Bless The Weather', which is fairly similar, despite being 30 odd years old, in that it's blues/folk and his voice has that same gentle, ethereal quality.

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