Ever since The Shepherd’s Dog in 2007 (not to mention the exquisite In The Reins EP recorded with Calexico that preceded it), Sam Beam has incorporated a colorful, orchestral verve to the bare-bones makeup of Iron and Wine’s startling songs. The most astounding effect of the songs of The Shepherd’s Dog, 2011′s Kiss Each Other Clean and Iron and Wine’s newest album, Ghost on Ghost, is how true and urgent Beam’s poetic narratives sound, even when draped in full-band compositions and warmly kaleidoscopic production born for the turntable.
Ghost on Ghost won’t be released until April 16 (4AD and Nonesuch), but Beam is giving us yet another reason to be genuinely excited (even more than we already were) with “Grace for Saints and Ramblers.” It’s as mesmerizing as anything Iron and Wine has ever recorded, but Beam and Co. hit the jackpot this time with a chugging tempo that rattles the rails and builds layer upon layer, making the song a delightful thrill to unravel with every listen.
Iron and Wine – “Grace for Saints and Ramblers”
Ghost on Ghost Track List:
1. Caught in the Briars
2. The Desert Babbler
3. Joy
4. Low Light Buddy of Mine
5. Graces for Saints and Ramblers
6. Grass Windows
7. Singers and the Endless Song
8. Sundown (Back in the Briars)
9. Winter Prayers
10. New Mexico’s No Breeze
11. Lovers’ Revolution
12. Baby Center Stage
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