Customer Reviews

Boy With a Coin

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The title track single 'Boy With A Coin'(track 2) is full of energy and nicely syncopated handclap beats and should prove to be a great precursor to his upcoming album, "The Shepherd's Dog". 'Carried Home' (track 1) is a very different sound than we're used to from Sam Beam, with an electric keyboard and other synthesized sounds. 'Kingdom of the Animals' (track 3) has a nice piano track to it and some beautifully whimsical vocals and lyrics.

The first and third tracks were possibly residual detritus that fell from the recording sessions, but they do seem to indicate Beam's constant efforts to play with his sound and develop as a musician. All in all, if you're a big Iron and Wine fan who cannot wait for this fall's full length album, you will not hesitate to get this single. This man is a true poet and bard.

Sam Beam certainly can never be accused of standing still. With each album comes another facet of his musical talent, and if this single is any indication the full length album will be phenomenal. After hearing In the Reins, I was a little uneasy; it was too much Calexico, and it seemed Sam was merely singing what was given to him. Here, however, he has returned to form with an incredible paradox-- he uses more instruments and more layers, yet seems to to maintain a very intimate atmosphere for his music.

I enjoyed his first lo-fi offering immensely, and if someone had told me the same theme and atmosphere could be accomplished while increasing the quality of recording, I would have thought they were missing the point. Yet Sam has again created his own very believable (if not always wholly clear) world here, and though I never would have thought it, this expansion of his musical palette is a perfect progression of his growth as a first-rate songwriter, storyteller, and musician.

For some of the most evocative, intimate music out there, look no further.

So this is the first thing we've heard from Same Beam since the Women King EP (well for solo material anyway). I really liked Boy with a coin, and especially Kingdom of the Animals, which I think, in my humble opinion, would have been the single. Although Boy with a coin is a good song, it gets a tad repetitive after a few listens. Kingdom is a great track with a really fleshed out structure and lots of layers. I didn't really care for the first track, but the 2 others a good enough for a 4 stars review.

Love Sam's music!! Sam is a wonderful song writer, musician and performer! His music is very soothing....give it a listen if you aren't familiar with him.

This was a good little EP put out by the Iron and wine . I have enjoyed this iron and wine very much.
Thank you very much for asking me my opinion.

I own all his cd's. I've fallowed him since 2002...It's been amazing watching him grow as a songwriter and artist!

There was a time, when the Bsides on 45s, were one of the major reasons to buy the single. Some of the Bsides that werent on albums, were highlights of the Beatles careers, like INNER LIGHT, the rock version of REVOLUTION, Rain and Old Brown Shoe, etc. On this CD single, Sam Beam did the very same thing. He released what might just be one of his most spacey songs ever written, and certainly one of the longest ones as well. KINGDOM OF THE ANIMALS starts out, nice keyboard driven song, great lyrics, and then, during its six plus minute length, slowly evaporates. There is so much SPACE in the way this song is put together, that its practically a form of PSYCHEDELIC DUB FOLK music. The bass part is just a tiny walkdown, four notes, repeated once every four measures. (the rest of the time, there is no bass part.) the keyboard parts thin out, and creep up the keyboard to disappear into the ethers as well. Do you know the song by Van Morrison on ASTRAL WEEKS, that just drifts away into the heavens at the songs end, with the various textures just dropping away to earth, as the song, the singer, and the listener sort of ascends upwards? It works exactly like that song, but with more of the digtal age and RADIOHEADS etheric experiments informing this song by IRON AND WINE. It could have easy made it onto the SHEPARDS DOG CD, except it might have been thought, that the length ,and the very airy quality of the song (which didnt get that quality from acoustic guitar picking with slide guitar, they way this band normally achieves it) was too far out, and too far away from the style of the CD as a WHOLE. So, it was left off. AND, like STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER, its not on an IRON AND WINE full length album. Actually, at this point, I think that the tracks from the EPs IN THE REINS, WOMAN KING, and these B sides from CD singles, the extra tracks on the european releases, and the B sides from the singles ought to be formed into a full length album. After all, isnt this what the Beatles MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR LP was? An EP, with a grouping of Singles, and thats a great album. Its a shame, that all these EPs, singles, etc have to be tracked down, and made onto a collection by the indivitual fan. IRON AND WINE are one of those fantastic, magical bands, where everything deserves to be heard. If you love the SPEPARDS DOG CD, buy this single for the two extra tracks. I can guarentee you, they are NOT the dreck left over from the recording sessions.

This is a more rich sound for Sam Beam, but it works so well that I can't wait for the new full length.

Sam Beam has constantly reinvented his sound, adding more dimensions to his already fantastic songwriting talent. After the EP collaboration with Calexico, the change in direction seems like a very logical progression for Iron & Wine. I have to say, as much as I love the previous albums and EPs, the tracks on this single (and the few preview tracks I've been lucky enough to hear from the upcoming new album) are nothing short of masterpieces.

I am extremely anxious to pick up The Shepherd's Dog when it hits shelves next month. I HIGHLY recommend this single to anyone who enjoys brilliant songwriting and beautifully crafted music :)