Customer Reviews

IN THE REINS [Vinyl]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Two of my favorite artists over the last few years have been Sam beam's Iron and Wine and the Tucson, AZ band Calexico. On IN THE REINS they team up to make some great music that dovetails the strengths of the two artists, while covering their weaker aspects.

Calexico has made some breathtaking music by combining eclectic influences such as mariachi music and jazz into their folk-rock stew. Their music resembles the Southwest where they live with a wide open sound. Their cinematic music has a broad enough palette to move in several directions and still retain their distinct personality. If their music has a fault, it's that their lyrics can sometimes fall short of the high standard of their instrumental work.

Iron & Wine on the other hand features the great songwriting of Sam Beam. At this point in his career, he delivered his sublime songs in a whispered acoustic manner that reminds one of Nick Drake or early Elliott Smith. If his early work has a fault, it's that it sometimes needs more dramatic arrangements to differentiate one song from the next.

By collaborating here, both bands mesh their strengths together. The opening track HE LAYS IN THE REINS gives the full Calexico treatment including a dramatic Flamenco vocal that definitely wakes the listener up. From there, it's highlight after highlight with Beam's delicate songs getting just the right amount of instrumental support to make them shine. Elements of Latin, country and jazz wrap onto the bluesy folk rock songs like a custom velvet glove. I'm sure that the experience of this recording encouraged Iron and Wine to tear down its musical boundaries on the excellent THE SHEPHERD'S DOG which was recorded after this in 2007.

This is a definite highlight of both artists' careers; the only drawback is that it's an EP, not a full length release. One can only hope that their paths will cross again.

Like the above reviewer I was a little worried about this one but for the opposite reason. I love Calexico and had never heard Iron and Wine so I was concerned the band was taking some new direction from the stuff I have really grown to love. I have since been listening to some Iron and Wine and realy like it as well. This EP is fantastic and sounds like they have bee together for a long time, not just as a novelty. Can't wait for the concert!

This album is absolutely beautiful. The full musical sound and talent of Calexico together with the soothing warm vocals of Iron & Wine make the perfect match.

It's almost unheard of that I love EVERY song on an album, but this one makes the cut. Each song wraps you in a warm trance, a coccoon of well-being. It has a really positive emotional effect on me. It creates an ambiance of gentle strength.

Wonderful. I really hope to see a these two bands getting together for more albums.

When The Creek Drank The Cradle was released, many, including myself, were extremely curious about the musical gifts that Iron & Wine had to offer. His whispery, lo-fi sound was vaguely familiar and yet completely original. Since his first release, Sam Beam has no problem churning up new music for us all to enjoy. With every release, Beam has shown growth, both musically and lyrically.

Now, on In The Reins, Iron & Wine has gone somewhere they never have before; straight up rock infused with country and (yes, I'm serious) jazz. The sound is refreshing, completely catchy and most importantly, a new step for Sam Beam. His teaming up with Calexico has worked wonders. This CD is an absolute treat. I can't wait to see where Sam Beam decides to go next. And until then, I'll just continue rocking out to In The Reins.

I was a little worried about this release with Calexico added to the mix. Boy I was wrong! I am a long time listener to Iron & Wine and this cd is just as good as the rest of em. This EP added to the new release of the live stuff from Bonnaroo will make for a great week of Iron & Wine listening for me! Get this album if you are a fan, you will not be disappointed

I have fastly accepted Iron and Wine as one of my favorite new artists in the last couple years, and its not hard to figure out why. Sam Beam continues to write songs from his heart and soul and his gentle intensiveness in music and in words produces some of the greatest refreshing folky/bluesy/rock low-fi music I have ever heard. And now along comes Calexico, an extremely talented multi-faceted band to collaborate with Iron and Wine. The result is that Calexico has added another layer that fulfills and expands the great sound of Iron and Wine already.

A great treat to have these two working together!

This EP is short, weighing in at just over half an hour. And it's not perfect. Try though I might, I can't remember a blessed thing about the song "16, Maybe Less," if that gives you a hint. But it is very, very good.

Sam Beam, who basically is the still point around which Iron & Wine rotates, wrote all seven songs on this EP. He also provides the vocals, in his usual breathy style. I normally don't like breathy singers, but the sound is perfect for the intimate, introspective songs Beam writes. And hearing his voice backed by Calexico's lush instrumentation is an interesting turn.

For the most part it works. Particularly on tracks like "He Lays In the Reins," "Burn That Broken Bed," and "Prison on Route 41," the vocals sound like they're nestled in a sonic womb. On the track "History of Lovers" and others Beam's vocals need to be bolstered by a second singer to avoid sounding lost, so the merger of sounds isn't entirely perfect. But the EP format, which seems to be Beam's natural environment, is perfect for these choices--before you have time to get tired of the sound the disc is over.

On the whole the CD is worth the fairly slender price. It might be better if it had been fleshed out with more songs, particularly some that owed a little less to Sam Beam and a little more to Calexico's John Convertino and Joey Burns. Still, it rings well, the songs are sufficiently differentiated, and the choices are mostly strong. A good album for fans and initiates alike, this EP is one that will stay near the head of your rack and get played often.

This collaboration from Iron & Wine and Calexico is easily one of my favorite releases of 2005. It's somewhat different from the previous Iron & Wine albums, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Not long before In the Reins, Sam Beam (the songwriter also known as Iron & Wine) came out with another EP, Woman King. That offering had a much fuller sound instrumentally than his previous work, and this one is another step in a new direction.

It sounds to me like this is really an Iron & Wine record with Calexico as merely a backing band. However, Calexico's Tex-Mex sound adds greatly to the overall feel to the music. Beam sings his original songs; Calexico's instrumentals add twang. Some have complained about Iron & Wine's sound being too sparse, but on this EP the songs are as good as ever and the backing tracks are full-sounding like never before. In my opinion, every song is as solid as the next. Of the seven tracks, none of them are "skippable". My personal favorites are the upbeat, folky "A History of Lovers" and the precious "Sixteen, Maybe Less". Overall, very enjoyable. Essential for Iron & Wine fans.

The songs here are gorgeous. I'm enjoying this even more than the Woman King EP. If you've never heard Iron & Wine before, his latest LP, Our Endless Numbered Days, may be a better introduction, but reguardless, this is a very enjoyable record. Highly recommended.

Make no mistake about it: although Calexico is listed first, this is very much an Iron and Wine (i.e., Sam Beam) album. All of the songs were written by Beam, he does the majority of the singing, and his guitar is central throughout. Moreover, the arrangements feel like extensions of his other albums. So, since this is primarily a Sam Beam album, I'm primarily going to discuss it from that point. Essentially, Calexico here functions as a backup band, one that very self-effacingly adapts itself to Beam's compositions. I do intend to revise this review in December after I've been able to see Beam and Calexico live in Chicago at the Congress Theater. My guess is that both will do separate as well as joint sets.

Sam Beam has been one of the leading lo-fi performers in the US for the past two or three years with the gradual addition of back up musicians on each ensuing album. While part of me is nostalgic for the minimalism of THE CREEK DRANK THE CRADLE, originally demo tapes that consisted of Beam alone with his guitar, another part has been encouraged by how superb his work has been with the addition of other performers. The conversion isn't like Dylan going from acoustic to back up band, in which the music itself seemed to change; Beam's work with other musicians seems a natural extension of his previous work. That being said, I'm not sure that the songwriting here represents a similar leap forward. I thought the songs on the WOMAN KING EP, released earlier this year, even stronger than his previous work. Here all the songs are exquisite, but I can't point to a single one and marvel at how brilliant it is. In short, this is a very fine collection of Sam Beam compositions, but he has done better in the past, and I believe he will do better in the future. The songs here in generally do not show the lyrically complexity of some of his other work. For instance, nothing here shows the astonishing virtuosity of "Jezebel" from WOMAN KING, which updated the Biblical story by apparently viewing Jezebel not just the abomination of the Old Testament, but imbuing her with some of the qualities of the Sirens. The lyrics are always satisfying here, but unlike previous albums, I am never stunned by his remarkable skills as a lyricist.

The first two numbers on the disc are "He Lays the Reins" and "Prison on Route 41." Both are quiet songs with the feel of a traditional folk song. You can almost imagine Johnny Cash deciding to cover either of them. I especially like "Prison on Route 41," a gentle waltz praising Virginia, the woman who has saved the singer from the life of crime and imprisonment that is the fate of his other. "A History of Lovers" is my favorite song on the album, with a much more forceful beat and involvement by the band, a song about a man who kills another man over the love of a woman with in inconstant heart, perhaps even a prostitute, though that is all left a bit vague. "Red Dust" is one of the less compelling numbers on the disc. The final three numbers are all fine, though I especially like "Dead Man's Will," with wonderful yet simple lyrics.

I've said elsewhere that I believe Sam Beam is one of the most intriguing talents in American music, probably the most gifted lyricist working today, and the crafter of a score of utterly marvelous songs. It will be fascinating to see what direction his efforts will lead next. Will he go back to solo work or will he work more with back up bands like he has here with Calexico? So far his work has been thoroughly satisfying either way and I very much hope that he will do both. I'm not sure how fans of Calexico would respond to this album. They are very definitely in the background here. Fans of Sam Beam, however, should find this to be a thoroughly satisfying EP, and will definitely want to get it. Although Beam has not in 2005 released a full length album, he has released two superb EPs. Of the two I would recommend WOMAN KING a tad more strongly than IN THE REINS, only because I think the songwriting is a bit stronger on the former, but both are extremely fine albums.

This brief hand full of songs clocks in at about 45 minutes but will leave you wanting way more. Cozy beats and an off kilter alt-country vibe awaits you in many of the cuts. But what a great way to celebrate there odds and ends. Nothing feels second rate about this collection of flip sides and hard-to-find songs. Left me wanting to search out everything they have done, and that's what a fine CD should do.