Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean review

I can only assume that the cat in the above video was only reacting to Iron and Wine's new album, Kiss Each Other Clean.  In a previous post I reviewed the first single off of the album, a mushy little slice of cheese that sounded as though it belonged in a Kate Hudson rom-com titled "Walking Far From Home" (you can read that review here).  I was less than impressed with that song then and my views haven't changed since, so my expectations regarding the rest of the album were shockingly low.

Kiss Each Other Clean is Iron and Wine's major label debut, and the man behind the moniker, Sam Beam, had gone on record to say that the sound of the album would be more "radio-friendly".  If by "radio friendly" he means that every track is encumbered by unnecessary cooing backing vocals and a ridiculous number of layered instruments (was that a train whistle I just heard?), I suppose his synopsis is well founded.  Almost every song that appears is the victim of being over produced.  Gone are the days of hushed, intimate vocals and delicate finger plucking on a classical guitar, the future is now.  And the future has a shit ton of instruments that I probably couldn't even name if I saw them.  Put it this way, if previous Iron and Wine releases were like a subtle independent movie, Kiss Each Other Clean is like a Michael Bay film, all style, no substance.

I will admit that there are some catchy songs present on this album that will probably end up on the radio, "Tree By The River", is a notable example.  That being said, despite all of the album's bells and whistles, most of the songs are just downright boring.  It's almost as if Beam was so concerned with playing with all of his shiny new major label studio toys that he forgot he actually had to put effort into writing credible songs.  "Big Burned Hand" is an atrociously bad song that sounds like it was a half-baked rejected song off of a Dave Matthews Band album back in the late 90's before Beam stumbled across it.

If Beam wants to take Iron and Wine mainstream, complete with videos that have heavy rotation on VH1, I would have to say that he probably accomplished that.  It will only be a matter of time before Iron and Wine is set to tour with Jack Johnson or secure a spot at the Brochella Music Festival.



mp3:
Iron and Wine - Naked As We Came

Listen to the entire album at the official Iron and Wine website.

buy:
Iron & Wine Kiss Each Other Clean

Iron & Wine - Walking Far From Home (single) review

Iron and Wine, the moniker for singer/songwriter Sam Beam, is set to release his fourth studio album, Kiss Each Other Clean, on January 25th, 2011.  It will be the first Iron and Wine album released by Warner Bros. after leaving Sub Pop.  The first single from the album is "Walking Far From Home", the CD single being released a few days ago on November 26th.

The strongest traits of Iron and Wine's music is the fact that it is introspective, delicate, and haunting.  It is music that pulls at the heartstrings, Beam's hushed voice accompanied by deft finger picking and a minimalist approach make for intimate and endearing records.  Sadly, this single and it's B-sides are none of those things.

Beam has said that Kiss Each Other Clean will mark a change in direction to his sound, and if this single is any indication, it is the wrong direction.  I know that most people will contest that if an artist fails to mature or to progress, the stagnation that results will ultimately lead to career suicide.  I firmly agree with that, however what Beam has done is take everything that has made Iron and Wine distinct and memorable and traded it for a sound that is mediocre, and that's being generous.  In the three songs that appear on this release, Beam's signature instrument, the guitar, is totally absent.  Instead it is replaced by virtually every instrument that doesn't have strings.  The end result are songs that are muddled and ultimately forgettable.

"Walking Far From Home" contains snapshots of images that are supposed to be poignant, but since they are simply recited, one after the other without any sort of context, any meaning they would have is completely lost.

"Summer in Savannah" is riddled with various percussive instruments, a faint jangly electric guitar riff and a piercing horn that sounds like someone's cover band attempting a song by some kind of Latin-African funk fusion band.

"Biting Your Tail" sounds like it could have been a B-side from The Postal Service.  Beam's sincerity is questionable as it seems as though he's been hanging out in the "magical" bedroom of the lead singer of Owl City.

Our first taste of Iron and Wine's new album, Kiss Each Other Clean, is a bitter one.  The best thing for us to do now is hope that it exceeds my already very low expectations.

mp3s:
Iron and Wine - Naked As We Came
Iron and Wine - Boy With a Coin
Iron and Wine - The Trapeze Swinger
mp3s courtesy of Sub-Pop Records...grab some more here.