I like to get albums the day they come out. It makes me feel like a true fan and I enjoy the experience of purchasing the final product...a product that musician(s), which are presumably smart and talented at what they are doing, have poured hundreds of hours into writing, recording, producing, and marketing. And the album is the capstone of this experience. Then I get to decide whether I like it or not. That is beautiful.
As far as the new Iron & Wine album, I am impressed. I would disagree, if nothing else than with the verbage, with the rumors about it being more "full band", as this term conjures up in my mind the addition of electric guitar power chords and a trapset. Both are lacking or at least understated in this album. The music is more full however with additional percussive African instruments and a great deal of computer generated noises.
If you are a fan of past albums, I wouldn't worry too much about the style changes. There are plenty of similarities apparent. The songs still consist of Sam Beam's soft voice, lulling the listener with his poetry...usually harmonizing with himself in 2-3 parts. He still uses repetitive guitar riffs throughout the songs and harps upon his usual theme: natural imagery fused with sexual and religious references. Another similarity I discovered is that his best, or at least most accessible songs, are toward the latter end of the album. This is a feature of his previous full-length Our Endless Numbered Days as well.
One last nifty aspect of this album is the inside booklet. It folds out to be a fairly large poster of the front cover. This is Sam Beam's artwork and it might very well find a place on my wall. It remains to be seen whether this album will equal Our Endless Numbered Days in my affections.
