You could say Sam Beam leads a life of unusual contradictions. He appears under the moniker Iron & Wine, yet he's a solo musician. He's a musician but his real job is a professor of cinematography. His barely audible vocals seem to indicate loneliness, but he's married and a father of two. And while his music reminds us of a barren countryside or even a small city apartment on a rainy afternoon, he lives in the ever flashy and sometimes trashy sunny metropolis that is Miami.
But really, none of this matters, because Beam's songwriting ability is so solid, his sparse guitars and whispered sentiments so soothing, that his gentle brand of folk takes precedence over everything else.
After releasing The Creek Drank the Cradle in 2002 — Beam recorded the entire record at home using sub par equipment creating a rough, scratchy, perfectly imperfect and refreshing sound that was a far cry from the well-oiled recordings of today — Iron & Wine has put forth its sophomore effort Our Endless Numbered Days.
This time around Beam stepped foot into a studio, allowing Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Holopaw) to aid him in production. He also elicited the help of his sister Sarah Beam, along with several others who consistently join him on tour. While Our Endless Numbered Days lacks the do-it-yourself, living-room-sound previously created by Beam, it's still just as warm and comfortable.
Beam maintains a feeling of intimacy throughout the entire album, and delivering hushed vocals immediately brings to mind Nick Drake. Our Endless Numbered Day's soft, simple melodies weave together a number of haunting stories that touch on God, love, time and most of all mortality — a fitting theme for the album title.
The Southern-esque (thanks to a slide guitar) "On Your Wings" immediately comments on the shortness of life ("God, give us love in the time that we have") and "Cinder and Smoke" recounts the tale of a family who loses their home to a fire ("You'll ask me to pray for rain,/with ash in your mouth/you'll ask it to burn again") while making Iron & Wine sound like an American Belle & Sebastian with the help of sister Sarah's vocals.
"Teeth in the Grass" features simple banjo pickings as Beam acknowledges the peace that comes with death ("And when there's nothing to want/when we're all brilliant and fast/when all tomorrows are gone/there will be teeth in the grass") and the fatalistic "Radio War" barely moves along with just a few shaky strums of the guitar, creating a beautifully painful piece.
Beam isn't a suicidal man; he just recognizes how precious our time on Earth really is. And while nothing quite beats the homemade sound of The Creek Drank the Cradle, the cleaner and sharper Our Endless Numbered Days still asks us to listen, a rare request for this day and age.
Grade: AB