Iron & Wine
was one of the surprises of 2002.
The Creek Drank the Cradle
was a
lo-fi
melancholic gem of a record that drew apt comparisons to classic bedroom
pop
artists like
Lou Barlow
and
Sebadoh
,
the Mountain Goats
, and
Nick Drake
.
Sam Beam
, the man behind
, possesses a honey-soft voice that caresses his literate lyrics so very gently and a dense guitar style that fills up space without ever playing a wrong note. So often voice-and-guitar records can begin to sound monotonous, and
never even approaches that shortcoming.
The Sea & the Rhythm
is a five-track EP made up of songs recorded at the same time as
Creek
. Low-key, melancholy, and unfailingly beautiful, all the songs are good enough to have been on the album.
"Beneath the Balcony"
"Jesus the Mexican Boy"
have the crispest melodies;
"Someday the Waves"
is the song that will stick with you the longest. It sounds like a lost
Crosby, Stills & Nash
track, only without hippie-ish lyrics and with only one guy creating the towering vocal harmonies.
is a lovely stopgap to help ease the painful wait for the next
album -- 21 minutes of sweet, quiet pain. ~ Tim Sendra