'Beam'ing Up! - A review of In the Reins by Iron & Wine/Calexico -

At the expense of sounding like a stuck-up record, I have to reiterate - one of the most wonderful music of late (in the midst of that deluge of new music that has left me gasping) comes courtesy one Sam Beam - an American singer/songwriter who goes under the stage name of Iron & Wine. One look at his discography reveals more EPs than full length albums and I don't see how that's bad as long as there is enough good music being produced one way or the other. His 2005 collaboration with the 'alternative country' band Calexico entitled "In the Reins" can only be described as a beautifully strung concoction of moody, haunting and graceful tracks written and sung by Mr. Beam with Joey Burns and John Convertino of Calexico serving as the back-up band.

Come to think of it, Iron & Wine and Calexico have, in terms of genre spread and artistic capabilities, all the ingredients, if combined in right proportions and in the right manner, to deliver a sound, which is eclectic and entertaining. And they have done just that in "In the Reins". It is an intelligently thought-of and executed arrangement combining Iron & Wine's traditional melodies, poignantly sublime feel and lyrical beauties with Calexico's novel instrumental sounds and diverse orchestral support. The result is a heady mix of these 7 tracks :

1."He Lays in the Reins" – (3:43)
2."Prison on Route 41" – (4:10)
3."A History of Lovers" – (3:09)
4."Red Dust" – (3:31)
5."16, Maybe Less" – (4:49)
6."Burn That Broken Bed" – (5:06)
7."Dead Man's Will" – (3:13)


A multitude of sounds greet you in the different tracks while still preserving the essential feel of the emotionally aching mood, woven out by Iron & Wine's breathy vocals and divine harmonies. Whether it is the bluesy trumpets beginning, backing and ending (with an instrumental rampage) in "Burn that Broken Road" or the horns and the lively drum beats propelling and inspiring the vibrant sounds of "A history of lovers" (incidentally two of my favorite tracks in the EP), there are ample occasions where you can clearly see that sometimes 1 plus 1 equals 3. Complimenting styles and approaches is what makes or break a collaborative effort and both the outfits seem to have taken the strength of the other band to explore and create music that they would have been unsuccessful to do on their own. There might be a wee bit of an monotone created by the rather subdued aura of the tracks "Red Dust" and "16,maybe less" being put back to back, but they sort of grow on you and remind you that this is one of the reasons why you actually adore Iron and Wine. "Dead Man's Will" dishes out a very different and soothing vocal arrangement, which stays with you even after the record has stopped playing.

All in all, while this album has done all it can do to appease my appetite for Sam Beam's wonderful music, it has also simultaneaouly inculcated a thirst for digesting more of this man's work. As for Calexico, this album was my introduction to their world of desert/southern rock. From whatever I have heard, I would love to see how they sound minus Mr. Beam.

If you feel convinced that you should give Iron & Wine a listen, you can do here . A track called Jesus - The Mexican Boy, which is not out of "In the Reins", but is a fantastic way to discover Iron & Wine. Do drop a line to let me know what you thought of it.