The Creek Drank the Cradle

by

Iron & Wine

Edit

I first heard a few cuts of "The Creek Drank the Cradle" via some MP3s a good friend sent me. Having *no* idea who "Iron & Wine" was, I was immediately taken by the lo-fi, harmonious, hushed vocals, and soft, slow, easy pacing. I swore that this had to be some lost recording from the late 1960's from some unknown progressive (for the 60's) folk/blues/country inspired band. It sounded nice, but I didn't end up listening much for a few weeks.

After getting the album and learning it was released late last year (9/2002) inspired me to give the tunes a much closer listen (on headphones, eyes closed, listening closely) early one morning at home. That experience was one of the most moving musical experiences I have had in years. I felt like I had been drained and then refilled. I was literally brought to tears listening to the Sam Beam's sorrowful lyrics of "Promising Light" and "Upward Over the Mountain" (two of the best tracks on the disk IMO). Very moving and softly powerful music & lyrics, indeed.

Since that listening (around two weeks ago), I have had "The Creek Drank the Cradle" in nearly constant play in my CD player (at work, in the car, at home). With each listen the album grows on me more. I was a bit worried I'd get burned out and stop lisetning, but not so far! I also have scoured the web for other unreleased tracks and found a few real gems as well. Word has it many tracks were recorded but only a dozen selected for this album. Hopefully the others will be released soon.

As many reviewers have noted, there is definiely elements of Nick Drake, Elliot Smith, Simon & Garfunkel, Will Oldham, etc. If you are a fan of these artists, indeed you will likely find something to enjoy here. Even after the relatively short time I have had to get to know Sam Beam's work, I feel that this album will end up being thought of in the same vein as Neil Young's "Harvest", Nick Drake's "Pink Moon", etc. It already has a high slot on my "desert island disks" list.

Check it out, but make sure to give it a *good* listen, preferably in a quiet dark room. A rainy day helps set the mood quite well. :-)

this might be rant-y or ignorant. feel free to ignore it. I think Iron & Wine is some decent music but for some reason i have major problems with it. for one it is boring. all the songs are languid, bittersweet, same instruments, same energy level in vocals and instrumentation. taken on an individual basis the songs are good, some original lyrics, very lulling. I actually like his cover of the Postal Service's "such great heights" more than any of these album tracks. it is great stuff to fall asleep to.

that said I find his 'image' to be sort of fake and annoying. Sam Beam is portrayed as a 'back-porch', folksy person, a relic of the past, both by the media and by himself through music and lyrics. However he is a graduate of FSU's film school. it seems like he is playing the aforementioned aspect of his personality up a lot, he couldn't possibly have remained that removed after 4-8 years at a huge university.

I also saw him opening for Ugly Casanova before I had heard any Iron & Wine records. He seemed very conceited, he kept on asking the audience to 'quiet down', a somewhat selfish and ridiculous request in a club setting (not to mention that the only noise was conversation-level talking).

Despite all this I still enjoy his music sometimes, but it's not pure genius and it doesn't explore a wide range of feelings or musical ideas.