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Iron & Wine
Woman King (EP)
Release Date: February 22, 2005
Label: Sub Pop Records
With Our
Endless Numbered Days (2004) Iron & Wine came out with a new
sound: a quiet, stripped-down acoustic like that of legend Nick
Drake. It was obvious that the band had progressed far beyond
their scratcy, lo-fi basement days of The Creek Drank the Cradle
(2002). OEND was a big step for Iron & Wine, even appearing in
the indie film, Garden State.
But, with
Woman King, Iron & Wine have evolved even further. The
sound is different than the hushed OEND. It’s more playful with
instrumentation, layering banjo with a tinkering piano and even
distorted electric guitar. What hasn’t changed is Sam Beams
beautiful prose. This album is dedicated to women: women of the
past, like in the biblical “Jezebel”, and women he knew
personally. The storyboard lyrics are cloaked in his signature
imagery of nature. His sister Sarah harmonizes on a few songs,
and her voice is as gentle as his acoustic.
Fans of Iron &
Wine will leave Woman King on repeat for a week straight,
but its hypnotic 24 minutes is only a teasing fix. One can only
daydream about what will come next.
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