Search - Iron & Wine :: Our Endless Numbered Days

Beautiful

someguy | United States | 07/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here I am, a grown man, who listens to everything from the Shins to Tool. I was listening to this album in my bed after I bought it that day. I was really tired, so I kind of drifted off (not because the album was boring, far from it - I was just tired). When "Fever Dream" came on I instantly became aware again. It's not like this song has a loud or startling beginning, either - no Iron & Wine song does. But the guitar line was so beautiful my mind must have said "wake up and hear this." I rarely hear a song that affects me so...so dramatically as "Fever Dream" did, and still does. I just layed there, captured by it's sheer gentle beauty. It aroused so many emotions inside that were lying dormant somewhere inside me. The fact is, I've been extrememly lonely lately, and there hasn't been anyone I felt could really sympathize with me. But this song captured my emotions so well I shed tears. You probably think I'm lame, but I just needed to share how deeply this song affected me."

Approximates Nick Drake musically..Lindsay Buckingham vocall

Greg Brady | Capital City | 10/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sam Beam is the singer/songwriter behind Iron and Wine. Musically, you'll definitely be reminded of the spare acoustic folk sounds of Nick Drake, though Beam is apt to dust them with country influences quite often in the form of banjos and slide guitar. Vocally, he reminds me of a more hushed Lindsay Buckingham, especially when he utilizes layers of his vocals. ("Radio War" in particular made me think of a RUMOURS outtake..) Tempos and moods here vary between slow and melancholy to mid-tempo and subdued.



HIGHLIGHTS:

"On Your Wings" sinks it with its refrain "God, give us love in the time that we have" as it basks in mortality ("All these men that You've made/How we wither in the shade.."). "Each Coming Night" is another rumination about life's fragility. ("Will you say when I'm gone away/'I loved your son for his sturdy arms'...") "Free Until they Cut me Down" strides close musically to Johnny Cash's take on Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" (at least during the intro section) but nicely diverges later into one of the more musically interesting bits. It's also one of the more cynical tunes here, seemingly placing Beam in the shoes of a rapist ("Papa, don't tell me what I could've done/She's the one who begged me/'Take me home'...") "Fever Dreams" has probably the most poetic take on love here ("I want your flowers/like babies want God's love/Or maybe sure as tomorrow will come") Don't ask me what "Teeth in the Grass" is about...don't ask me to stop hearing it in my head either. It just sticks there...



LOWS:

No particular tunes stick out as bad but there is a sameness of sound throughout the disc. Whether that strikes you as "boring" or "cohesive" is probably in the ear of the beholder. It's also a bit short on runtime (less than 45 minutes) if such things matter to you.



If you like clear-cut images in your lyrics, this ain't the CD for you. I suspect that in some cases Beam just thought the words "sounded good" and they don't have any meaning at all.



BOTTOM LINE:

The cheerleaders for this album are candycoating quite a bit. I don't hear any "new Dylan" here. However, I do find myself liking it after repeated listenings and see it as a nice piece of art. Nick Drake fans are advised to check it out, as are fans of folky pop in general.



3 1/2 stars"

Soul Searching with Sam Beam

Greg Brady | 03/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first read that "Our Endless Numbered Days", the follow-up to the perfect "The Creek Drank the Cradle," was somewhat of a departure from the Iron & Wine formula, I was skeptical. I loved the lo-fi sound of his first effort and I was afraid that this one might lack that certain intimacy evident in it. However, even though the sound is different, the song thankfully remains the same. Sam Beam no longer records on his four-track in his home; rather, he has made the jump to the recording studio and as a result, that lo-fi sound is admittedly lost, making the songs sound much more sharp and clear. However, the intimate sound and simplicity of the songs is still very much there, with only light arrangements included this time around. But the focus in all the songs is still Sam's pleasant, whispery voice and slide guitar, which is a great thing. What the studio enabled him to do was add nice instrumental touches to various songs, giving the entire album some variety and liveliness, including backing vocals from his sister (Sarah Beam); drums and a tambourine on the great, bluesy "Free Until They Cut Me Down;" and the interesting chants at the end of "Cinder and Smoke." There are also some great acoustic ballads akin to the ones on "Creek Drank the Cradle," such as "Naked As We Came," "Sunset Soon Forgotten," and "Fever Dream," among others. The direction he took for this album seems to be just a natural progression in Beam's career, not an immediate shift in production or values. The bonus CD also features some nice, lo-fi sounding recordings that will make anyone who liked his debut happy. Strongly recommended for established fans (you won't be disappointed) and newcomers alike."