Review: Iron & Wine/Calexico - In The Reins

Thu Oct 20, 08:34 PM by

Iron & Wine/Calexico – In The Reins EP
Overcoat Recordings; 2005

There are certain things that just can’t be done with an acoustic guitar and a tape recorder in your parents’ garage. To his credit, Sam Beam of Iron & Wine fame has managed to create two incredible full length records using just that, not to mention the recent Woman King EP, which expands ever-so-slightly on his trademark sound. But followers of Iron & Wine knew that there was something else buried beneath Beam’s minimalist facade: something vibrant and extravagant and loud waiting to emerge. Lucky for us, Beam is back, and this time he brought some friends along for the ride.

In what could be described as the most adept pairing of musicians since Simon and Garfunkel, Iron & Wine teams up with Calexico to offer an exuberant recording rivaling either of the bands’ best works to date.

From the first minute of the first track, the listener will quickly realize that he’s not in South Florida anymore. Beam has taken us out of his humble niche, and allowed for an expansive overhaul of his style, replete with traditional spanish-spoken serenades adorning the second verse on the record. Ethereal electric guitars float wistfully through select tracks on In The Reins, evoking the almost dream-like atmosphere of Beam’s other work, but in a way that fleshes out the empty space to create something more. Harmonica, dueling trumpets, and most notably-drums and bass guitar-are also present here. The stories themselves are classic Iron & Wine (see “Prison on Route 41” and “Red Dust”), but told musically in a new way through lush, full arrangements that bring a sense of life to Beam’s minimalism.

The tale of a jealous lover’s murderous act seems almost festive given Calexico’s input on “A History of Lovers.” A story of young love’s return during adulthood on “Sixteen, Maybe Less” could be one of the most beautifully-written love songs this author has ever heard, evincing painful nostalgia and a sense for what might have been.

The crowning achievement of this record is the extent to which the additions to Beam’s reserved style enhance rather than upstage or overpower. Calexico and Iron & Wine are truly a match made in heaven. My only gripe with this record—I wish it were longer. Future releases by this pair will be greatly anticipated.

Catch Iron & Wine and Calexico on tour together now, when they come through your city. As they proved in San Diego on Monday night, they will not disappoint.

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