genius!
5
By llamalove.
sheer brilliance. saw him life last month--breathtaking.
Excellent
5
By Juanote
I was not a fan of Iron and Wine prior to this EP. Just wasn't my style. If you have felt the same, check this out. It's very very very good. I listen to Biting Your Tail multiple times a day (ok, I admit, multiple times an hour).
Some of Sam Beam's best work.
5
By Cynic Critic #27
I like this new Sufjan-esk direction more than the jazzier sound heard on the Kiss Each Other Clean album. I feel this release will please all those who share my opinion. Although Big Burned Hand did incorporate the jazz sound extremely well.
Love this ep.
5
By msmit331
I love Iron & Wine new and old. Perhaps people are reacting the same way to Sam turning electric as they did with Bob Dylan. If you don't get it, you don't get it. Sam is as brilliant as ever.
I prefer Sam and his Guitar, but....
5
By boo238
I have to agree with several on here that I was disappointed with The Shepherd's Dog, and to some extent, Around the Well. I felt he was becoming more cliche and wanted more of the lo-fi sound of his early recordings. I had similar disappointment with Ben Harper (I realized I stopped liking his music when he began standing up to perform).
I have seen Sam on several occasions - with the band in the early days, with the band in the more 'experimental' days, and alone with a guitar. I think I will always prefer to hear him alone with his guitar.
That said, I LOVE the new singles. I love the remixed sound. I'll be buying the album when it comes out - on vinyl and electronically.
YAY
5
By mlazk
I love it! I think its wonderful that he pushed himself outside his normal box and is trying something different. I love ALL kinds of music and don't think any artist can enjoy what they're doing if they never change/evolve/experiment with different things! I think the new electronic sound adds a new and totally unexpected layer....CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FULL ALBUM RELEASE!!!
Excited
5
By jimbobulldog
I'm excited to see where Sam is going. When Sufjan said at the concert in ATL that he had an "aesthetic crisis," scrapping his old way of songwriting, I was a little sad because I loved his old sound. But, I think we have to accept when an artist grows and experiments in different ways with the music he/she is making.
Although I'm a little sad for the same reason with Sam, I think we should all be ready to not only accept his new experimentations, but we should be ready to experiment and grow alongside him. His sound may be new and different, but the substance and significance in his lyrics is still present and STILL refreshing.
I Can Appreciate a Whopping Change, But.... SAY WHAT???
2
By HoppinTheHills
I understand that musicians need to stay fresh, mix it up, come up with new interesting material, but I don't understand this change. I always appreciated Sam Beam's more raw, pure vocals. The lyrics still maintain the clerver side of I&W (hence the 2 star rating and not a 1 star). The music is slightly entertaining, but mostly repetative, plain, and common. Blah!!!
Progress is progress.
5
By emilywarhol
It's a beautiful EP, makes me excited for his next album. One person that posted is right; an artist must progress in his sound to reach out to new listeners, and, at the same time, connect with the seasoned fans.
I would appreciate it if only people who are actual fans of Iron & Wine review it as though they know something of him. Instead, people like 'Bobi' write him off harshly and refer to Iron & Wine as "they" and "them" when there is actually only one person. Eh.
Best Iron and Wine song in 5 years
5
By Arlo Elliott
I was a huge fan of his debut, but I thought that he was sort of veering into uncomfortable coffee shop territory with his more recent releases. Yet there is something strangely driving about Walking Far From Home... the other songs here are kind of mediocre, but that one song elevates it to five stars. Bravo for successfully implementing electronics, the only thing left next is rap. Haha. Bon Iver and Yeezy, next is Iron & Weezy.
