With that out of the way, first up is Iron & Wine.
For the most part, Iron & Wine is the stage name for a bearded, soft-spoken Floridian named Sam Beam. He does tour and record with a band these days, but he'd been doing the solo gig under that name for long before that. Any self-respecting indie kid worth his tight jeans knows I&W well, but I just got turned on about a year ago, and I've been on a major kick as of late. His music (particularly his early work) is the lushest lo-fi you will ever hear. His voice is often a hushed wisper, layered with tight harmonies; and when combined with mellow guitars, lap steel, banjo, and other assorted instruments, it's the most relaxing musical experience ever.
Here are a few songs from his first album, "The Creek Drank the Cradle"
"Faded From The Winter"
"Lion's Mane"
This is just a beautiful song - one of my all-time favorites, "Upward Over The Mountain"
Another absolute favorite from this album is called "Muddy Hymnal" - but there wasn't a great quality video around to post. His second album, "Our Endless Numbered Days," was more of a studio effort, but still retained most of his lo-fi sound.
Here's the official video for "Naked As We Came" (This is a video I enjoy.)
"Free Until They Cut Me Down"
"Each Coming Night"
His latest album is called "The Shepherd's Dog." It's rather large departure from his previous work - utilizing electric guitars and a full band. I'd say it's my least favorite of the three, but it still has some good stuff.
"Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car"
"Flightless Bird"
"Boy With A Coin" (Another great video.)
In addition to those three full length albums, I&W has put out numerous EPs and singles. Most notably, he covered "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service for the "Garden State" soundtrack. And pretty much every song on the 6 track "Woman King" EP is just excellent. Here's one of them,
"Jezebel"
So there you have it. You can find more on YouTube, the official site for Iron & Wine, or at Sub Pop Records. Check it out.
