Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam has an uncanny ability to pack his albums
with quietly powerful love songs — the kind that give you the
urge to sprawl out on the couch with a cup of tea in one hand and a
sappy novel in the other. The Austin-based musician got his break after
covering the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” on the Garden
State soundtrack. That track and 22 other rare and previously
unreleased tunes make up Around the Well. Raw home recordings
fill the first half of the two-disc set, while the second half includes
studio cuts with other musicians. Around the Well puts covers of
New Order’s “Love Vigilantes” and the Flaming Lips’ “Waitin’ for a
Superman” next to songs Beam wrote for the movie In Good Company and “Peng! 33,” a gorgeous sample of wall-of-sound vocals atop simple
acoustic and slide guitar. The collection provides an intimate look
into Beam’s bare-bones songwriting: It’s a treat to hear the tape hiss
beneath his lo-fi recordings (forget you, ProTools). Around the
Well is a must for dedicated Iron and Wine fans. But casual
listeners might want to start with one of Beam’s more cohesive
albums. — Danielle Sills
This article appears in May 20-26, 2009.
