By Jon Stone

I’m home, happy, with lungs full of dust. My sophomore year at Bonnaroo was fantastic. I saw the inside of the comedy tent, screened a film, met a couple rock stars and had my face melted by Deervana. What a weekend.

Here’s a quick report from my last day on the farm:

My general goal for Sunday was to catch as much music as possible so I walked all over the grounds to spend a few songs each with Smith Westerns, Ryan Bingham and Dead Horses, and Nicole Atkins and the Black Sea. I dug the latter two acts and would see them again, but after seeing Smith Westerns twice now, I have a really hard time thinking of them as anything more than an indie-rock Silverchair. I know I’m in the minority here. I just don’t get it.

I was genuinely surprised by the band The Head and the Heart whom I only decided to see after encouragement from a fellow music blogger, Philip from 130 BPM. I’d heard the buzz about this band but somehow misplaced them in my mind genre-wise. I’m so glad I checked them out.  The Head and the Heart are a mostly-acoustic band in the same vernacular as The Low Anthem (if slightly more poppy) and The Rural Alberta Advantage. So, yeah, I dug.

Mavis Staples quipped during her set that listening to her sing would be the closest any of us got to church at Bonnaroo. And it’s true, but what’s amazing about Mavis’s brand of gospel music is that when she sings about the going home to glory, I want to go with her. And on Sunday for about a half an hour, I did. I love her so much.

José González’s band Junip is proof positive that the guitar drone that made him famous over the last several years has electronic parentage. I got caught in the slipstream somewhere between González hypnotic voice and the heavy bass and electric piano and didn’t come up for air for 50 minutes.

Iron & Wine closed things out for me this year. I’ve seen Sam Beam play several times as a solo acoustic act and so the ten additional musicians on the Which stage was quite the change-up. The band was stacked with a three-piece brass section, pianist, two female back-up singers along with the traditional rhythm section. They played re-imagined versions of tunes spanning Beam’s catalog. These revisions were a gutsy and polarizing move as the songs being performed were not the Iron & Wine that fans fell in love with (Beam favored an electric guitar most of the evening, for example). But I’ve seen that acoustic show. Bonnaroo’s audience has likely heard that acoustic act. So this go around, it was fun to watch Beam and his big ol’ band let loose. Was it a little strange at times? Sure – “House By the Sea” had a full-on Caribbean vibe going. But the ten-minute “Fever Dream” was downright gorgeous and even though “Lovesong of The Buzzard” sounded a little as though the Preservation Hall Jazz band had joined in (they hadn’t), I was swept away.

Swept away home.

Each week we highlight the best new releases that we recommend. Below, find our picks for this week. Drop a comment and let us know what records you’re picking up this week.

Apex Manor – Year of Magical Drinking [Buy]
MP3: Apex Manor – “Under The Gun”
Video: Apex Manor – “My My Mind”

Deerhoof – Deerhoof Vs. Evil [Buy]
MP3: Deerhoof – “The Merry Barracks”
Video: Deerhoof – “Super Duper Rescue Heads”

Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean [Buy]
MP3: Iron & Wine – “Tree By The River”
Video: Iron & Wine – “Tree By The River” (Live At Other Music)

Destroyer – Kaputt [Buy]
MP3: Destroyer – “Chinatown”
Video: Destroyer – “Kaputt”

John Vanderslice – White Wilderness [Buy]
MP3: John Vanderslice – “The Piano Lesson”
MP3: John Vanderslice – “Sea Salt”

James Vincent McMorrow – Early In The Morning [Buy]
MP3: James Vincent McMorrow – “If I Had A Boat”
Video: James Vincent McMorrow – “If I Had A Boat”

Wanda Jackson – The Party Ain’t Over [Buy]
Video: Wanda Jackson – “Thunder On The Mountain”

By Jon Stone | @jwstone

Most of us are familiar with the anticipation and frequent disappointment associated with our favorite artists putting out new material. On rare occasions an artist is able maintain a steady ascent – one great record improving  on or outsmarting the next – year after year. But most of our favorite musicians, in large part, make records that either take our breath away or leave us wanting – perhaps due to some nostalgic expectation that a band can continue to release the same album in different notes and lyrics over and over again. Iron & Wine’s Kiss Each Other Clean (out today on Warner Bros. records) has been met with critics grappling with this issue in several articles this past week. And while comparing an album with its predecessors isn’t a bad way to go about reviewing a record, I find it rarely does much to communicate anything more than what is already clear to fans: it’s either different or similar.  Such comparisons don’t do much good other than providing an easy platform for judging and end up doing a disservice to great albums like Kiss Each Other Clean.

Sam Beam’s first two releases under the Iron & Wine moniker went a long way in defining him as the soft-voiced, acoustic poet we came to love. Perhaps with those spare and sweet records we imagined Beam as more interested in the basic integrity of a song – it’s melody, and lyrics – than a complicated or (some might say) overwrought presentation and came to admire that in him. In fact, I know some The Creek Drank the Cradle purists who felt betrayed that Beam took his songs to an actual studio for the second release, Our Endless Numbered Days. For most of us, though, it was that second record that cemented Iron & Wine into our minds and hearts. It has since become a classic record, rarely disputed as anything but wonderful and surely quintessential for new Iron & Wine listeners.

So when anticipating the third release, what would eventually become The Shepherd’s Dog, I remember the early, sometimes distressed/frantic buzz that Beam had utilized a full band (the horror!) and much more production for Shepherd’s Dog. Folks were loosing some serious sleep. This gets at the dilemma I was hinting at above – and it’s two-sided. On one side there is the artist whom we’ve blessed with our approval, whom has the privilege now of making music not just an artistic exercise, but also a lucrative one. The artist has the decision, then, to either continue making art, or just sticking to their successful formula, knowing that there will at least be a short run of commercial success to follow. The other side of the coin is related to the audience and our fickle expectations and inevitable critiques. From what I read, what the modern audience wants most from artists like Sam Beam is continuity – less “production,” more “authenticity” — more of what endeared us to them in the first place, which implicitly means (and I don’t know that this is always clear to some critics) less innovation and art.

To be fair, and ironically, I think most of us think we want our artists to innovate and create art. We perhaps just want that art to meet our expectations. I ran into this problem with the Sufjan Steven’s Age of Adz. One of my favorite musicians put out a record that didn’t live up to the expectations I had placed around his previous releases (especially Illinois, another classic). So rather than allowing myself to be challenged by the artist’s explorations with new sounds and formats, I threw my nose up a bit. I’ve since realized that this isn’t a fair approach.

All this leads me to my review of the new album from Iron & Wine, Kiss Each Other Clean. It is, to be sure, no Age of Adz. It’s not a challenging listen by any means, but it does represent a sonic expansion for Beam. Kiss Each Other Clean is neither an acoustic record, nor is it then aimed solely at that small audience who initially embraced the first two releases. Iron & Wine’s new record is, instead, an artistic work carefully crafted to have, in this case, a stronger mass appeal (read: first major label release) and as one of those masses, I can say that it succeeds.

This is precisely the opposite issue that existed on the newest Sufjan, a record which threw mass appeal to the wind, but it does represent the same principle question (or paradox) of new-music consumption many of us face: it’s different; so how do I deal with that? It’s my hope that we deal with it with the same grace that Sam Beam has gone about his nearly ten-year career in music.

See, Kiss Each Other Clean is a fantastic record and, despite its commercial appeal, its full of surprises. For example, on the second track “Me and Lazarus” which starts with a synthy, drum and bass thing, a jazzy saxophone (and not cool jazz, mind you) cuts through the rumble at around 1:26 and follows a spacey melody that sets a tone for the entire record. The instrumental surprises continue on songs like “Rabbit Will Run” which ends with an extended flute solo over Hammond B3 keys, and then the sax returns, this time with Stevie-Wonder-“Superstition” synths on the strangely spiritual/hymn-like “Big Burned Hand.” Also new here are several songs with sunny and bop-along vocal arrangements like “Tree By the River” (told in a totally different voice than the song’s frequent appearance in solo live shows over the last few years), and “Half Moon” in which female back-up vocalists actually utter the phrase “oooh-bop bop” like they might if this was a song about putting up a parking lot.

There is also a bit of Beam’s trademark darkness. That storm arrives about midway through the record, rains intensely and is then gone leaving things fresh again, just as one might hope. That said, if you were looking for one song that sums up what this record is about, the last track “Your Fake Name is Good Enough For Me” does it. It burns into life like an early Chicago song that has veered off its elevated tracks (I’m thinking “25 or 6 to 4“) and continues to build, electric guitars blazing, for seven minutes pushing Sam Beam and company firmly into rock & roll territory. I think that’s what this record is about: ten songs and Iron & Wine becomes a rock band. And as much as I love seeing Beam solo, we can only hope that he books this upcoming tour with that band.

So in case you haven’t heard, the new record from Iron & Wine is different than their earlier stuff. So what? “Join me in song; join me in song.”

Buy: Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean

NPR offers Yellow Ostrich: A Gem In The Demo Pile, a great live session recorded by KEXP. Preview The Mistress in video form at Afternoon Records. Muzzle of Bees is proud to present Yellow Ostrich, Strand of Oaks and Conrad Plymouth at Pianos in New York on Thursday, February 17th. Details available here.

Daytrotter has a great session with Iron & Wine featuring new songs that will appear on the forthcoming new album, Kiss Each Other Clean.

Rolling Stone reveals some great insight into the new Bright Eyes record, The People’s Key. Specifically interesting was “the standout contributions came from El Paso musician Denny Brewer, a sixty­something biker and New Age shaman Oberst met while recording in Texas — and who adds mind-bending spoken-word passages.”

The Low Anthem performed “Ghost Woman Blues” on Letterman last night. The song is opening track from their new album, Smart Flesh, due next month (2/22) on Nonesuch.

Little Scream has signed to Secretly Canadian. You can catch Little Scream on tour opening for Sharon Van Etten and look for The Golden Record on April 12th.
MP3: Little Scream – “The Heron and the Fox”

The Shepherd Express interviews Sat. Nite Duets, who play Cactus Club on Friday.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel interviews S. Carey, who play Club Garibaldi on Saturday.

I stayed up last night to catch Justin Townes Earle on Letterman last night and it paid off in spades. Performing the title track from his fantastic 2010 release, Harlem River Blues, and with Jason Isbell on guitar, it was a performance that brought a smile to my face. Justin is out on the road for several dates next month, including stops in Chicago and Madison. Don’t miss him.

MP3: Justin Townes Earle – “Harlem River Blues”
++
Buy: Justin Towes Earle – Harlem River Blues

Elsewhere:

One of the things keeping me up last night was the opportunity to hear Iron And Wine perform Kiss Each Other Clean live courtesy of NPR. Everything I’ve heard from this record has me so excited for this release. You can really hear Sam Beam stretching out and putting all his cards on the table. I love it. Listen to the entire record via this live recording.

Twin Shadow’s Daytrotter session that went up yesterday is one of the best I’ve heard in a long time, specifically the track, “Slow.” You can find that track and bunch more great stuff on his record, Forget. Even more great news is that Twin Shadow is supporting The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, including a stop here in Milwaukee at Turner Hall Ballroom on Tuesday, April 26th.

Akron/Family have released an official video of “So It Goes,” which appears on their forthcoming Dead Oceans release, S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT. Pre-order your copy here.
MP3: Akron/Family – “So It Goes”

Remember Matt Baur? His album, The Island Moved In The Storm, was one of my favorite records of 2008. We’ve been introduced to the video for “Don’t Let Me Out” for the first time. It’s worth the watch.

The Strand of Oaks Kickstarter campaign has only one week left to go. Make your pledge today and help get Pope Killdragon pressed on vinyl.

If you’re in Madison on Friday night allow us to recommend the Conrad Plymouth, Snowbirds and Derek Pritzl show at the Frequency. Tickets are only $6 and you’ll be able to purchase the Conrad Plymouth self-titled vinyl we put out on our Ten Atoms label last year.

We’re super excited for our two 6th Anniversary showcases going down next weekend in Milwaukee. On Friday night, join us at Cactus Club for Sat. Nite Duets, Golden Coins and Blessed Feathers. Three of our favorite new bands in the city right now. Tickets are only $8, you can RSVP here. On Saturday night we’re supremely excited to welcome S. Carey and Conrad Plymouth to Club Garibaldi. Tickets for that show are $10 and moving fast, so please get yours today. On top of all that excitement, we’ll have free nachos. Bam!

I’ve been on a pretty steady diet of Iron and Wine lately. I have the Record Store Day exclusive live release from Norfolk 2005 to thank for re-inserting them into constant rotation. Thinking I was getting said live release on vinyl, I was a little dismayed when it arrived on single CD. I guess that’s the price I pay for missing out on the release date and buying on eBay. All disappointment was quickly forgotten after a single listen.

I have never been disappointed in a Sam Beam fronted live show. I’ve seen him solo, with Calexico, loud and rocking and whispered acoustic. All perfect. As the music world continues to spin out of control with the next big thing, it’s important to not neglect the true beauty of consistency and quality output.

Below, download one of my favorite Iron and Wine songs, “Upward Over The Mountain” from the aforementioned Norfolk live recording from June 20th, 2005. The original version appears on the essential The Creek Drank the Cradle and contains some of my favorite Sam Beam penned lyrics.

MP3: Iron & Wine – “Upward Over The Mountain” (Live, Norfolk 6/20/2005)

Iron & Wine headline the Pygmalion Festival in Champaign, IL on Saturday, September 19th.

Discuss: What is your favorite Iron and Wine record? Favorite Songs?