Iron & Wine retains intimacy on 6-song Weed Garden
For fans of Iron & Wine, it’s Christmas. “Weed Garden” is a six-track EP including songs written by Sam Beam mostly while working toward his last full album, “Beast Epic.”
Released a year ago, “Beast Epic” marked Beam’s return to a more uncluttered style. While still backed by a full band, both the EP and its predecessor benefit from an intimacy that boosts the directness of Beam’s vocals and his bandmates’ harmonies.
On opener “What Hurts Worse,” there are attempts to reconcile the idealistic aspects of a relationship with what’s actually achievable before it all crumbles, while “Last of Your Rock ’n’ Roll Heroes” has a vibe like Tim Hardin fronting Stephen Stills’ Manassas and a dishevelled, rickety protagonist who’s searching and struggling but also learning a life lesson every day.
Beam’s surprise gift is the exquisite “Waves of Galveston,” a fan favourite getting its first official release. Its very ’70ssounding refrain caresses the eardrums and Nick Drake may have sounded like this if singing about Texas.
There are plenty of references to nature — the sea, butterflies, serpents, rain, clouds, flowers, winds and waves — but it’s all related to the human experience and the final three songs sustain the theme. Especially affecting are the gorgeous “Autumn Town Leaves” and the increasingly intense and desperate closer “Talking to Fog.”
“Weed Garden” is an enchanting collection that deserves to be valued for its own plentiful merits.