Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

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Iron & Wine is the stage name for American singer/songwriter Samuel Beam. A folk rocker who started his musical career in 2002 with “The Creek Drank The Cradle” – a magnificent recording of beautiful lo-fi songs which helped Beam receive substantial critical acclaim and carve a place in today’s folk revival scene.

That being said, he has released a number of LP’s and EP’s since then – and each added a layer to his discography not just in quantity but in style, direction, sound and progression. He may have started with a bunch of music recorded in his bedroom but his talent and potential sure did exceed that ceiling with every record he put out.

And on “Kiss Each Other Clean”, his brand of vulnerable and intimate ambience is elevated to new degrees of complexity thanks to sleek production and the usage of an array of instruments not necessarily familiar to his older sound (such as the addiction of flute to jazzy-lounge outro on “Rabbit Will Run”). There also an intelligent use of synth, which gives a fresh perspective to the music.

It’s inspiring to witness an artist trying and succeeding at unpretentious experimentation (the record has elements of funk, folk and 70’s rock and transitions from low-key to full on ‘festive’ on the ending track). “Kiss Each Other Clean” is solid, gorgeous and ambitious yet entirely soulful thanks to Beam’s ability at creating an impeccable flow.

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