The Shepherd's Dog
Iron & Wine
The Shepherd's Dog
Iron & Wine aka Samuel Beams is an American folk rock singer songwriter, and The Shepherd's Dog is his third album.
While I do listen to folk rock on an irregular basis, Shepherd's Dog is one album that most people would easily be able to find enjoyable. The album is deeply layered in both music and lyrics, and Beams here delivers a poignant voice over the instruments, his voice is soft and gentle, becoming unclear sometimes, lost in the beautiful maze of strings and basslines.
The album starts off with 'Pagan Angel & a Broken Car' and it gives you a taste of things to come, the rhythmic drum beats are set against violins in the background, and yet as you decipher the lyrics you find that it is also politically charged, "When they caught the king beneath the borrowed car/Righteous, drunk, and fumbling for the royal keys" Halfway through, 'Innocent Bones' presents a harsh criticism against the organized religion of today with biblical motifs set upon the decadence of the 21st century, yet the acoustic guitar sounds cheerful and upbeat, hiding the chills you feel inside.
There are many moments like that in this record, where the songs are intimate yet encompassing at the same time. ' Resurrection Fern' is one of the best examples in this case, with just an acoustic guitar, a shaker and a gentle bassline, the song gets his message across within perfect southern imagery. "In our days we will live/Like our ghosts will live/Pitching glass at the cornfield crows/And folding clothes." Interpretations aside, this unassuming tune is incredibly moving and my favorite track on this album.
The songs vary widely from track to track in terms of the soundscape, West African influenced drumbeats are joined by steel stringed guitars and pianos to introduce the bluesy sound in 'The House by the Sea', while 'Flightless Bird, American Mouth' goes back to the roots with a simple and beautiful melody.
These are love letters written, musings on a summer lived and after you finish the album, you will feel like have you just woken up from a dream.
Until you press play again.
-Ed
The Shepherd's Dog
Iron & Wine aka Samuel Beams is an American folk rock singer songwriter, and The Shepherd's Dog is his third album.
While I do listen to folk rock on an irregular basis, Shepherd's Dog is one album that most people would easily be able to find enjoyable. The album is deeply layered in both music and lyrics, and Beams here delivers a poignant voice over the instruments, his voice is soft and gentle, becoming unclear sometimes, lost in the beautiful maze of strings and basslines.
The album starts off with 'Pagan Angel & a Broken Car' and it gives you a taste of things to come, the rhythmic drum beats are set against violins in the background, and yet as you decipher the lyrics you find that it is also politically charged, "When they caught the king beneath the borrowed car/Righteous, drunk, and fumbling for the royal keys" Halfway through, 'Innocent Bones' presents a harsh criticism against the organized religion of today with biblical motifs set upon the decadence of the 21st century, yet the acoustic guitar sounds cheerful and upbeat, hiding the chills you feel inside.
There are many moments like that in this record, where the songs are intimate yet encompassing at the same time. ' Resurrection Fern' is one of the best examples in this case, with just an acoustic guitar, a shaker and a gentle bassline, the song gets his message across within perfect southern imagery. "In our days we will live/Like our ghosts will live/Pitching glass at the cornfield crows/And folding clothes." Interpretations aside, this unassuming tune is incredibly moving and my favorite track on this album.
The songs vary widely from track to track in terms of the soundscape, West African influenced drumbeats are joined by steel stringed guitars and pianos to introduce the bluesy sound in 'The House by the Sea', while 'Flightless Bird, American Mouth' goes back to the roots with a simple and beautiful melody.
These are love letters written, musings on a summer lived and after you finish the album, you will feel like have you just woken up from a dream.
Until you press play again.
-Ed