I'll take Iron & Wine's leftovers anytime

May 31, 12:48 AMSF Indie Music ExaminerKeith Gaboury

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Iron & Wine aka Sam Beam relased Around the Well eariler this month.  The 23-track album is a collection of Beam's leftovers, such as outtakes, demos, soundtrack cuts, whatever didn't make it onto a previous album.  This reminds me of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series.  Personally, I think the songs Dylan has come with on the Bootleg albums are just as good as what he produced for his regular stuidio albums.  This is arguably the same case here.  "Such Great Heights" is a flawless song no matter how many times I listen to it, and I enjoy Beam's version just as much as The Postal Service's.  Another cover: The Flaming Lips' "Waitin' For a Superman" is brillantly adapted by Beam.  One of the stand-outs from Around the Well is "Love Vigilantes."  Beam picks up the pace on this one compared to his soft vocals on some of his other songs.  After listening to Around the Well, all I can think is that Iron & Wine is a prolific indie singer/songwriter who has found his own distinctive sound and executes it very well.