Collegiate Times

Iron & Wine is back today after more than three years, dropping brand new album, “Kiss Each Other Clean.” I’ve given “Kiss Each Other Clean” a few listens and I’m more than pleased with the stylistic changes Sam Beam has made to his band’s technique.

Growing and evolving ever since the group’s beautiful yet divisive release in 2007, “The Shepherd’s Dog,” this newest album represents an even further change in sound. The result is enjoyable, though, succeeding in not coming across as a folk singer “selling out.” Instead, it glows with the joy of an artist letting his work grow in whatever direction feels right, exploring the vibrant colors in the rest of his palette.

If people were taken aback by the experimentation found on “The Shepherd’s Dog,” they’re bound to be even further polarized by “Kiss Each Other Clean.”While adding a variety of new elements to the mix on “The Shepherd’s Dog,” the album was still clearly based in folk. However, long gone are the gentle banjo ballads with Sam Beam softly whispering his poetic lyrics. Instead, “Kiss Each Other Clean” only occasionally hints at its creator’s folk roots, mostly glistening in the sheen of retro pop. The new album features the thickest instrumentation ever on an Iron & Wine record, incorporating everything from electric guitar, to brass arrangements to electronic elements. Vocals are given new emphasis as well, with Beam singing loud and clear, having now become “the whisper and the shout” as he sings in the final song.

Highlights are plentiful on this album. “Me and Lazarus” features a bass line reminiscent of the Beatles’ hit “Come Together,” grooving with a similar sort of late-60s, early-70s funk. Fans hoping for a folk tune will find shades of one in “Half Moon,” the only track on the album that hearkens back to Iron & Wine’s early recordings.

Beam delivers one of his strongest vocal performances yet on “Glad Man Singing,” harmonies rising and falling against a backdrop of smooth acoustic guitar, warm marimba and the occasional buzz of a synthesizer.

“Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me” perhaps best represents the shift in Iron & Wine’s sound. It is heavy on brass and bass, really serving as a culmination of the 70s pop influence. The song itself is seven minutes long and moves through a wide range of sounds and moods. The track begins lightheartedly enough, but about halfway through a shift in mood is quickly signified by a heavy drum break. At that point, it turns into something darker, something more ominous — the drum and guitar work gets more traditionally rock than I think has ever been heard in an Iron & Wine track.

Overall the album is an interesting progression in Iron & Wine’s sound that I think feels organically motivated and meticulously well crafted — certainly deserving of a listen from any fan that may have been on the fence after “The Shepherd’s Dog.”

“Kiss Each Other Clean” is out today via Warner Bros. Records.

A version of this article appeared in the Jan 25 issue of the Collegiate Times.