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The recent news that Iron & Wine has moved from its longtime label, Sub Pop, to Warner Bros. should be no cause for alarm. The title of its upcoming January 2011 album, Kiss Each Other Clean, along with songwriter Sam Beam’s promise of “radio-friendly music” replete with horns and synths, is another matter. Only Nick Drake has gained a louder cult following on a quieter aesthetic, and only Beam would build a career on the erotic fever dreams of so many biblical ladies. Lilith, Jezebel, Rebecca, and the not-so-virgin Mary consume his imagination, drifting across inscrutable mythic landscapes, where his moist whisper and brittle acoustic guitar define the melodies and rhythms. It’s a strange formula for success; his future work will have to reckon with that long-labored, compelling signature.
