Our Endless Numbered Days

Iron and Wine is a special group. Sam Beam, who is the band, makes soft dreamy music, and sings in almost a whisper above it. This is country music, in the true sense. Beam's music is evocative of the south, and when listening to his lyrics, one hears many southern gothic references. Some are even direct, as in, "Sodom, South Georgia." That being said, the lyrics' meanings are not apparent or objective, nor are they meant to be. Beam's lyrics are very personal, and some of the songs are opaque in their meaning, like, "Teeth in the Grass." This does not mean he lacks lyrical direction. Sometimes, he can tell us a whole story by giving us glances, like in "Free Until They Cut Me Down." Other times, he is not telling a story, but he is waxing poetic about a theme. "Naked as We Came" is a beautiful meditation on mortality and the cyclical nature of life. Beam is a good songwriter, and his strengths lie in letting us peek into his world, like a peek behind a curtain.