Quick Romantic Cul De Sac

Iron & Wine “Grace for Saints and Ramblers”

I never cared for Iron & Wine’s sad acoustic songs, and will probably always have a bit of residual distaste for that end of their catalog – that stuff was popular at a time when I was distancing myself from anything that struck me as overly dreary or straining for woodsy authenticity, and it’s hard to shake off ingrained biases from nearly a decade ago. But I really like Sam Beam’s more recent work – he’s blossomed into a sophisticated songwriter with an effortless command of melody and a taste for arrangements that borrow from the best of 70s lite FM and folk pop. “Grace for Saints and Ramblers” isn’t far off in tone or style from the best cuts from 2011’s Kiss Each Other Clean, but it feels brighter, looser, and more cheerful. It reminds me a bit of when Elton John would bring in elements of Philly soul and Motown on songs like “Philadelphia Freedom” and “Grey Seal,” and I’m very fond of how the clutter of imagery and references in the verses is cleared away for the chorus, “it all came down to you and I.”

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