Iron & Wine has now unleashed two new songs from forthcoming album “Ghost on Ghost,” due April 16 via Nonesuch.
Today’s “Grace for Saints and Ramblers” is one of Sam Beam’s wordy-word tracks, chugging along an easy snare beat and sunnily beaming on its Tom Waitsian cousin “Lovers’ Revolution.” That track is an obvious example of how Iron & Wine’s collaboration with Calexico has rubbed off, in a slinky, dreamer-lidded rumble of horns and bass-centric sound.
Both are part of the style evolution of Iron & Wine, which has become increasingly visible among the AAA crowd since moving over to a major two years ago for “Kiss Each Other Clean.” It’s no coincidence that set became I&W’s best-selling and highest charting effort, peaking at No. 2 on the 200.
Judging from these two tracks and from Beam’s trajectory, do you think “Ghost on Ghost” can go higher?
The album was produced by longtime collaborator and expert, erm, decksman Brian Deck. “This record felt like a reward to myself after the way I went about making the last few,” Beam said of the set in a statement.