It’s been a long time since we last heard from Sam Beam’s folk project Iron & Wine. And even though Beam came out of the gate looking like an ancient forest spirit, he’s definitely felt the impact of the intervening years. In a statement about his new album Beast Epic, Beam discussed his 15 years making music and the way that the passage of time impacted his latest work.
“I must confess that I’ve always shied away from album introductions citing the usual ‘dancing to architecture’ cop out. Speaking to their own work is uncomfortable for many artists, but I’ve made a new album called <em>Beast Epic</em> which is important to me and I wanted to take a moment to talk about why,” he wrote. “I have been and always will be fascinated by the way time asserts itself on our bodies and our hearts. The ferris wheel keeps spinning and we’re constantly approaching, leaving or returning to something totally unexpected or startlingly familiar. The rite of passage is an image I’ve returned to often because I feel we’re all constantly in some stage of transition. <em>Beast Epic</em> is saturated with this idea but in a different way simply because each time I return to the theme I’ve collected new experiences to draw from. Where the older songs painted a picture of youth moving wide-eyed into adulthood’s violent pleasures and disappointments, this collection speaks to the beauty and pain of growing up after you’ve already grown up. For me, that experience has been more generous in its gifts and darker in its tragedies.”
In addition to the album announcement and the story behind it, Beam shared the video for “Call It Dreaming.” The easy-going clip follows a driverless pickup that snaps up various travelers from the side of the road. Check it out up top and look over the tracklist for Beast Epic below:
1. “Claim Your Ghost”
2. “Thomas County Law”
3. “Bitter Truth”
4. “Song in Stone”
5. “Summer Clouds”
6. “Call It Dreaming”
7. “About A Bruise”
8. “Last Night”
9. “Right for Sky”
10. “The Truest Stars We Know”
11. “Our Light Miles”
Beast Epic is out August 25 via Sub Pop.
