Iron and Wine: Around the Well
Label: Sub Pop
Iron and Wine’s new two-CD/three-LP set compiles B-sides, rarities, and outtakes from one of the best songwriters and most charismatically intimate performers of the decade. Sam Beam’s soft, highly distinctive voice and spare, mostly acoustic accompaniment make for such a great sound that even his lesser material is compelling. But everything he writes is superbly crafted, and there are some wonderfully transformed covers here as well: Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights,” of course, but also New Order’s “Love Vigilantes,” Flaming Lips’ “Waitin’ for a Superman,” and Stereolab’s “Peng! 33.” (Steve)
