Not the Same old Sam...which is good
Of Iron & Wine's three full-length albums, I probably like this one least. I don't regret purchasing it in the slightest; you just have to admit it was up against some stiff competition. (In the interest of full disclosure, Woman King is my favorite I&W Recording) There are some truly groundbreaking things on here, particularly "White Toothed Man," "Flightless Bird, American Mouth," "Carousel," and "Boy With a Coin." Sam Beam is digging deeper into his bag of studio-experimentation tricks, leading me to wonder if it'll ever have a bottom. The instrumentation gets more varied and exotic (I believe I heard a pedal-steel guitar through a wah-wah on Boy with a Coin! Coupled with that flamenco-y beat, no less).

Even so, I won't name names, but I did find a few clunkers on here. Inevitable, I guess, given the wide amount of field he's covering. Maybe years on I will give 'em another listen and feel differently. I will say that each song has its own unique texture. And even the misses are not THAT bad. I will say that I think "The Devil Never Sleeps" would be great if someone else covered it. I love Sam Beam's voice, but he seems out of place amidst the rollicking piano and stompin' beat.

All in all, I liked it a lot. Worth picking up for just the four I mentioned, as well as several other solid tracks. Just keep an open mind, and don't expect the same old sam.

Wow!!
This is my first cd by Iron and Wine, and all I can say is WOW! This cd is great. A perfect blend of instruments and vocals. I will be purchasing the "In the Reigns" LP soon!

Bold strokes and vivid colors
When I first got this I was totally thrown for a loop (pun not intended, but it does work here). I had bought the Woman King EP, so I knew he was exploring some different territory. But for this release, I thought he'd find some middle ground between that and his very acoustic and intimate earlier work.

I sorta liked it. I really wanted to like it. But it felt way too overproduced, especially the vocoder effect and all the mad layering. It was just too much.

Fast forward in time and a few dozen listens later: I love this album. It's easily one of his best. What's strange is it doesn't feel like the same artist. It's a completely different sound. But what I heard as "overproduced" before now has a dreamlike quality. In fact, the whole album feels like the soundtrack to a hallucinogenic road trip film. All the weird lyrical southern goth is still there. It's just that this one is painted in bold strokes using vivid colors rather than muted pastels.

I love all of Sam's work, and this is no exception. I'm glad to be able to say that now. It's not a perfect album; his sister's vocals get buried too much in the mix (if she's there at all). And this one takes time to appreciate. I'm not saying that's any guarantee that it will for everyone. But for me, it's a brave album that may be heavy on production, but also loaded with fantastic songwriting and sound sculpting.

Still Good
Although I was a bit disappointed by this album, it still knocked me off my feet. Sam Beam is an AMAZING musician and I can't not love him. Iron and Wine fans will love 'Pagan Angel and A Borrowed Car' along with 'Boy With A Coin.'

Purists need to clamp it up, Sam's best work yet!
Why is it that whenever an artist stretches out to grow and progress people always try slag them saying it doesn't sound like their old stuff? Well, that's because it's not supposed to! This is an excellent Lp and a bold artistic choice for Sam, and it is ultimately more satisfying than any other Iron and Wine release to date. "Wolves..." takes him into a dubby rock sounscape that no one could have ever imagagined him doing before this Lp. "House by the Sea" incorporates synthesized effects and metallic precusiion (amongst other unknown instruments)and like most of the production (of these songs) seems informed by dub and ambient music. Sam's voice sounds positvely cherubic as he sings the lullaby "Flightless Bird..." and it is easily the most obvious Iron and Wine track here. "Carousel", "Peace Beneath The City", and "Boy with a Coin" are immediate standouts but they are all pretty darn good! Lucky cd purchasers also got a two track bonus Ep with the Tom Waits meets Laurie Anderson folk of "Arms of a Theif" and the percussive, middle eastern tinged "Serpent Charmer". Why these 2 didn't make the album proper is beyond me, as both are very progressive, forward sounding Iron and Wine masterpieces. Sam is the Man!