Iron & Wine was one of the surprises of 2002.
The Creek Drank the Cradle was a lo-fi melancholic gem of a record that drew apt comparisons to classic bedroom pop artists like
Lou Barlow and
Sebadoh,
the Mountain Goats, and
Nick Drake. Sam Beam, the man behind
Iron & Wine, possesses a honey-soft voice that caresses his literate lyrics so very gently and a dense guitar style that fills up space without ever playing a wrong note. So often voice-and-guitar records can begin to sound monotonous, and
Iron & Wine never even approaches that shortcoming.
The Sea & the Rhythm is a five-track EP made up of songs recorded at the same time as
Creek. Low-key, melancholy, and unfailingly beautiful, all the songs are good enough to have been on the album. "Beneath the Balcony" and "Jesus the Mexican Boy" have the crispest melodies; "Someday the Waves" is the song that will stick with you the longest. It sounds like a lost
Crosby, Stills & Nash track, only without hippie-ish lyrics and with only one guy creating the towering vocal harmonies.
The Sea & the Rhythm is a lovely stopgap to help ease the painful wait for the next
Iron & Wine album -- 21 minutes of sweet, quiet pain. ~ Tim Sendra