::Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days::

The south has had a lot to offer to music. If one looks close enough, an argument can be made that the American south was actually responsible for a very large portion of pop music; namely rock n’ roll, blues, folk and country.

But one large question looms: why is it that music that sounds like it comes from the South often not even geographically close?

For example, Credence Clearwater Revival were formed in El Cerrito, Calif. Most of the “southern gentlemen” I know would take this group as one of their own.

But the list doesn’t stop there. The Band was from Toronto, the Grateful Dead was from San Francisco, the Byrds were from Los Angeles, and so on.

That brings us to Sam Beam, better known by his alias (and group’s name) Iron & Wine.

He too lives outside of the south, finding a home in Miami, Fla. But the music he creates is undeniably southern, using every slide guitar and finger-picked melody to its fullest potential.

Our Endless Numbered Days has truly advanced Beam as an artist. His last album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, was a more grainy, hushed affair that sounded personal yet distant at the same time, sacrificing modern production methods for a more timeless sound.

This time around, Beam has given up the four-track and has asked the tremendous producer Brian Deck to produce the album.

The effect is immediately evident. At once, the record feels more intimate and thought out because the warm blankets of fuzz are no longer there to hide behind.

Guitar parts are clearer, different instrumentation is immediately distinguishable and there is much more importance placed on percussion, which was practically non-existent on Creek.

The percussion gives Days an interesting vibe. On the opener “On Your Wings” and “Free Until They Cut Me Down,” we see a bluesy side of Beam that, until now, has been underdeveloped.

The result is something that sounds like Gram Parsons covering Captain Beefheart – occasionally becoming weirdly funky but still remaining down-homey.

While the percussive element is interesting, the most alluring element of any Iron & Wine song, by a long shot, is Beam’s fantastic voice. He sounds like a happier, breathier Nick Drake, but he can harmonize as well, if not better, than CCR.

On songs like “Sodom, South Georgia,” “Naked As We Came” and “Sunset Soon Forgotten,” Beam makes an impressive case for how powerful the human voice can be in creating emotion through tone and sound alone.

In addition to these timeless melodies, Beam writes lyrics capable of coming from any time period.

His characters face enduring issues from love to death to Christianity to war, things most anyone has dealt with and things that can be explored over and over. Iron & Wine’s Our Endless Numbered Days is as timeless as the area it borrows its sound from.

While the south may not have the most visible artists ever (although there are many exceptions), it can be proud of always inspiring some of the best art.

In this case, the brilliant traditions of Southern blues and folk music have come together seamlessly to create a simple masterpiece.