Customer Reviews

The Sea & The Rhythm

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First of all, I do not understand how some of the other reviewers could say that "Jesus, the Mexican boy" is a bad song. I guess it's just a taste thing, but I think it's one of the strongest on this EP. Sure it's not a song that's gonna "raise the roof" but that's not why I listen to Iron and Wine to begin with. The song is a beautiful poetic parable about his friendship with Jesus, the Mexican boy, and how he betrayed Jesus, but was forgiven. And as for the reviewer that called this album "JUNK," well, to be honest, that makes me sad. Sad that this person just doesn't get it.

Now that my temporary rant is over, I'll accually talk about the EP as a whole. When I bought this EP, I was hesitant at first, because it was only five songs, but I bought it anyway. That night I was up late framing some paintings and I just put it on loop and played it for about 5 hours. Now you'd think I'd get tired of the same five songs for five hours, but I didn't. Actually, I bought this before I had ever heard "The Creek Drank the Cradle," and I thought, "if this is what they left off of the first one, I've got to hear it." I was not disappointed at all, and haven't been by "Our Endless Numbered Days" either. I would recommend that anyone who is into layed back, beautiful, poetic, acoustic music buy all of Iron and Wine's albums. You will not be disappointed. However, if you are someone who absolutely adores what you hear on pop radio and on vh1, maybe you're not up to it. And for the record, I only gave it four stars because lately I've been saving my five stars for completely ground breaking, "change my life" sort of albums.

I'm with a couple of the other reviewers about "Jesus the Mexican Boy," which is overlong and wouldn't be all that good even if a couple of verses had gotten lopped off. The first, second, and last songs are gorgeous. though, and the third song is fun ... Hardly "junk" like an apparently deaf customer called it, this EP is definitely worth it if you're a big fan, but the uninitiated would be better off starting with one of the full-length LP's.

This EP is absolutely brilliant. Beam maintains the same sound of his full length, with a new message. As his LP was filled with songs about a fallout with hs religious upbringing, The Sea and the Rhythm seems to be regaining those beliefs seen most clearly on 'Jesus the Mexican Boy'. The highlight here is the title track, a descriptive narrative about making love in the lyrical vein of Neutral Milk Hotel. Buy this EP if you had more than a passing interest in 'The Creek.'
2000man

Length - 21:16
The brilliant Floridian Sam Beam, aka Iron and Wine, had displayed his lush, porchlight lullabies magnificently on Iron and Wine's debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle. The Sea and the Rhythm divagates through the same wayworn roads, but with an augmented sense of wistfulness and desolation. Another reviewer propounded that this EP will make listeners who are more concerned with lyrics very happy. The lyrics are, without a doubt, indelibly beautiful; but depreciating the music by sparing it a mention lucidly personifies ignorance. The delicate acoustics are as much a part of the poetry as the words themselves. Without the lilting glow of a banjo and a guitar, seemingly strummed by divine fingers, Jesus the Mexican Boy and Someday the Waves would be nothing more than average ballads. The Night Descending, for example, offers such pensive lines as "Met a man with missing fingers/Shaking hands with shaded strangers/Far too strong to pacify you/Ain't no telling what they're up to", but conflated with the hokey, O Brother Where Art Thou?-ish country jangle, a lackluster track is rendered. Thankfully that is the only number with parts not adding up to a cohesive whole (hence my rating of 4 stars, 4 exceptional pieces). The opening duo of songs that I've yet to mention are both very well done. The mysterious opener Beneath the Balcony foreshadows the dense lyrical tapestry that is woven in somber stitching through the course of the EP. The eponymously titled second number is a sultry love song in the purest sense..."Our hands they seek the end of afternoon/My hands believe and move over you". All in all, The Sea & the Rhythm airily transcends its earthly figures of 21 minutes and 9 dollars in a meek, self-effacing manner. Not monetarily, but soulfully, it shares a brief composition that will pull at your heartstrings and leave you wondering, how can a man come to create such music?

As the springboard for the Seattle movement of the early '90s, Sup Pop Records has long been viewed as purveyors of all things lo-fi and hi-volume. Lately, however, they've been recruiting a roster of more diverse acts. Sam Beam, the one-man show known as Iron & Wine, is a brilliant example.

The Sea & the Rhythm is a five-song E.P. of songs that didn't fit on Beam's debut album The Creek Drank the Cradle. While these songs were recorded in Beam's own house, the sounds-in all their acoustic glory-share an overwhelming outdoor feeling. The guitar strumming, banjo picking, and mandolin lines decorating this disc would be right at home on the front porch, around the campfire, or on a breezy summer morning at the beach.

The real magic on this disc, however, comes from the mouth of Beam himself, both in terms of lyrics and delivery. His voice simply whispers, at times approaching a Neil Young quality, only better; and Beam's lyrics are pure magic. I've not heard more poetic lyrics from any artist in the last 15 years. If you're a listener who's more into words than the music, you've got a new reason to be happy.

"Jesus the Mexican Boy" is a standout track on the first listen. It tells the tale of unconditional friendship between a narrator and Jesus, the Mexican boy. They grow up together and their friendship holds true through the eloping of the narrator and Jesus' sister. For a listen, you can download the mp3 at subpop.com.

Although the whole disc clocks in at just 21:21, you'll want to listen to three times in a row each time you throw it in the player. It's just that good.

An EP well-worth shelling out for.

Is Sam Beam the new Nick Drake? These five songs are just as beautiful as the ones that made 'The Creek Drank The Cradle'. I love the quiet intensity of his voice, the perfect rhythm of the twin-tracked acoustic guitars and the truly unique ring of his lyrics.

If you liked his debut this one is definitely worth shelling out for. If you feel like digging into some soft, well written music then come get some.

j.

this ep is wonderful. similar to the lp, but easily as good. oh, and "jesus the mexican boy" is a highlight.

worse than his LP. production is the same, lyrics are just good. the music is weaker. jesus the mexican boy is his worst song so far.

I love Creek drank the Cradle but this is pure junk. Jesus the Mexican boy is simply pathetic. Why, why was this released?