The Shepherd's Dog

サム・ビームによるユニット、Iron & Wineの3年振りとなる3rdアルバム。胸を締め付けるような哀切なワルツもあれば、レゲエやブラジルやアフリカのハイライフからの影響を感じさせる曲もあり、キャレキシコの面々との息の合ったコラボレーションもあれば、エレクトリック・ギターでの弾き語りもあり、それでもそこにあるのは紛れもなくIron & Wine独自の世界。サムのソングライティングがこれまでには想像し得なかったような高みに達したことを告げる、驚愕の傑作！

Rolling Stone (p.77) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Beam finally brings the blood, instrumental colors and quirky but fluid arrangements that make explicit the worry and wounds running red in his Southern-gothic stories and dead-love letters." Spin (p.106) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] gorgeous melange of world percussions, electric strings, and airy harmonies that continues the expansion of his sound..." Entertainment Weekly (p.107) - "[I]t becomes clear that he's added dimension to his style without sacrificing its gorgeous tranquility." -- Grade: A- Q (p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Like quicksand, it's subtle, surprising and utterly absorbing." Uncut (p.96) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[H]e has recast his music, adding rhythms and a fullness of sound....It is, by any measure, a quiet revolution....In the midst of his despair, evidently Sam Beam found hope." Alternative Press (p.162) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "He's expanded his instrumental repertoire considerably, creating a study in measured quietude....Beam conjures yet another hypnotic dreamworld..." Magnet (p.98) - "By maintaining his intimacy while armed with a full palette of colors, Beam sets himself far apart from the rest of the hush-and-shush crowd." No Depression (p.95) - "In its mild, stubborn way, it's the fizziest record Beam has made yet....Beam can turn a phrase more deftly than almost any of his direct compatriots...."

キャレキシコとの来日ライヴでステキなステージを披露してくれたことも記憶に新しい、サム・ビームによるユニットの新作。一点の翳りもない柔らかな歌声と、実妹サラとの美しいコーラスに陶酔させられっぱなし。コンガなどを用いたお茶目な味付けが、バンジョーやアコギ、スライド・ギターが紡ぐ繊細で潤いに満ちたメロディーをグッと引き立てます。芳醇かつノスタルジックな印象を与えてくれる一枚。
bounce (C)竹内 幹代