Hen's Teeth

After a long break from making new Iron & Wine music, Sam Beam put together a batch of typically lovely, intimate, and true songs, then assembled a highly sympathetic small group to record them. In a career full of good-to-great records, 2024s Light Verse not only hit toward the upper half of that scale but was also one of the lightest, most cheerful entries. The sessions were so productive that two albums worth of material were put on tape, and a couple of years later, Hens Teeth was released. The set has a very similar sound -- a more rustic take on the explorative folk-jazz of Van Morrisons Astral Weeks -- but a very different overall feel. Hens Teeth is for the most part less breezy listen that Light Verses, with melodies that take more time to sink in, lyrics that have some introspective melancholy, and arrangements that favor closer listening. Despite these factors, the record isnt gloomy by any stretch. In fact, it can be quite peacefully beautiful with Beams warm croon hanging back in the mix, surrounded with all manner of strings, horns, guitars, and vocals. The folk trio Im with Her take a co-starring role on two songs, and other tracks feature lovely backing vocals from Beams daughter Arden. The full sound of the record gives the more upbeat songs an almost joyful feeling, as on the album-opening "Roses" where the lilting verses explode into a widescreen chorus that fills the spectrum with fuzz guitar, all manner of stringed instruments, merrily rambling bass, and an insistent vocal chorus. For one who spent so much time working out one-person harmonies, Beam shows great skill here organizing the voices in very interesting, quite non-cliched ways. "Robins Egg" is another uptempo song that makes great use of voices -- namely Im with Her -- while also coming as close as I&W will ever come to rocking out. "In Your Ocean" doesnt rock, but it has a steady, mellow grove thats irresistible, especially when combined with a smooth classic rock feel and a very hooky, hard-to-forget melody. The quieter, more relaxed songs are just as memorable. "Defiance. Ohio" has soaring strings, beautiful backing vocals, and tricky chord changes, "Grace Notes" radiates introspection and beauty, so much so that even some keening whistling cant break the mood, and "Half Measures" closes the album on a somber note with a raft of vocals floating over the undulating melody and slowly plucked strings. Beam has been making records like this for so long that it would have been easy just to give half an effort, make something decent, and move on. This record, and Light Verse, show that he is still searching, still working hard, and still able to imbue his albums with the same deep feeling and unstinting beauty that he has from the beginning. ~ Tim Sendra