qxmag.co.uk

For those of you not familiar with music of Iron and Wine, putting it simply, you should be. Their album Our Endless Numbered Days is a masterpiece of our time. It is a coherent and touching analysis of the life and death cycle, played out by one man, a hauntingly beautiful voice and a menagerie of instruments. If I had to chose 5 albums to take to a desert island with me, and only have those choices to listen to on repeat for the rest of my natural life, I would chose that album.

But having listened only briefly to the new album.... I am a little shocked. Its not necessarily bad. But it's such a stark contrast to their previous material. I mean - it's electronic for a start! More Annie Lennox than Neil Young. I will have to come back to you on how I feel about it. I felt like maybe I'd put the wrong thing on, maybe the led tube lights in this cellar had burned a whole in my retinas from their bright reflection on the screen, and in my blindness I had put on a different artist. I'm serious - my eyes are fine - but it is hard to believe it is the same band.