Something’s wrong with the wine

Samuel Beam, better known by his moniker Iron & Wine, has produced an album filled with melodic Californian harmonies followed by a rather surprising new addition of funky undertones never before heard from him. As such, he represents a musician amidst a journey of exploring new sounds. That said, “Kiss Each Other Clean” is an album sure to shock Iron & Wine fans.

Since his debut album “The Creek Drank the Cradle” was released with Sub Pop in 2002, Samuel Beam has been compared to the folksiest of the folk—Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, Elliot Smith and Nick Drake. If this is so, then using the great Neil Young as an example, Beam’s current change can be compared to when Young tried to change up his sound by using a vocoder on his album “Trans” in 1982—which disappointed many of his fans. Many thought that this was a statement by Young, pointing out that this may be the new musical direction he was presumably undertaking.

So how do Neil Young, Sam Beam and an old 1982 vocoder-ed flop of a record all end up relating to each other? Much like the songs Neil Young first crafted, Iron & Wine’s new album challenges many fans who loved the musician for his old guitar plucking, folk-flavored backwoods songs that portray his unique style.

“Kiss Each Other Clean” is a record that seems to be battling with a continuously changing taste in music—one that seems to be on the other side, with the greener grass and all that. As the vocoder did to Neil Young’s golden sound, the funky undertones and 15-second dubstep-esque echoes (heard on the first track “Walking Far From Home”) will do to Iron & Wine’s sound for many fans.

Undoubtedly, this record is more of a statement from Beam. He branches out entirely into a new realm of expression—one that allows him more freedom to use multiple instruments that complement the simple harmonic riffs that we all have heard from his prior work. For instance, on his song “Big Burned Hand,” Beam incorporates the penetrating sound of a sax over battling piano lines, deep colorful bass and a synthesizer.

Another song that provides an example of the artist’s move from past to present is “Monkeys Uptown.” The song is made up of an array of tones and styles from many of the same instruments; his encapsulating lyrics surrounded by the vocals of backup singers and even slap bass at times. From the way the songs have been put together on this album, it is a fair comparison to say that the level of creativity is on par with Beck and his progressing work.

On his last album, 2007’s “The Shepherd’s Dog,” Beam showed his initial willingness to head into the realm of musical exploration by working with African pop music and dub production, but still savoring the signature spookiness he is known for. The fact is that his new work is simply just another step toward this goal. “Kiss Each Other Clean” is produced by Chicagoan Brian Deck and features musicians from other groups like Antibalas, Califone, and the Chicago Underground Duo.

All in all, this record can be seen as an impressive sea change for the well-known indie folk musician, or it can be seen as a step in the wrong direction. You can be the judge of that; the album is released the 24th on this month. ?