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In The Reins

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Iron And Wine / Calexico

 
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In The Reins
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Avg: 4.0 (820 ratings)

When we have a hangover, this is what we listen to.

  • We Say...

    Review by Yancey Strickler

    Although the current crew of indie country-rockers wrap themselves in hoodies at the first sign of danger, hangover country began with the very un-twee Kris Kristofferson and, in particular, his amazing "Sunday Morning Coming Down." That epochal track — perhaps best performed by Johnny Cash — was about hard living; Iron & Wine and their ilk are about hard-dreaming, a softer tack that inspires introspection more than romance, lethargy more than legend. Yet the same dissatisfaction underlies the music of each: alienation, loneliness, an emotional homelessness that can't be scratched. Rather than scare up trouble, Iron and Wine's Sam Beam reacts to this malaise by growing a beard of biblical proportions and hushing his S.O.S. to the world into a microphone.

    This collaboration with Calexico — two Arizona dudes partially responsible for Giant Sand and Friends of Dean Martinez — falls consistently in line with Iron & Wine's two previous albums, primarily because Beam is the chief songwriter here, with Calexico coloring the compositions in arid hues, as in "Burn That Broken Bed," which sounds like something from the Short Cuts score. (Perhaps it's just the shapelessness of Calexico's music — which I like, by the way — but they come off as more of a backing band than collaborators.)

    "He Lays in the Reins" and "Dead Man's Will" could have appeared on Our Endless Numbered Days (I&W's solid 2004 album), and only "Red Dust," my favorite track, pushes the envelope. It's very Creedence with its boogie strut, and the presence of an actual rhythm feels revolutionary within the context of an otherwise languid EP. The sad stuff's great and everything, but there's nothing like a boot-scootin' boogie to shake the cobwebs out.

  • They Say...

    Review by Tim Sendra, All Music Guide

    Musical collaborations can be a dicey proposition. The blending of two styles and sounds can lead to the cancellation of the aspects of each that make them interesting and unique in the first place, which in turn leads to an inferior record. Iron & Wine and Calexico decided to tempt fate and hook up in 2004 and In the Reins is the result. The record manages to blend the best aspects of the two groups and comes off a winner in all respects. You get Iron & Wine's melodicism, emotional depth, and literary grace backed by Calexico's desert-bleached C&W orchestral splendor. The record is probably pitched more in the I&W camp as Iron & Wine's Sam Beam wrote all the songs and sings his moody miniature portraits of desperation in a breathy, shivers-down-your-spine croon. Calexico color in his compositions with pedal steels, vibraphone, and meandering trumpets, and lead them out of the insular Florida swamp and into the wide-screen West. None of Beam's songs feel like between-album throwaways and in fact a few rate among his best (the aching and staggeringly beautiful "Dead Man's Will," "He Lays in the Reins."). They almost all sound wonderful; the wider range of musical colors opens up his songs and brings in some moods and sounds you might not expect on an Iron & Wine record. Case in point is "A History of Lovers," which comes equipped with a boogie beat, a glittering Vegas horn section, and actually rocks out very convincingly. Calexico really pulls a rabbit out of the hat there as Beam is about the last person in the music biz you would expect to rock out convincingly. The only place where the pairing falters is on the slick and facile "Red Dust," which starts off as an intimate blues ballad with just Beam and guitars, then shifts to a barroom bluesy stomp featuring some very clichéd harp soloing. Luckily, it is a brief misstep that doesn't wreck an otherwise excellent record. Fans of both bands will want to get In the Reins because it rates favorably with their best work and on a couple of songs ("A History of Lovers," "Dead Man's Will") the sum of their collaboration creates music greater than their parts. A rare and wonderful occurrence that; don't let it slip past you.

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