Iron & Wine - Walking Far From Home Album Review

'Walking Far From Home' is the first single to be released from the new album 'Kiss Each Other Clean' by Indie Folksters Iron & Wine. Sam Beam, lead singer, song writer, producer etc. is the voice and vision behind Iron & Wine. Kiss Each Other will represent his forth studio album, this being the follow up to the acclaimed 'Shepherds Dog' released more than 3 years ago.

The new single takes us on a gentle journey of discovery down roads and highways, past oceans and rivers. The rhythm gently undulates to a mellow refrain filled with religious imagery and themes. During the voyage Sam gives us boats of believers, angels, doors to heaven, prayers and then eventually women in a temple and a call to the Lord. There is an all too brief electro interjection of fuzzy synth towards the latter part of the song but generally it hardly changes as Sam lists what he sees as he carries his treasured letters.

'I saw a bird fall like a hammer from the sky,

an old woman on a Speed Train, she was closing her eyes.

I saw flowers on a hillside and a millionaire pissing on the lawn,

saw a prisoner take a pistol and say join me in song.'

Possibly in danger of giving weight to the phrase 'The Devil has all the best tunes', Walking With is a rather timid and unfortunately uninspiring introduction to the new Iron & Wine album.

Andrew Lockwood.