When I heard the Iron & Wine + Calexico collaboration EP, In The Reins, I was shocked by how cohesive of a group they made together. Iron & Wine’s, Sam Beam and Calexico’s Joey Burns share equally unsure, light voices that seem to match perfectly, like they were meant to be paired together. In a way its no big surprise; Beam’s voice seems to work best in harmony, and he’s already pulled off a convincing Simon & Garfunkel impression when singing alongside The Shins‘ James Mercer on a live version of “New Slang” that appeared on the Fighting In A Sack EP.
The more I listened, I realized it wasn’t just the harmony of vocals that made the EP so enjoyable. The full and eclectic backing of Calexico instrumentation was what separated this from other Iron & Wine endeavors. At first I was amazed that the two groups were able to come together to write such great songs – clearly bringing their best work to the table – until I realized that all of the songs were Iron & Wine originals; reinterpreted for a full band. I was able to track down original demos for all but one of the songs, and listening to them side-by-side shows just how much of a difference is made through the Calexico input and production.
Despite having to leave town for work, I stuck around to see them play at The Wiltern last night, and then did a late night drive immediately after the show. The two bands were opened by Tim Rutili of Califone, which for me was a welcome surprise. Calexico followed putting on an upbeat set that focused on some of their more Mexican flavored songs, including their Love cover, “Alone Again Or” (seen Bottle Rocket?). Mike Watt of The Minutemen joined in. Iron & Wine followed and played a set centered by Beam where players around him were continually coming and going. “Jezebel” off of the Woman King EP and “The Trapeze Swinger” off of the In Good Company soundtrack were among my favorites.
True to the recorded evidence, the combination finale far outshined some otherwise dazzling performances. Starting with “He Lays In The Reins,” the sound was a full and layered mass of harmonies. I didn’t bother to count exactly how many were on stage, but with 4 guitarists at times, it was reminiscent of a Broken Social Scene show. I loved the slide guitar. They played a few great covers, Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind,” Velvet Underground’s “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” and then “Wild Horses” by The Rolling Stones for an encore. Throughout, the crowd was quiet and well behaved and didn’t interfere in hearing the delicate vocals. What a magical night.
EXHIBIT A – The Original Demos:
: 01 – He Lays In the Reins (demo) :
: 02 – A History of Lovers (demo) :
: 03 – Red Dust (demo) :
: 04 – Sixteen Maybe Less (demo) :
: 05 – Overhead (demo) :
: 06 – Dead Man’s Will (demo) :
EXHIBIT B – Reworked for the EP:
: 02 – History of Lovers :
BONUS:
: Califone – No Expectations :
: Calexico – Alone Again Or :
: Iron & Wine – Southern Anthem :
As I was also at the show, I should point out the best cover was not mentioned in your post! It started with sixteenth notes on the xylaphone, a pattern of eight notes repeated over and over. At this my ears pricked up and I sensed a cover about to emerge. Then the guitar started plucking and the whole lot of them starts playing an organic bellowing harmony, swelling then receding. Then Sam’s voice, “And what costume shall the poor girl wear, to all tomorrow’s parties.”
Yeah, I thought they had played that too but wasn’t sure, so I didn’t mention it. Will add to the post.
there is an msnbc review of the ep, which is kinda funny enough in itself, but that actually has some insight. i guess they are looking to have local vocalists guest on songs throughout the tour – a way of making each show unique & special – and victoria williams’ appearance at the wiltern is probably the result of that. cool.