Iron and Wine released an odds-and-sods collection, Around The Well, about a month ago. The two-disc set features material that stretches back to the home recording sessions that birthed singer-songwriter Samuel Beam's one-man band.Included among the 23 tracks are covers of The Flaming Lips, The Postal Service, and Stereolab, but the one that grabbed my attention was New Order's "Love Vigilantes." It's a tale of a solider who returns home to his wife, only to realize that he has, in fact, died in battle. Being New Order, the original is cast to a driving dance beat, but being Beam, he strips the tune down to just an acoustic guitar. Creating something akin to back-porch swing, that shift makes the song's Sixth Sense-ish reveal all the more heartbreaking. Hear here:Of course, you might recall that Australian band Frente! did something similar to New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" back in 1994, and brilliantly so. I guess New Order is ripe for the picking.Purchase Iron & Wine - "Love Vigilantes" via Amazon MP3, iTunes. On iTunes, you'll also find a second, more meditative take featuring Beam's sister Sarah on backing vocals; I might prefer that version even more.
Iron and Wine released an odds-and-sods collection, Around The Well, about a month ago. The two-disc set features material that stretches back to the home recording sessions that birthed singer-songwriter Samuel Beam's one-man band.Included among the 23 tracks are covers of The Flaming Lips, The Postal Service, and Stereolab, but the one that grabbed my attention was New Order's "Love Vigilantes." It's a tale of a solider who returns home to his wife, only to realize that he has, in fact, died in battle. Being New Order, the original is cast to a driving dance beat, but being Beam, he strips the tune down to just an acoustic guitar. Creating something akin to back-porch swing, that shift makes the song's Sixth Sense-ish reveal all the more heartbreaking. Hear here:Of course, you might recall that Australian band Frente! did something similar to New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" back in 1994, and brilliantly so. I guess New Order is ripe for the picking.Purchase Iron & Wine - "Love Vigilantes" via Amazon MP3, iTunes. On iTunes, you'll also find a second, more meditative take featuring Beam's sister Sarah on backing vocals; I might prefer that version even more.
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