My interest in Iron and Wine prior to this release was pretty low. The first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, hit me as yet another wave of singer/songerwriter types trying to save indie rock with their Tascam and some mediocre guitar playing. Hearing the second album, Our Endless Numbered Days was recorded in an actual (non-bedroom) studio with Brian Deck piqued my interest, but (while cleaner) the music was no less simple than the first album. The vocal melodies and lyrics were still the only really interesting part, making the albums hard for me to crack.
On a whim, I got a copy of Iron and Wine's latest release, the Woman King EP, and everything seems to have come together. His songs no longer come off as bedroom indie rock. There's a newfound ability to layer his compositions that makes the songs interesting far past the lyrics and mood. Perhaps the highlight of the EP is the bridge of the title track when the persistent clickedy-clackedy percussion is joined by violin and acoustic guitar. There's even driving rhythms that corral your interest. EP closer "Evening on the Ground" almost even rocks, dueling a fiddle with bursts of harsh (gasp) electric guitar. "Freedom Hangs Like Heaven" is a barnstomer, a fast-paced take on the blues in the best of Southern Rock traditions. This wider range of tones makes the sentimental lullabies much more stomach-able, like "Jezebel," with its great blend of picked banjo and acoustic guitar.
All the songs here are devoted to women, but not just as lovers and objects of desire, but of all different types. There's the Joan of Arc(adia)-like warrior of "Woman King," the Virgin Mary in "Freedom Hangs Like Heaven," and the Mary Magdalene-esque "Jezebel" (of pure heart but reviled by society). And in the tradition of Natalie Portman in "Garden State", there's the girl who loves you when you feel least lovable (and for no discernable reason) in "In My Lady's House."
