While the newest EP from Sam Beam under the name Iron & Wine isn’t exactly a b-side or a bonus collection, the press release for Weed Garden does mention that the songs were “part of the writing phase” for last year’s Beast Epic. Although Beast Epic came a full four years after 2013’s Ghost On Ghost, the last full-length from Iron & Wine, Sam Beam has consistently put out music, hardly leaving a gap in any fan’s desire for more.
In that four year gap, Beam released two compilations of archived recordings, a covers album with Ben Bidwell of Band of Horses, and a (fantastic) collaborative album with Jesca Hoop. And now there was less than a year before today’s release.
Weed Garden was recorded at The Loft in Chicago with the same backing band that performed on Beast Epic. Iron & Wine will embark on a national tour at the end of September, with a stop at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside on November 8.
Other albums out today we’re listening to:
Big Red Machine – Big Red Machine
Saintseneca – Pillar of Na
Troye Sivan – Bloom