Iron & Wine - The Sea & The Rhythm (2003)

Iron & Wine was one of the surprises of 2002. The Creek Drank the Cradle was a lo-fi melancholic gem of a record that drew apt comparisons to classic bedroom pop artists like Lou Barlow and Sebadoh, the Mountain Goats, and Nick Drake. Sam Beam, the man behind Iron & Wine, possesses a honey-soft voice that caresses his literate lyrics so very gently and a dense guitar style that fills up space without ever playing a wrong note. So often voice-and-guitar records can begin to sound monotonous, and Iron & Wine never even approaches that shortcoming. The Sea & the Rhythm is a five-track EP made up of songs recorded at the same time as Creek. Low-key, melancholy, and unfailingly beautiful, all the songs are good enough to have been on the album. "Beneath the Balcony" and "Jesus the Mexican Boy" have the crispest melodies; "Someday the Waves" is the song that will stick with you the longest. It sounds like a lost Crosby, Stills & Nash track, only without hippie-ish lyrics and with only one guy creating the towering vocal harmonies. The Sea & the Rhythm is a lovely stopgap to help ease the painful wait for the next Iron & Wine album -- 21 minutes of sweet, quiet pain.