‘Boy with a Coin’, the first single to be taken from forthcoming album The Shepherd’s Dog, is darkly playful, tumbling under its cascading melody and backwards guitar textures. ‘Boy With A Coin’ sets multi-tracked Sam Beams to handclaps, and a fully realised production palette couching Sam Beam’s scene-setting guitar work. A worthy example of the highest standard of songwriting displayed on the rest of the album and marks a departure in style from Beam’s previous work, without betraying his blissful Americana roots.The B-sides, available on all formats and exclusive to this release, are the roaming piano ballad ‘Kingdom of the Animals’ and ‘Carried Home’. Iron & Wine’s long awaited third full-length The Shepherd’s Dog will be released on September 24. The follow up to Our Endless Numbered Days (2004) and the Woman King EP (2005), Beam also collaborated with Calexico for the In The Reins mini-album (2005) that saw the two bands embark on extensive touring across the US and Europe into 2006, including a sold out show at The Forum in London.With The Shepherd’s Dog, Iron and Wine vaults to the top draw of contemporary music makers. This is a tour de force. And while we always knew there was something very special about Sam Beam, we honestly had no idea that he was capable of this.
UK tour dates Tue 23 Oct Leeds City Varieties, Wed 24 Oct Gateshead Sage Gateshead Thu 25 Oct Manchester Academy Fri 26 Oct Belfast Spiegel Tent Sun 28 Oct Bristol St Georges Mon 29 Oct Edinburgh Queens Hall Wed 31 Oct London Shepherds Bush Empire, Thu 1 Nov Cardiff Point Fri 2 Nov Brighton St Georges Church Sat 3 Nov Nottingham Rescue Rooms Sun 4 Nov Reading Concert Hall