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32. Beast Epic - Iron & Wine (2017)

Folk

Beast Epic glows with summer evening after-dinner peace, the acoustic equivalent of crickets chirping along to ice cubes clinking into cocktails on the back porch while the kids play, far off in the waning twilight. Sam Beam has managed to bottle the potent nostalgia of simple country living, packaging it with simple, hypnotic pluckings and wispy string accents. His understated voice transcends while honest lyrics speak to age-old truths, some hidden, some well-learned, all undeniable. 

The album is patient, creeping slowly as if through humid air without urgency or pretense. But for all of its rural simplicity, Beast Epic is profound and full of universal truth delivered in poetic abundance. “Call it Dreaming”, “About a Bruise” and “Thomas County Line” are gorgeous soundtracks to dirt roads along August farm fields swelling before the harvest, sweet tea, sweet corn, watermelon and barbecue; the best way to get it all, next to being there yourself.

*image; cover art for the album Beast Epic by Iron & Wine