Song of the Day: Iron and Wine - Call It Dreaming

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Call It Dreaming” by Iron and Wine from the 2017 album Beast Epic, out now on Sub Pop.

Iron and Wine - Call It Dreaming (MP3)

Anybody who's secretly been holding Sam Beam's taste for creative diversifying against him for the last ten or so years should be very happy with Beast Epic. Since Ghost on Ghost, everything Beam has released has been gorgeous, and filled with the sadness and narrative specificity Iron and Wine is best known for, but they were all one-off projects. The newest album features an incredibly stripped back, minimalist approach to Beam's typical orchestration. The instrumental diversity and pop overtones he left us with on Ghost on Ghost have been replaced by only enough players as can fit on a South-Seattle front porch. The result is a record that doesn't have the same dynamic swells and relies more on subtle shifts in themes, and the silky conviction in Beam's voice. Just like everything else Iron and Wine has done, the record is a treat.

"Call It Dreaming" could have been a cut-off of The Creek Drank the Cradle with its ghostly vocal layering and barely-there percussion holding down both ends of the piano and acoustic guitar work. The instrument weaving becomes larger and turns into one of the most anthemic songs on the album. Beam is presently touring on Beast Epic, and can be seen at The Moore Theater on Wednesday, October 18th. More information on tour dates, merchandise, and how many different physical formats you can buy the record in are all available on Iron and Wine's website.