Take a trip back to the past with Iron And Wine. Sam Beam first drew our attention with his 2002 debut, The Creek Drank The Cradle. His singular brand of indie folk, filled with acoustic guitars, banjo, and slide guitar drew comparisons to Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel, Elliott Smith, Neil Young and John Fahey. Throughout the years he's moved towards a more pop influenced sound, but his folk roots have always remained. Archive Series Volume No.1 collects unreleased material from Beam's early years as Iron And Wine. The majority of the songs feature just voice and guitar, but Beam is able to create intricate arrangements with this spartan set of tools. It's a little surprising that we are hearing much of this material for the first time. The collection is strong, with each song being able to stand on its own. Beam apparently has more of these recordings squirreled away so hopefully there will be more volumes to come in the Archive Series.

• music label: Black Cricket Recording Co. 2015

reviewed by Michu Meszaros 04/2015