Calexico/Iron & Wine - In The Reins

Nearing the end of 2005, Iron & Wine and good friends Calexico released a collaborative effort named "In The Reins". It was the forerunner to the full sound that Iron & Wine now displays on "The Shepherd's Dog". All of the songs were written by Sam Beam [I&W] but featured the full band sound that Calexico is more than able to provide. If you ask me, this is combining the best of both worlds. I love Sam Beams writing, but sometimes the music can be rather repetitive and lacking. Calexico is an incredible band, but sometimes I feel that their musicianship far outweighs their ability to write cohesive and catchy songs. Bring the two together, though, and you have a force to be reckoned with. Tracks like the opener "He Lays In The Reins" and the closer "Dead Man's Will" shows their ability to create a world not unlike our own, but calling back to when times were simpler and people cared more for others than for themselves. "Dead Man's Will" has an uncanny ability to make me cry nearly every time I listen. It is the story of a man willing away his possessions to the people he loved the most, and those he lost: "Give this ring to my lover, I was scared and stupid not to ask for her hand long before". Lyrical gold.

Tracklisting:
1. He Lays In The Reins
2. Prison On Route 41
3. A History Of Lovers
4. Red Dust
5. Sixteen, Maybe Less
6. Burn That Broken Bed
7. Dead Man's Will

Highlight Tracks: "He Lays In The Reins", "Sixteen, Maybe Less", "Dead Man's Will"