Signs of Life 2004

It wasn't altogether certain whether Iron & Wine's sophomore album, suffused with Brian Deck’s production crispness, would be able to convey the intimacy of 2002’s homespun masterpiece The Creek Drank The Cradle. But all it took to erase the doubt was a single listen. Sam Beam’s feathery-sweet vocals set against striking acoustic flourishes carry this new set of tunes to scary-high musical and emotional vistas.