A delicate mix of psychedelic visions, brass horns and pop-y jazz, “Ghost on Ghost,” begs the question: “Huh?” Sam Beam has entranced listeners with soft, sad melodies that fringe on the poetic and always strikes a good balance between folksy and indie, but “Ghost on Ghost” is not “Shepherd’s Dog” or “Kiss Each Other Clean.” What are you trying to prove, Sam Beam?
The album opens with “Caught In The Briars.” It’s reminiscent of summer hayrides, rolling in the grass and hot weather promiscuity. As always, the songwriting is phenomenal, and this track is the redemption song for the rest of the album, but after this tumble through the weeds things get weird in the wrong way.
“The Desert Babbler,” includes a quick ramble of “doo wop” and an over-presence of lounge singers. It’s the kind of song that I imagine sang by animated daisies bouncing back and forth in the sunshine. This isn’t something I can see Beam and his beard playing on the main-stage.
“Joy” doesn’t inspire what the title suggests, a slow piano melody with flimsy drumbeats and drawn out, echoing vocals. It’s smoke filled, hotel banquet room music, and that’s not the Sam Beam I know from “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” and “Boy With A Coin.”
“Ghost on Ghost” is an experiment like “Kiss Each Other Clean” and neither impressed me. I want to like it, and maybe six months from now I’ll dust this record off and think, “It’s not so bad.” But when Beam gives me an album like “Shepherd’s Dog,” I’m going to base everything I hear after that on it, and the past two releases sound like predecessors to “Dog.”
Kudos for taking a risk Beam, but this one isn’t the rewarding kind. Take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself: “Do I really need to try something different?”
Is “Ghost on Ghost” a failure? No, it never sounded lazy. I never thought it was bad music. However, Beam has branded himself well and this album isn’t living up to what I know, so far, as his best. I think Beam wanted to make a summer album, something warm and poppy that’ll reach a broader audience, but, to me, it comes off like a commercial soundtrack. The good news for Iron and Wine is that it can only get better from here, right?