Grizzly Adams look-alike Sam Beam has come a long way from the naked austerity of his early stuff. With IRON & WINE’s 2005 EP, Woman King, he proved he could write hooks that’d give you goose bumps–as well as make eerie jug-band rock that’s actually danceable, at least in a muddy-hippie way. Now he’s leading an eclectic, porchy ensemble that calls to mind the rural roots of the jam-band movement–a lot of their set at Pitchfork had me thinking, “Wow, there really was a lot to love about the Grateful Dead.” The Shepherd’s Dog, Iron & Wine’s third full-length (Sub Pop), adds a sprawling, organic, Califone-y feel–no surprise there, since Brian Deck produced it–with instrumental flourishes like old appliances artfully arranged in an overgrown yard. Beam’s current seven-member touring band is the same group he brought to Pitchfork, and includes past and present Chicagoans Chad Taylor, Ben Masarella, Matt Lux, and LeRoy Bach. –Monica Kendrick
