Sometimes there is a lot of fuss about indie stars who go to a major label. Nobody seems to care or notice that Wilco has been on Nonesuch, a Warner Bros. subsidiary, for a good portion of its career. Nobody thought it was heresy that Elliott Smith signed to Dreamworks. And there has definitely not been a rustle since Iron and Wine front man Sam Beam signed to Warner Bros.
There is always the scare that the sound or authenticity of the artist will be altered, but the changes Beam has made haven’t detracted from Iron and Wine. There is, however, subtle pop and blues found in his upcoming release, “Kiss Each Other Clean,” that hasn’t been in the forefront of his earlier works.
“The Shepherd’s Dog” marked Beam’s departure from his role as whispering indie folk artist to an expansive, more creative and colorful front man taking the reins. Assuredly Warner Bros.’ resources couldn’t have hindered that transition.  
But, once again those who fell in love with the meek and soft-singing Sam Beam may be disappointed with the near psychedelic changes that have been made to the band’s sound. I mean, just take a look at the album’s cover art. Neon, psychotropic lines outline Beam’s figure as he stands knee-deep in a river looking out at you with several peacocks and a burning barn in the background. It is more overt than the reserved “Our Endless Numbered Days” or “Woman King,” but Beam does retain those albums’ quieter side in the record as well.
Unlike his other albums, there is a blues and jazz sound that’s incorporated into the new album. On the track “Me and Lazarus,” saxophone solos and reverb inspires the audience to get up and jig about, where older songs might have lulled you peacefully into nodding off.
“Lazarus, the character from the Bible, coming back to life and not having anywhere to go,” Beam said to Spin’s William Goodman of the song’s biblical theme. “That song was born out of a lot of my friends who were ready to leave America, almost like the ’60s jump to Canada, when shit wasn’t going so great. I reacted, ‘Where else would you go?’ Life is similar everywhere you go.”
Maybe it’s just from living in Austin, Texas, for the past few years, or maybe it’s inspiration from his new label, but Beam rocks out hard on a few tracks. However, it is more in the bluesy, ZZ Top-Billy Gibbons vein of rocking out than anything else. Put a top hat and a pair of “Cheap Sunglasses” on Beam and he might just fit in with that trio.  
The track “Big Burned Hand” finds Beam, electric guitar in hand, blues sax in the background, belting out the vocals, “And the ransom God of war came to set me free/ He had a couple of cold bottles full of gasoline/ Saying all I love is all that I allow.” The song captures the essence of a warring and confused Western religion.
Thematically, Beam stays close to home with his songs about rekindling old loves, the dysfunctional state of human relations, and the sometimes cold and chaffed world we live in. He melds it all together, however, with his iconic voice that has the ability to project when needed, but still can return to that pensive, honest and near-shy whisper that Iron and Wine fans are so familiar with. Maybe a major label has caused Beam to change or maybe it’s just his natural progression as an artist, but whatever the source of this new-found inspiration, please, keep it coming.
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