Musical Thesis: Iron & Wine “Beast Epic”

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At the center of every album is a musical thesis. This thesis can be the driving force behind the album, a theme that interweaves songs together, or a feeling you are left with after the very last song plays. With some albums, the thesis is easy to find. On others, it is hidden and requires you to be more than a passive listener. These reviews are not about rating an album. Instead, it is about uncovering a musical thesis.

I have been listening to Iron & Wine for more than a decade. I keep returning because he is one of a handful of artists that possesses the incredible power of being able to quiet me down, ground me, and wash calm over my busy shores. With “Beast Epic,” that power still remains, but for the first time in a while, I get the sense of a happier artist and creator. In this collection of songs, I hear a man singing of love to give and a place for healing. As I think of these concepts, I am struck by their application to my own life.

More often than not, we must swim through an ocean of bad dates, incompatible potential partners, and a few heartbreaks to find the person we love. In this person, we find a person to love without effort and a place to heal from the pain we have experienced. This does not mean the potential to experience this sort of pain again goes away. It is always there. Love is a ship in need of constant repair after all, but after such an arduous search it is such a relief to find safe harbor.

Be good to each other,

Nathan