Musical Thesis: Iron & Wine “The Shepherd’s Dog”

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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 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.

Have I found you?
Flightless bird, jealous, weeping
Or lost you?
American mouth
Big bill looming

The Shepherd’s Dog served as my introduction to Iron & Wine. When I gave this record a spin for the first time in the early part of the last decade, I was unsure what to expect. I also didn’t fully comprehend the world I was about to enter.

For a few years, I had been flirting with the sounds of Mumford & Sons and Fleet Foxes. Beyond that, I hadn’t dug any deeper into the roots revival or the storied sounds of Americana. Iron & Wine would serve as my gateway drug. This record would take me by the hand and lead me down a path that would reach all the way back to Robert Johnson. Traveling forward to the…