Iron & Wine's Beast Epic Returns To Roots

After diverting his attention from Iron & Wine to two side projects (one with Ben Bridwell and one with Jesca Hoop), Sam Beam has returned to the sound he’s best known for after a four-year hiatus. When Beast Epic was announced in June, Beam said that “the ferris wheel [of time] keeps spinning and we’re constantly approaching, leaving or returning to something totally unexpected or startlingly familiar.” That circularity is evident on the album, but not alwa