Iron & Wine main man Sam Beam sings in a crisp whisper that sounds as old as the hills, and his guitar picking is understated and lovely. This serene sound delivered some dark tales with poetic flourish on the first two Iron & Wine albums, The Creek Drank the Cradle and Our Endless Numbered Days. Perhaps afraid of becoming a one-note act, Beam created two very different recordings in 2005, suggesting that Iron & Wine would be a big, broad vehicle to express a number of different variations on the basic sound of his voice and guitar. The driving The Woman King EP paired him with producer Brian Deck for a fuller set of songs that fixated, celebrated and was flummoxed by its titular subject, while the full-length In the Reins was a spirited collection with Arizonas Calexico. Last year, Iron & Wine released The Shepherds Dog, Beams most decidedly not lo-fi recording to date and, arguably, his best. The Shepherds Dog is Iron & Wines most diverse and progressive album yet, enthused Pitchfork, calling it a deft transition to a very different sound that explores new territory while preserving the best aspects of Beams earlier recordings.