like the water when the sea got rough, she was bored with the breeze, she was bored of her luck

The view out my window is slick with rain in the moonlight. When I walked outside a few hours ago I was knocked a bit breathless for a moment by the smack of near-icy wind in the face. It seems pretty clear that summer (and any reprieves we may have gotten in the form of some gorgeous indian summer days these past weeks) has moved on to somewhere south of the equator. It was a good run this year, but now I find myself rummaging for suitable autumn songs that linger in the colder air with the crisp smell of smoke from neighbors' fireplaces.

Sam Beam of Iron & Wine released the fiesty and brave album The Shepherd's Dog about a year ago, which took a more multihued approach than the hushed-river ebb of his songs past (gorgeous favorites of mine like "Trapeze Swinger" or "The Sea and The Rhythm"). The third track on the album, "Lovesong of the Buzzard" was released as a limited-run 10" vinyl single in the UK on Transgressive Records (Regina Spektor, Noisettes, Polytechnic) with two excellent b-sides.

I don't have the vinyl yet, but due to the magic of the internets I've been enjoying the two tunes all this quiet evening. Beam's been steadily growing a bit more firey in his music, evoking the darker sides of an uncontrolled wilderness populated with all sorts of questionable characters. Kinda like a strong whiskey, recent Iron & Wine burns a little in the chest -- and there's undercurrent of darkness, even foreboding, in the melody and the illicit storyline of this song.

Arms Of A Thief - Iron & Wine

I cannot overstate my affections for I&W, especially in October. It just feels right, like bringing up that box of sweaters and other warm things from the basement.