A Perfect Thing: Kiss Each Other Clean

There are a few albums in the history of music that are perfect things. These are albums that you can put on and not need to skip a single track. Each song might not be a “banger” as the kids say, but they all fit and flow together so beautifully that the album becomes more than the sum of its parts. One such album is Kiss Each Other Clean by Iron and Wine. If you’ve never heard of them before, Iron and Wine is really just one dude: Sam Beam. You might have heard of him before without realizing it. He did a cover of a Postal Service song that blew up two decades ago. The song is called “Such Great Heights”.

I prefer the original personally. This version, as pretty as it is, is a bit melancholy for me. But it was featured in some movies and commercials so that’s where you might have heard of him before. His music has also appeared on TV shows like House, Grey’s Anatomy, The L Word, just to name a few. In January 2011 he released what I think is his best album yet: Kiss Each Other Clean.

What makes this collection of songs so special is that the music feels genre-less. Sure, if you want to be really broad about it you could call it rock or folk. But it is so much more than that. It ascends above those trite categories and soars into a musical space I can’t recall ever hearing before. There are influences of jazz and African music. There’s folk. But there’s also swing, country, and Americana. It’s beautiful, powerful, and romantic. Sam’s a devout man. He might be an atheist now but Christian themes reverberate throughout.

Music is one of those things that can act as a time machine. Sometimes when you hear a song, it brings you back to a specific time and place in your life. This album does that for me. I am instantly transported back to Chesterfield, MA where we lived at the top of a mountain in an A-frame house. It was remote, peaceful, and serene. It was heated by a wood stove and our massive living room windows overlooked a peaceful valley frequented by turkeys, deer, and other furry friends.

Let’s go back to that time in my life and enjoy some gorgeous music.

The album opens with a track called “Walking Far from Home”. It starts out quiet, slow, and gradually builds over the next four and a half minutes. There’s an organ grinding a distorted dirge and Sam’s voice, with a flanger-type effect, cutting through it. After the opening verse, the organ cuts off, interrupted by a piano chord. Sam’s layered voice acts as a choir and lets the listener know what their in for. This album is a reflection of love, life, and spirituality. There is no chorus, no bridge. Only a repeating refrain in verse after verse, each one building upon the one previous. It is poetry, a welcoming intro.

The next track, “Me & Lazarus” is a rollicking groove, anchored by a staccato bassline that grows with the song. Each line of the verses swells and ebbs like waves upon the ocean. It’s a funky mix of saxophone, synths, and acoustic guitars, all held together by a simple, quiet drum track. The song ends somewhat abruptly, leaving the listener wanting more.

The next track, “Tree by the River” is a beautiful love song and a rumination on the innocence of youth. Again, Sam’s multilayered voice gives the impression of a choir. Simple notes from an electronic piano give the chorus a bit of spice, a well-seasoned stew. In the middle, there’s a guitar solo that’s a bit more aggressive than you might expect for a song as gentle and carefree as this. The closing set of lyrics feature the narrator looking back upon youth, convinced that it is in the simplicity of merely being with someone that offers the kindest, truest love.

Time isn't kind or unkind, you liked to say.
But I wonder to who and
What it is you're saying today.

Mary Anne, do you remember
The tree by the river
When we were seventeen?

Dark canyon road, I was coy in the half-moon;
Happy just to be with you,
And you were happy for me.

“Monkeys Uptown” is a weird track. It is a combination of sounds that fit the title perfectly. There’s a collection of percussive instruments and electronic sounds that form the backbone of the tune. Again, it’s the bassline that gives the song its overall feel. The verses are separated by a slightly distorted guitar that has a harmony effect on it, allowing the riff to be in more places than one. At the end, the song crescendos with a funky clavinet solo.

To be clear, Sam plays many of the instruments himself. But he also uses a variety of musicians to help round out his sound. There are no credit listings anywhere I can find so your guess is as good as mine as to who does what. “Half Moon” is a song I wish I knew the personnel on. There are clearly female backing singers. The lyrics play upon the idea of halves. Throughout the song, an echoey guitar whines out a complimentary solo.

OK, now we’ve arrived at my second favorite track on the album. It’s one of those songs where, as a musician and writer, I am left stunned by the talent this man possesses. The lyrics tell a story that would feel at home in 1890, a pastoral painting of country life. And yet… it’s not. Another song that does not feature a chorus or bridge, the words read like Psalms, passages from the Bible. See:

We bricked up the garden and know what it means
And we've all kissed a virgin as if she were clean
And I still have a prayer, despite all the colors I've seen

And judgment is just like a cup that we share
I'll jump over the wall and I'll wait for you there
Well past the weeds in our vision of things to come

We've all heard the rooster and all been denied
And we've seen through the haze and the spit in our eyes
And I still have a prayer, a well-weathered word to the wise

Last I saw mother, she smelled like a rose
When they caught me, the captain, he opened my nose
'Cause the rabbit will run, and the wind takes a bird where it blows

The repeating refrain, “I still have a prayer” is all you need to know that this song is a religious thing for Sam. It’s a parable. The backing track is what makes this song so unique. It begins with an echoing guitar that’s processed through a wah-wah pedal. Much of the melody comes from parallel lines performed on a kalimba (or thumb piano). It could also be a mriba. There are several sections that have what can best be described as a pennywhistle solo. The bassline is provided by not a bass guitar, per se, but a marimba, which is basically a wooden xylophone. It has a deeper, more natural sound to it. If you want to hear how it sounds, check this out.

All of the instruments blend together to give the song an exotic feel, which compliments the storytelling aspect perfectly. There’s also a flute solo. Oh, and a distorted organ that adds a gritty, rawness. By the end of the song, the pace is getting faster and faster. It reminds me of that scene from Willy Wonka where they’re going through the tunnel on the boat and everything seems to be getting out of control until — boom — they’re right where they need to be. It concludes with a contemplative mixing of flute and organ solos.

Are you still with me? The first half of the album is so good. It’s too bad I’m interrupting it with my words. Really, you should just go listen to the whole thing, one track after another. By splitting it up, I am kind of butchering some of the beauty of it.

After the chaos of “Rabbit Will Run”, we are treated to a quiet, piano-driven piece. “Godless Brother in Love” features one of my favorite lines. It’s so poetic.

Godless brother
As far as I can tell
The night won't compensate the blind

Amazing, right? Imagine that. The blind is at a deficit of vision. And the night steals vision. And yet, what is the night to a blind person? Is it an equalizer? That line raises so many questions. It’s just amazing.

I won’t be saying as much about each track from here on out. I’ll only be pointing out one or two things to notice about the songs. Next up is “Big Burned Hand”. It’s funky, jazzy, and features some excellent saxophone work.

“Glad Man Singing” keeps the album rolling along. Have you noticed how the album changes course from song to song? The more aggressive, groovy one song is, you can bet the next will be as laid back and chill. This track features acoustic guitars and xylophones. It’s as relaxing as sitting next to a river on a warm summer day. He literally mentions sitting in a hammock.

The last track is by far my favorite. It is the perfect combination of everything we’ve heard on this musical journey. The song goes in fits and starts — we’ve seen this trick before. It’s at times a rock tune, something from the 1970s. Other times it’s slow and quiet. There is no chorus. The music features pretty much every instrument we’ve heard so far: percussion, saxophone, trumpets, bass, guitar, drums, electronic sequences, and more exotic instruments. There’s a blistering guitar solo in between the verses.

The song is really two parts combined into one. The opening three verses are a forceful groove with Dylan-esque lyrics. It harkens to something like “Subterranean Homesick Blues” where the words fly by faster than you can hear them.

Fake watches in your broken hand
Barely keeping time
Barefoot in the city and your phone is ringing
Bet you're watching all the happy kids
Climbing on a car
They were singing something
Maybe they were singing:
"Become the weeds, we will become
Become the sea, we will become"

Your fake money gave you everything
Left along the road
You're cursing by the furnace and your phone is ringing
Bet you're watching all the happy kids
Clapping in the cool
They were singing something
Maybe they were singing:
"Become the weeds, we will become
Become the sea, we will become"

Your fake name is not for everyone
It's good enough for me
Forgotten by the garden and your phone is ringing
Bet you're watching all the happy kids
Kiss each other clean
They were singing something
Maybe they were singing:
"Become the weeds, we will become
Become the sea, we will become"

This track also gives the album its title. Once these three verses are finished, the song breathes a sigh of relief. It feels almost like it couldn’t keep up with itself. A brief guitar solo bridges the gap between the sections, allowing the listener to catch their breath. And in closing, the song the people were “maybe singing” is revealed:

Become the rising sun
We will become, become
Become the damage done
We will become, become
Become the river sway
We will become, become
Become the love we made
We will become, become
Become the endless chain
We will become, become
Become forgotten name
We will become, become
Become sinner and the saint
We will become, become
Become bandage and the blade
We will become, become
Become the word and the breath
We will become, become
Become the card in the chest
We will become, become
Become the liked and the loathed
We will become, become
Become the bruise and the blow
We will become, become
Become the fruit and the fall
We will become, become
Become the caress and the claw
We will become, become
Become glory and the guilt
We will become, become
Become the blossom and the wilt
We will become, become
Become both right and wrong
We will become, become
Become the sound and the song
We will become, become
Become tooth and the tongue
We will become, become
Become the target and the gun
We will become, become
Become so cruel and kind
We will become, become
Become the weary and the wild
We will become, become
Become allegiance and doubt
We will become, become
Become the whisper and the shout
We will become, become
Become the honest and the veiled
We will become, become
Become the hammer and the nail
We will become, become
Become the blessing and the curse
We will become, become
Become their crooked words
We will become, become
Become the blood and the bone
We will become, become
Become an ice cream cone
We will become, become
Become the way and the wall
We will become, become
Become a disco ball
We will become, become
Become both now and then
We will become, become
Become again and again
We will become, become

The end is so relentless and repetitive that it reminds me of a religious chant, something that Druids might have chanted as they danced around towering fires. The music gradually builds as the refrain repeats, like a dam filling up with water. Tension builds. But where will it all end up? The drums increase in intensity. The saxophone wails. A guitar screams into existence. And just when it feels like it will all burst forth, the song, guided by a deep baritone saxophone, ends.

I hope you enjoy this album as much as I do. It really is something special, a masterpiece. Let me know what you think in the comments or on social media.