When I first got this I was totally thrown for a loop (pun not intended, but it does work here). I had bought the Woman King EP, so I knew he was exploring some different territory. But for this release, I thought he'd find some middle ground between that and his very acoustic and intimate earlier work.

I sorta liked it. I really wanted to like it. But it felt way too overproduced, especially the vocoder effect and all the mad layering. It was just too much.

Fast forward in time and a few dozen listens later: I love this album. It's easily one of his best. What's strange is it doesn't feel like the same artist. It's a completely different sound. But what I heard as "overproduced" before now has a dreamlike quality. In fact, the whole album feels like the soundtrack to a hallucinogenic road trip film. All the weird lyrical southern goth is still there. It's just that this one is painted in bold strokes using vivid colors rather than muted pastels.

I love all of Sam's work, and this is no exception. I'm glad to be able to say that now. It's not a perfect album; his sister's vocals get buried too much in the mix (if she's there at all). And this one takes time to appreciate. I'm not saying that's any guarantee that it will for everyone. But for me, it's a brave album that may be heavy on production, but also loaded with fantastic songwriting and sound sculpting.

Although I was a bit disappointed by this album, it still knocked me off my feet. Sam Beam is an AMAZING musician and I can't not love him. Iron and Wine fans will love 'Pagan Angel and A Borrowed Car' along with 'Boy With A Coin.'

Why is it that whenever an artist stretches out to grow and progress people always try slag them saying it doesn't sound like their old stuff? Well, that's because it's not supposed to! This is an excellent Lp and a bold artistic choice for Sam, and it is ultimately more satisfying than any other Iron and Wine release to date. "Wolves..." takes him into a dubby rock sounscape that no one could have ever imagagined him doing before this Lp. "House by the Sea" incorporates synthesized effects and metallic precusiion (amongst other unknown instruments)and like most of the production (of these songs) seems informed by dub and ambient music. Sam's voice sounds positvely cherubic as he sings the lullaby "Flightless Bird..." and it is easily the most obvious Iron and Wine track here. "Carousel", "Peace Beneath The City", and "Boy with a Coin" are immediate standouts but they are all pretty darn good! Lucky cd purchasers also got a two track bonus Ep with the Tom Waits meets Laurie Anderson folk of "Arms of a Theif" and the percussive, middle eastern tinged "Serpent Charmer". Why these 2 didn't make the album proper is beyond me, as both are very progressive, forward sounding Iron and Wine masterpieces. Sam is the Man!

So the first thing I heard off of this album was "The Devil Never Sleeps", performed on David Letterman, and my initial kneejerk reaction was "Oh no, he's changed his sound, he's gone electric, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!". This is perhaps a horribly stupid reaction, especially when it's so misleading. Not that I didn't like the song, nor do I fear change, it's just that this jazzy, full-band, more rock-oriented song is a far cry from the intimate "one guy with an acoustic guitar" style for which Mr. Sam Beam is so well-known and so damn good at. But despite that, I said ok, I'll give the new album a shot.

Fortunately, the album, while perhaps a bit more diverse than past efforts, still maintained the overall acoustic Americana-drenched folk I really just can't get enough of. It's all there, the wispy, cozy vocals, the soothing and creative guitar melodies, and the entrancingly poetic lyrics. There are songs like "White Tooth Man", "House by the Sea", and "Boy with a Coin", which boast interesting and unusual vocal lines, as well as songs like "Resurrection Fern" and "Flightless Bird, American Mouth", which have that perfect inescapable melodicism Beam does like nobody else. Then there's the aforementioned "The Devil Never Sleeps", which stands out stylistically, with its electric guitars and jazzy piano licks, but still fits in. To borrow a phrase from a friend, it's as welcome as it is out of place.

Overall, there's not a bad song on here. Some might lament that Beam has moved away from the whole stripped-down lo-fi thing, but I say hey, no big deal. He's polished and diversified his sound while still staying true to his roots, and if you ask me, there's definitely nothing wrong with that.

In short, I'm more than satisfied. Even better, I am delighted to have recently found out that Sam is now living in Austin. If I see him around, I'll be sure to congratulate him on a job well done (and maybe convince him to do a show at Hanover's :).

Anyway, yeah, pick this up. It is very very good.

Over produced. I cant even listen to it. Shame on you Sam. Go back to what you do best and dont make me waste my money on another CD like this. This album should have never seen the light of day.

Its great to see so many reviewer's rave about Sam's work. I gave "Our Endless Numbered Days," five stars, and I continue to listen to it all the time. I also enjoy "Woman King," wondering why we only got six tracks on that one. Oh well, the six tracks are worthy.

But "The Shepherd's Dog," in my opinion, just doesn't hold up. In fact, were it not for the single, wonderful track "Boy With a Coin," and Sam's sweet voice, I'd have a difficult time recognizing this as "Iron and Wine." It is over-produced, there are too many instruments, and some of the tracks sound like they were produced by a pop music specialist.

Even the visceral, crude, and dynamic CD artwork (the dog on the front, and the bearded man on the back) conspired to give me the impression this was going to be more great Sam Beam material, perhaps of "OEND" caliber.

Hey, I can barely play a scale on the guitar, so I bow to Sam's greatness. But "Shepherd's Dog" reminded me to do more research before buying an entire CD that I know to contain one great track.

Update 6/18/08 - Still feeling guilty about this review of "The Shepherd's Dog," I have since listened to "The Creek Drank the Cradle," and I can highly recommend that Iron and Wine Collection as well!

I discovered this disc while killing time in a CD store. Just put on the headphones and with the opening bars of 'Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car' I thought "wow! this is different in a good way." and then I heard 'White Toothed Man' start and I knew I needed this album.

I think the album just falls short in the middle where there are 2 or 3 songs which are a little ununique. But then you reach 'Wolves' and 'Ressurection Fern' and it shifts again to unique brilliance.

For those not familiar with Iron & Wine's work, he sounds folky, but also with soft undertones of rock. He's really hard to compare because he is so new to my ear. Have a listen to the samples I guess. That should help you decide :-)

For a while I thought I might be getting old. I'm only 23, but I can't seem to get fully away from music of the past. My first love-at-first-sight (or listen) was Pink Floyd; I became obsessed with the great abstract lyricism (mostly pre Dark Side) of Roger Waters and the imaginative solos of David Gilmour (who is still my all-time favorite guitarist), as well as the coordinated efforts of Wright and Mason. Their music was not flashy - the parts were usually simple, but put together and stylized in a way that made them revolutionary and an absolute pleasure to listen to. I never fell in love the same way until I heard "Boy with a Coin" on a local college radio station, and I knew I should explore the rest of the album. So I did, and it didn't let me down, and it exceeded my expectations. I guess I wasn't getting old after all, but there just has not been enough exposure to great artists like Sam Beam.

As much of the previous reviewers have said, the album is great from start to finish, just like a classic Pink Floyd album. I cannot detect any tracks that were thrown on there just to make it a complete album. I believe that even if it is not now, it will in time be considered a great classic of this era of rock. Every track is unique and is an essential part of the complete album. Right now, my favorite track is "Carousel." It's just one of those tracks where you can just close your eyes and let it take you away. The vocal rotary effect is perfectly placed, and I'm glad Sam seemed to embrace more effects and extra instruments than before, not only on Carousel but in every other track.

I just can't say enough how much of a talent Beam has for songwriting, singing and instrumentation. What I like so much about this album is how everything seems placed so well. There is no "look how many notes I can play per second" or "look at this cool trippy digital sound I can make."

The lyrics are great. It's kind of funny, because for me, I consider a song to have good lyrics and singing when I don't really listen to the lyrics, I just listen to the whole musical scene, like standing back and looking at a landscape. I can do that with this album, but I can't do that with a lot of bands, as they either try too hard to be abstract and metaphorical, sing about something like running through the halls of their high school, or throw a flashy or out of place guitar solo in my face. I consider this great lyricism a rare talent, and Beam has it, not to mention that he has a great singing voice, and utilizes it with rich vocal textures and harmonies. Instrumentally, Beam has the same knack that Gilmour does (did I mention that I like Pink Floyd?) of making it sound like the backing music and the solo are pieces of a puzzle that only sound good with the other present.

To sum it up, if you're having trouble finding modern music to fall in love with, that retains the musicianship of the classic rock era, then buy this album. I'm glad I'm not really getting old.

I just discovered Iron & Wine and I have to have every CD! It is the kind of music that just makes you feel good. I recommend it to anyone, especially those who enjoys folk and indie music.

not particularly a huge fan of the band, but i think this is a pretty good album. check out "White Tooth Man" and "Boy With A Coin" in particular.

Nouveau folk music with poetic lyrics and beautiful music. Sam Beam is really sensitive and when you see him live, his sensitivity and poetry fill the room and make you feel as if you're with family. Great music to sit and listen to or have on in the background when enjoying time with loved ones.

The Shepherd's dog is a wonderful set of melodic, dreamy folk tunes-maybe the Jayhawks doing Nick Drake.

Didn't have any experience with Iron and Wine before this, so I can't speak to the evolution of Sam Beam. Hmmm, all I know is I was very intrigued by the 30 second clips and the reviews, but was still hesitant to pick up the CD.

Not sure why.

I think the dog on the cover finally pulled me in with his glowing eye and his exuberant look.

I find the progression of songs and the unique choice of instrumentation a successful journey for one CD. Jim... I mean Sam Beam's voice works perfect. I love all the songs, a few better than others of course (as with any CD).

Pick it up, it's good, you'll like it. Pet your dog.

This has been one of the best CD's I've purchased and enjoyed listening to, thouroughly. So much so that it's been worth mentioning. What caught my hear were the blend of voices and the song writing, both lyrically and
musically speaking. I could say that they sound like but I would prefer to let them stand on there own. I thought that it's worth mentioning that I heard this group on satellite radio to. Enjoy!

There is so much wonderful, intricate instrumentation that you want this on CD and not low bit rate MP3. Great road tripping music!

With his past two full length albums and his various EP's, Sam Beam has carved out a niche in my musical landscape. I love his breathy vocals and warm guitar. Part of the charm is that he is not overproduced and remains true to his roots.

I have read each and every review on this site, and I disagree with most of them. Unlike others, I feel that Beam loses his charm on this album. It is so overproduced that I can barely make it through one listen. Beam does not write Indian music, and the sitars and Far Eastern instruments overpower his soft voice. Someone in the studio has done Sam a great disservice by allowing him to believe that this sounds good! It is tripe, pure and simple. This album gets away from everything that makes Beam's music likeable!

I am very well aware of the fact that all artists evolve. I hope this isn't the direction that Sam continues upon. I will not buy another album like this one! The only redeeming song is Resurrection Fern. The rest are complete mindless blather.

all and all a good cd
fav tracks were flightless bird and boy with a coin

I bought tis for my son who is a music major. He loved it

Some real interesting production and songwriting ideas. Delivered with a "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" production value that paints original soundscapes.

OK, so you loved "Creek Drank The Cradle", but didn't like "Woman King" as much, but then "Our Endless Numbered Days" grew on you, but still your favorite is "Sea & The Rhythm" (and really you just want to hear Sam cover more Postal Service songs because Garden State is your favorite movie of all time, and you saw it way before anyone else), so you took a listen to "In The Reins" with Calexico, but it was too Western or Spanishy or something, so you went ahead and bought "Shepherd's Dog" anyway and now you're not sure what to say about it because there's more instruments and stuff.

Jeez people, give it a rest. This is a great album, and easily one of the best of 2007.

PS: If you buy the album directly from SubPop.com, you get a bonus CD of two extra songs: "Arms Of A Thief" & "Serpent Charmer".

I have often found with folk musicians that the third album usually finds the musician growing bored with the typical acoustic format and instead tries to liven things up by bringing in the electric guitars and just ruining all of the simplistic, heartfelt melody.

Luckily, Iron and Wine have incorporated a fuller sound without losing any of the poignant, warm vocals and beautiful harmonies that we have come to expect. This album is slightly more complex than the first two, but has more of an upbeat feeling while still capturing the same sweetness and personal narrative that I love about
his music.

I was already a fan of Iron And Wine, and I'm very pleased with this new CD as well. If you like this kind of indie/folk music, go ahead and listen to this album. Very pleasant for listening to while cooking dinner or relaxing. This is really an album in my mind and not just a group of individual songs- it's much better when you listen to it all together instead of just hearing one of the tracks on an ipod, etc.

Not since my love for Bert Jansch and John Renbourne in the Brit-folk band the Pentangle have I heard guitars this lush and vocals this ethereal. From start to finish, the spell of guitar virtuosos and hypnotic lyrics keep my attention all the way through--not a bad track, astounding fact! When's the last time you could say that? Just be quiet and listen.

Was looking for something new to listen to and never heard of this band before. Love the CD. Layers of beautiful instrumentation, with the vocals being another layer instead of the primary one. So many textures and interesting melodies.


Not for those looking for something hard sounding or simple to interpret...lush, cerebral and interesting!

I don't get it. Just because something is different, dosen't make it good. There is nothing even remotely listenable on this cd. 0 stars

This is a really, really good album. If you scan some of the negative or average reviews of the album, they are consistent with listeners who cannot open their perspectives beyond the simple, one-man acoustic music. Quoting AMG's (www.allmusic.com) review of the album, I could not say it better myself: "It's their best, most diverse, and most listenable record yet, as Beam and co. take another leap away from the lo-fi, one-dude-in-a-bedroom beginnings of the group. Here Beam surrounds himself with a large cast of musicians, and they blanket the songs with a wide array of instrumentation, everything from accordions to Hammond organ, piano to backward guitars, vibraphone to bass harmonica."

Every song is unique and while the album takes multiple listens to truly appreciate, spend the time and you will be greatly rewarded.

Never heard any Iron and Wine before this. I would highly recommend this or probably any of his albums to anyone who wants to hear a great American recording. It is an eclectic, mystical, and haunting album. Very well recorded.

I love the solo stuff, and appreciated the expansion of the band into a group project: it adds to the underlying depth and complexity of this outing, without compromising the underlying ethos of the band.

I'm just sorry they won't be coming to Memphis on this tour.

I hate to say it, but I was a little disappointed with this album. They took away everything I had loved about this band, and left me with nothing discernibly or recognizably "Iron & Wine". This album captured none of the raw, bluesy, Southern melancholy of their previous albums, and instead sends us on a bizarre journey through experimental world folk rock.
No two songs seem to come from the same genre. Some of it has a very heavy Indian influence, even including the use of a sitar at the beginning of 'Pagan Angel', and the use of what sound like Tablas throughout the album. Some songs are downright country, such as 'Resurrection Fern', or 'The Devil Never Sleeps' which makes me feel like I'm in small town blues bar. Other songs are just a mish-mash of odd sounds; 'Carousel', for example, sounds like the love child of Sufjan Stevens's ambient melodies and Peter Frampton's voice changer.
All in all, I don't think this album is terrible. Sam Beam certainly has dreamt up some very intriguing rhythms and I applaude his willingness to branch out. However, in all honesty, this is just isn't the kind of thing I would expect or would like to hear from Iron & Wine.

With any Iron and Wine you can expect great songwriting, intimate vocals, and eclectic music. This one is certainly no different. However, the Sam has taken to heart the full sound of his collaboration with Calexico making for his most musically dense release to date. The music is heavily layered and at times very busy - a far cry from Sam's minimalist beginnings - yet it still feels like he is playing for you and only you.

Also notable is Sam's vocals. He seems to be a lot more confident with his voice showing more range and occasionally dropping his typically hushed tone for more exuberant, up front singing. Even the melodies used appear to be more involved and thought out.

It is hard to say any one Iron and Wine release is better than any of the others, but this one definitely sticks out because of the full sound and confident vocals.

This is a real sonic step forward for Sam Beam and company, but not that much of a surprise for those who heard his excellent 2005 collaboration EP with Calexico, "In the Reins". This is a much more rhythmically-appointed and stylistically varied collection of tunes than any previous I&W album, and it's a welcome change. Sam Beam's trademark whispered vocals are still here, but he does actually get lively at times, especially on the uncharacteristic boogie-woogie of "The Devil Never Sleeps". There's a certain organic "brightness" to this recording supported by rich instrumentation - an assortment of percussion, sitar, slide guitar, banjo, and so forth. "Boy with a Coin" was the first "single" release of the album, and it's one of the very best tunes, with a driving rhythm line and a catchy chorus. But every song here has its merits, from the strong opener, "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" to the doo-wop ballad feel of the gorgeous closer, "Flightless Bird, American Mouth." One could argue (and I will) that this is the best Iron and Wine CD to date, and with each listen it creeps closer to the top of my list of the best albums of 2007.

Have always liked him. His songwriting, voice, and melodies have always been great. But this album's got the rhythm and bounce that his earlier stuff lacked -- we got him tackling some new genres, employing more interesting and fuller instrumentation, all without sacrificing the qualities that make him great. This is an album that grabs you with the first song and will hold you 'til the end (a couple of weak spots in the album notwithstanding). Pick it up.

need to hear some more..........
it's been imported in my iTunes, along with over 14,200 other songs.......

Heard 'Boy with a Coin' and went ahead and bought the album. It's wonderful all the way through. Infectious melodies and beats- highly recommended.

Hippies who dance in mud at festivals will love this recording's spacey jams, bloated textures, trippy over-production, etc. For long-time Iron & Wine fans (okay, so it's only been five years), expect something different from earlier releases. The intimacy is gone as Beam builds on what he started with Calexico on In The Reins, but takes it too far. "Resurrection Fern" stands out as a nod to his older style. "Boy with a coin" is a stronger song from his new method. It's a quality album overall, but not what people typically turn to Iron & Wine for.