Ghost on Ghost

Submitted by nonesuch on
Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

Iron and Wine makes its Nonesuch Records debut with Ghost on Ghost, the fifth release from singer-songwriter Sam Beam under that pen name. The album was recorded in Brooklyn and produced by Beam’s longtime associate Brian Deck. "Every song feels lived in, and radiates palpable warmth," says American Songwriter; they "sound absolutely sublime." Uncut too calls it "sublime ... a work of immense beauty and scale."  The AP says: "Ghost on Ghost is a wonderfully produced and assembled record, propelled with joyous momentum even on tracks with darker lyrics ... With each successive album, Beam has been able to gradually expand and layer his sound with taste and dexterity."

Description

Iron and Wine makes its Nonesuch Records debut with Ghost on Ghost in the US on April 16, 2013 (April 15 on 4AD in Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand). Ghost on Ghost is the fifth release from singer-songwriter Sam Beam, using the pen name Iron and Wine. The album was produced by Beam’s longtime associate Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Califone, Fruit Bats) and follows 2011’s Kiss Each Other Clean, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard chart to critical acclaim. 

Rolling Stone said of Kiss Each Other Clean that “pop music hadn’t seen anything like it since the heyday of Cat Stevens,” while Pitchfork said it “more closely resembles the lush, gold-toned singer songwriter records of the late 60s and early 70s—Astral Weeks, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

For Ghost on Ghost, Beam sought to move from what he called the “anxious tension” of his two previous records. “This record felt like a reward to myself after the way I went about making the last few,” he says.

Helping achieve Beam’s vision was a group of stellar musicians including Rob Burger, Steve Bernstein, Brian Blade, Curtis Fowlkes, Tony Garnier, Marika Hughes, Briggan Kraus, Maxim Moston, Tony Scherr, Doug Wieselman, Kenny Wolleson, and Anja Wood. Burger (Tin Hat Trio) has worked with Beam intermittently through the years and handled arrangements for strings and horns on Ghost on Ghost. For the album’s cover, Beam, who is also a visual artist, chose an image from the series “Private Views” by noted photographer Barbara Crane.

The first three Iron and Wine albums, released on Sub Pop, were The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002), Our Endless Numbered Days (2004), and The Shepherd’s Dog (2007).

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Brian Deck
Arrangements and Musical Direction by Rob Burger
Engineer: Neil Strauch
Assistant Engineer: Don Piper
Mastering Engineer: Richard Dodd

Art Direction & Design: The Heads of State & Sam Beam
Cover Photo by Barbara Crane

All songs written by Sam Beam
All songs published by Sam Beam Music, administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)

Nonesuch Selection Number

534456

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
FormatRestrictions

 This album is available from Nonesuch Records for the world outside of Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand

Album Status
Artist Name
Iron and Wine
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Sam Beam, vocals, guitars
Rob Burger, keyboards, jew's harp (4), hammered dulcimer (4), tubular bells (10)
Tony Garnier, electric & upright basses (1, 2, 4-7, 10, 12)
Tony Scherr, upright bass (3, 8, 9), guitar (3), ukulele bass (4)
Brian Blade, drums & percussion (1-7, 10-12)
Kenny Wollesen, drums & percussion (1, 3, 5, 7-9) bowed vibraphone (9)
Paul Niehaus, pedal steel guitar (2, 7, 9, 12)
with
Maxim Moston, violin
Hiroko Taguchi, Entcho Todorov, violin, viola
Anja Wood, Marika Hughes, cello
Steven Bernstein, trumpet, cornet, alto horn
Doug Wieselman, tenor & baritone saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet
Curtis Fowlkes, trombone
Briggan Krauss, baritone & alto saxophone
Josette Newsome, Carla Cook, background vocals

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
UPC
075597959666BUN
Label
MP3
Price
10.00
UPC
075597959659
Label
LP+MP3
UPC
075597959673BUN
Label
FLAC
Price
11.00
UPC
075597959659FL
  • 534456

News & Reviews

  • Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens joined Iron & Wine singer, songwriter, and guitarist Sam Beam on NBC tonight for a performance of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" on the series finale of Parenthood. Dylan's recording, from the 1974 album Planet Waves, has been the show's theme song since it first aired. The new version by Giddens and Iron & Wine, which they played during the episode, is available digitally from Nonesuch Records on iTunes and in the Nonesuch Store. You can hear it here.

  • The Brooklyn Academy of Music's wide-ranging series of concerts and events Nonesuch Records at BAM: Celebrating a Label Without Labels, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Nonesuch Records, kicks off Tuesday night with the first of three consecutive nights of concerts from Philip Glass and Steve Reich plus a separate solo set from Brad Mehldau and continues through September 28. The New York Times says the series "reflects the broad curiosity and high standard of a label that has had notable successes ... with no guiding criteria other than instinct and taste." In conjunction with these events, BAMcinématek presents Nonesuch Records on Film, a salute to the label’s rich catalogue of movie soundtracks.

Buy Now

  • About This Album

    Iron and Wine makes its Nonesuch Records debut with Ghost on Ghost in the US on April 16, 2013 (April 15 on 4AD in Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand). Ghost on Ghost is the fifth release from singer-songwriter Sam Beam, using the pen name Iron and Wine. The album was produced by Beam’s longtime associate Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Califone, Fruit Bats) and follows 2011’s Kiss Each Other Clean, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard chart to critical acclaim. 

    Rolling Stone said of Kiss Each Other Clean that “pop music hadn’t seen anything like it since the heyday of Cat Stevens,” while Pitchfork said it “more closely resembles the lush, gold-toned singer songwriter records of the late 60s and early 70s—Astral Weeks, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

    For Ghost on Ghost, Beam sought to move from what he called the “anxious tension” of his two previous records. “This record felt like a reward to myself after the way I went about making the last few,” he says.

    Helping achieve Beam’s vision was a group of stellar musicians including Rob Burger, Steve Bernstein, Brian Blade, Curtis Fowlkes, Tony Garnier, Marika Hughes, Briggan Kraus, Maxim Moston, Tony Scherr, Doug Wieselman, Kenny Wolleson, and Anja Wood. Burger (Tin Hat Trio) has worked with Beam intermittently through the years and handled arrangements for strings and horns on Ghost on Ghost. For the album’s cover, Beam, who is also a visual artist, chose an image from the series “Private Views” by noted photographer Barbara Crane.

    The first three Iron and Wine albums, released on Sub Pop, were The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002), Our Endless Numbered Days (2004), and The Shepherd’s Dog (2007).

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Sam Beam, vocals, guitars
    Rob Burger, keyboards, jew's harp (4), hammered dulcimer (4), tubular bells (10)
    Tony Garnier, electric & upright basses (1, 2, 4-7, 10, 12)
    Tony Scherr, upright bass (3, 8, 9), guitar (3), ukulele bass (4)
    Brian Blade, drums & percussion (1-7, 10-12)
    Kenny Wollesen, drums & percussion (1, 3, 5, 7-9) bowed vibraphone (9)
    Paul Niehaus, pedal steel guitar (2, 7, 9, 12)
    with
    Maxim Moston, violin
    Hiroko Taguchi, Entcho Todorov, violin, viola
    Anja Wood, Marika Hughes, cello
    Steven Bernstein, trumpet, cornet, alto horn
    Doug Wieselman, tenor & baritone saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet
    Curtis Fowlkes, trombone
    Briggan Krauss, baritone & alto saxophone
    Josette Newsome, Carla Cook, background vocals

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Brian Deck
    Arrangements and Musical Direction by Rob Burger
    Engineer: Neil Strauch
    Assistant Engineer: Don Piper
    Mastering Engineer: Richard Dodd

    Art Direction & Design: The Heads of State & Sam Beam
    Cover Photo by Barbara Crane

    All songs written by Sam Beam
    All songs published by Sam Beam Music, administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)

  • Format Availability

     This album is available from Nonesuch Records for the world outside of Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand